Kangaroos eating from our palms at the mini zoo in Tiszaderzs

Tiszaderzs is certainly not the centre of the world, even if it's part of the Lake Tisza tourism area, which has been attracting more and more beach lovers, cyclists and boatsmen every year, and which has had spectacular developments in recent years. In Tiszaderzs, the river doesn't run "behind the gardens", it has no beach – only a river front that’s just big enough for those who wish to go fishing. Until now, its attractions have been limited to a reformed church with a wonderful interior, the local production base of Julius-K9 (the smallest globally known Hungarian company that makes dog harnesses), and a dinosaur park, that barely even made the list. The location, on the other hand, is pretty good: Abádszalók, with its great beach, restaurants, and harbours, lies five kilometres away, and even Tiszafüred is no more than a 20-minute drive away. Be aware that the sign that marks the end of the village is almost a kilometre further from the end of the row of houses, and your speed is often checked.

This is the environment into which a very special attraction was created at the beginning of this summer, called Kangaroo Park, which is unique in many ways. Instead of sheep grazing at the feet of plastic dinosaurs, now you find exotic and rare species here, that have been moved abroad from distant continents, right into an entirely professional mini zoo. The execution shows nothing but competence and caring. Everything is made from natural materials and the result feels classy in this cosy setting of a flowery garden, which also features a pond. The place itself is a worthwhile attraction for adults, too, but there is a noticeable focus on families with children, with a spacious playground and playhouse, and a shaded buffet.

According to the local climate, as we look at the gentle, herbivorous animals from five continents – well, with the occasional "Beware, they may bite or sting" sign – rare and interesting species, kookaburras, agoutis, all sorts of cockatoos are mixed with popular cartoon characters, meerkats, prairie dogs and capybaras. Our personal favourite was the Indonesian chicken (the Ayam Cemani hen), which has the unusual characteristic of being dressed as Zorro, totally deep black from head to toe, even down to the claws, beak, eyes, and crest. And in the petting zoo you can get close and personal with the Cameroon dwarf goats and llamas, but only without a bag, because the goats may want to chew them. And the signs, which are very informative, will also tell you how endangered a species is – if they aren't warning you of the dangers of the Australian rabbit invasion.

The biggest attraction, however, is the section that was the inspiration for the name, the Australian wildlife-themed one, featuring three big red kangaroos. The males weigh up to 60 kilograms and, although there are no carnivores in the park, they are considered dangerous animals and are kept within the range of a secure platform. If you're lucky, you'll catch a feeding show, which is always done strictly by two keepers, because of the risks. In our case, though, these red giants, renowned for their boxing skills, ate their midday meals with bored monotony. The coolest guys are undoubtedly the smaller, red-necked wallabies. They're completely free and if we find them in a good mood – most probably not at midday in the heat, when they take a siesta at the bottom of the fence – they'll come to us. They are bordered by a sign-like rope fence; thus they are happy to eat the locally available food out of the palm of our hands. The cutest thing is that there are a few albino ones with snow-white fur.

So then, how did a miniature Australia, South and North America, Africa and Eurasia end up in the middle of the Great Hungarian Plain? “I was basically looking for a holiday home," admits Attila Varga, an exotic animal and Australia enthusiast (since his childhood) and now a certified zoo expert. Attila decided to buy a farmhouse along the Tisza but ended up in Tiszaderzs. From his garden, he saw sheep grazing at the feet of the T-Rex and the idea was born: live animals are needed instead. As one of the curators of the Nyíregyháza Zoo, he convinced two of his colleagues, and their idea was welcome and supported by the municipality that owns the area. After long planning (observing climatic conditions, selecting animal species – and preparation – planting bushes and fifty trees) the project started entirely from personal funds. His business partners are also professionals, dedicated "zoo freaks" .

Therefore, Attila Varga considers zoos so important because breeding programmes can save many endangered species. To give just two recent examples, this is how the Przewalski's horse in the neighbouring Hortobágy and the European bison survived the activities of homo sapiens. "Of course, it would be much better to protect them in the wild, but the best antidote to human stupidity and greed is still to protect the fauna in zoos. It is not the existence of zoos that is the problem, but the humans who are destroying their environment," he sums up. Similar ethical considerations apply to the way they run their facilities. All of the ten employees are from Tiszaderzs and the surrounding area and they now form a strong community who look after the Kangaroo Park as if it was their own place. Judit, who feeds the red kangaroos, is a horse breeder and trainer, too, and Zalán is a local force, being an agricultural technician. "We had to learn how to take care of these exciting animals, their keeping techniques are very different from those of the farm animals in the village," they add.

Attila Varga and his colleagues claim that everything they have learned in zoos around the world, all that know-how has been applied within this zoo, and they have created a very spectacular and very authentic attraction. It's worth to get off your bike once you pass by, or visit the Park on purpose, and remember the name Tiszaderzs, which has strengthened its place on the map of Lake Tisza.