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Animals threaten to break enclosures as Australian Reptile Park is flooded with rain

Staff at the Australian Reptile Park have been forced to close their doors and move several animals after being inundated with rainfall.

The zoo on the NSW Central Coast posted an incredible video of water rushing through the park, flooding numerous areas on Friday.

Employees can be seen carrying koalas to safety and trying to keep crocodiles within their rising enclosure.

Water also flooded the office area, with staff pictured desperately trying to keep it at bay with brooms.

“This morning we made the tough decision to close the park for the day due to incredibly heavy (much needed!) rainfall resulting in floods we haven't seen for over 15 years!” the reptile park wrote on its Facebook page.

“We’ve even had keepers stationed at our Alligator Lagoon to monitor the water levels, which were rising beyond the fence line.

“We're very thankful for our amazing, quick-thinking staff for helping keep things under control and our animals dry.”

A staff members can be seen carrying two soaked koalas to safety. Source: The Australian Reptile Park
A staff members can be seen carrying two soaked koalas to safety. Source: The Australian Reptile Park

Australian Reptile Park Director, Tim Faulkner, led the team after returning from drought-affected waterways in the Barrington Tops area where he was rescuing endangered Manning River turtles and platypuses from dried-up creeks.

“This is incredible! Just last week, we were having daily meetings to discuss the imminent threat of bushfires, just 8km away from the Park here in Somersby,” he said in a statement.

“The contrast between the current bushfire crisis and this sudden flooding is striking. But we are well-aware that a huge part of Australia is still burning, and millions of animals are still under threat. The rain doesn’t replace the millions of hectares of habitat that has been lost over the last few months.”

Crocodiles were filmed lingering near the fences of their enclosures as water rose. Source: The Australian Reptile Park
Crocodiles were filmed lingering near the fences of their enclosures as water rose. Source: The Australian Reptile Park

The Australian Reptile Park is home to numerous native animals and offers tours, entertainment shows and exhibits.

Bushfires burning across the country’s east coast have threatened the park over the past two months.

In November, the staff announced they will accept and triage animals injured in the blazes.

“Please note we have our own threats presented by the nearby fire and we’re all hands on deck to address these,” they said at the time.

A very wet koala is seen clinging to a tree as the rain falls. Source: The Australian Reptile Park
A very wet koala is seen clinging to a tree as the rain falls. Source: The Australian Reptile Park

Facebook users said they were shocked to see the amount of rainfall rushing through the park on Friday.

“From one extreme to another. Stay safe everyone. Well done Australian Reptile Park for keeping our animals safe,” one woman said.

“Love the croc sitting at the fence... just waiting for the waters to rise a little more,” another said.

Yahoo News Australia has called the Australian Reptile Park for comment.

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