Kentucky Down Under is an Australia-themed animal park located in Horse Cave,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 1990, the park was opened by Bill and Judy Austin to the public. Bill Austin was manager of Mammoth Onyx Cave (which was later renamed Kentucky Caverns), which his grandfather had purchased in the 1920s. Peacocks and other small animals had been added to the park for visitors to enjoy on the surface in-between cave tours. A herd of American bison was added in the 1970s, followed by the Australian animals in 1990, and the park renamed to "Kentucky Down Under".

Activities

Kentucky Down Under Zoo provides a variety of activities: * Animal exhibits: Staff located in each area to answer questions. There are "encounter" areas where guides let visitors interact with animals (draft horses, kangaroos, lorikeets, etc.). * Mammoth Onyx Cave tours: Guides discuss geology and the importance of the cave system. * Land of the Lorikeets: Walk-in aviary. * Woolshed: Visitors learn about sheep, herding dogs, and wool production. * Gem mining: Dig and sift through sand/soil for a variety of gemstones. * Carriage rides: Guided tour of the zoo via a horse-drawn carriage. Kentucky Down Under hosts school groups via partly guided tours, with staff in each area of the zoo to answer questions about the exhibited animals; however, chaperons/teachers are responsible for supervising members of their respective groups.

Animals

The zoo has a multitude of animals in their care ranging mostly of Australian but also exotic animals from around the globe including Africa, Europe, and Asia. * White Bison * American Alligator *

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

Coati Coatis (from Tupí), also known as coatimundis (), are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera '' Nasua'' and '' Nasuella'' (comprising the subtribe Nasuina). They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, ...

mundi *

Fainting Goats The fainting goat or myotonic goat is an American breed of goat. It is characterised by myotonia congenita, a hereditary condition that may cause it to stiffen or fall over when excited or startled.Martin, A. F., Bryant, S. H., & Mandel, F. (1984 ...

* Woma Pythons *

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

Dingo The dingo (either included in the species ''Canis familiaris'', or considered one of the following independent taxa: ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage ...

es * Laughing Kookaburras * Cockatiels *

Sun Conure The sun conure (''Aratinga solstitialis''), also known as the sun parakeet, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, predominantly gol ...

Umbrella Cockatoo The white cockatoo (''Cacatua alba''), also known as the umbrella cockatoo, is a medium-sized all-white cockatoo endemic to tropical rainforest on islands of Indonesia. When surprised, it extends a large and striking head crest, which has a se ...

* Grey Parrot *

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw The blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna''), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large g ...

Scarlet Macaw The scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from south ...

* Salmon Crested Cockatoo * Ring-Tailed Lemurs * Rainbow Lorikeets * Sulcata Tortoise * Draft Horses - Belgian and Shire *

Kangaroos Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey ...

Emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

s * Patagonian Cavy/

Mara Mara or MARA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Mara (''Doctor Who''), an evil being in two ''Doctor Who'' serials * Mara (She-Ra), fictional characters from the ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' and ''The New Advent ...

Indian Peafowl The Indian peafowl (''Pavo cristatus''), also known as the common peafowl, or blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. While it originated in the Indian subcontinent, it has since been introduced to many other part ...

Llamas The llama (; or ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is so ...

Miniature Horse A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such h ...

* Southdown Sheep * Border Collie Sheep Herding Dogs * Brown Swiss Milk Cow * Miniature Zebu Cow * Serval Cat

Notes

External links

* Zoos in Kentucky Buildings and structures in Hart County, Kentucky Tourist attractions in Hart County, Kentucky 1990 establishments in Kentucky Zoos established in 1990 {{HartCountyKY-geo-stub