Shakira Todd is the owner of Wildlife Surrounds, a property situated in Mount Surround, approximately 60km southeast of Townsville in North Queensland. The property is the site of Jimirara, a recently established organisation, and is a dedicated wildlife sanctuary also used for tourism, education, recreation and as a wildlife rehabilitation site. Shakira plans to implement conservation programs to improve the health and resilience of the local ecosystems; educate the community by engaging locals in conservation projects and workshops; and conduct research to develop more sustainable interactions between humans and the local environment. She may also consider implementing captive breeding programs for threatened species on the property in the future.
The property covers approximately 15 hectares of rural land and adjoins the Bowling Green Bay National Park. Vegetation is largely dominated by moist to dry Eucalypt woodlands interspersed with native orchids and cycads. Spring Creek and Double Creek run adjacent to the property, providing nearby water and supporting a belt of native riparian vegetation on the property boundaries.
Wildlife is abundant on the property and includes northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), laughing (Dacelo novaeguineae) and blue-winged (Dacelo leachii) kookaburras, red-tailed black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii) and scaly-breasted lorikeets (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus).
