Carolyn and Phil Emms are the owners of Cairns Wildlife Sanctuary (Morinda House), a property located approximately 10km south of Cairns. The property is a residence and dedicated wildlife sanctuary, and it is Carolyn and Phil’s intent to continue to preserve the natural values that the property offers in a city environment. The Cairns Wildlife Sanctuary does not welcome dogs or cats, and the presence of native predatory birds keep smaller exotic species at bay. It provides particularly valuable wildlife habitat given the ongoing development in, and proximity of, Cairns.
The sanctuary covers 1.64 hectares of rare city wildlife habitat featuring wetland tree species, pockets of rainforest and open woodland. Wildlife species for which Cairns Wildlife Sanctuary is known to provide habitat include agile wallabies (Macropus agilis), magpie geese (Anseranas semipalmata), freshwater turtles, Lake Eachram rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis), northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), goannas (Varanus varius), various pythons, skinks, lizards and frogs.
More than 100 bird species typical of the Wet Tropics, such as emerald doves (Chalcophaps indica), double-eyed fig parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma), parrots, dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis), channel-billed cuckoos (Scythrops novaehollandiae), and wetland species including jabirus (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) and yellow-billed spoonbills (Platalea flavipes), have been recorded on the sanctuary.
