Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / QLD / K9 River Retreat

Chris and Petra Lovey are the owners of K9 River Retreat, a property situated in Kuranda, approximately 40km northwest of Cairns, Queensland. The property is a small, luxury dog boarding facility as well as a dedicated wildlife sanctuary and home. Chris and Petra are part of the Agile Project, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation initiative, and their property is additionally registered with Land for Wildlife.

The property spans approximately 38 hectares and borders Kuranda State Forest to the north and the Barron River to the south. Chris and Petra have regenerated the former cattle property to create wildlife corridors as well as a soft-release site for agile wallabies in care. Vegetation is mixed, consisting of tropical rainforest species, grass tree forests and eucalypt woodland.

An abundance of native species is present on the property including northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), striped possums (Dactylopsila trivirgata), agile wallabies (Macropus agilis), southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius) and over 130 native birds. The property also supports a diverse array of reptiles including lace monitors (Varanus varius), frill-necked lizards (Chlamydosaurus kingii), water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii), freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnsoni), turtles, water pythons (Liasis fuscus) and amethystine pythons (Morelia amethistina), one of which is five metres long.