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Wow!
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Or should I say "Crikey! Have a go at this!"
We
never got to meet the Irwins, although we did hear Steve nattering away
over Kylie's radio, who was our guide for the day. He was organising his
little boy’s 2nd birthday party which was three days later! Terri and the
kids were still in America after Thanksgiving and by the way, no, not that
Kylie, although she was just as cute!
Let's
start with a "No Way!" moment! We were very privileged to be allowed to
meet Harriet, a Giant Galapagos Tortoise. She is 175 years old and is
believed to be Charles Darwin's tortoise, hence how they know how old she
is as it is recorded! Just think what has been discovered/invented since
she was born in 1830!
Our day
started with a Cheetah walk, then hand feeding the Kangaroos, followed by
being engulfed in the Rainforest Aviary when we were handed a feeding
tray!
The
next encounter we had was to feed the three resident elephants and I can
say from first-trunk experience, don't turn your back on them when you
still have food in your hand! They also like to spray their new friends
with the red mud that they stroll around in, but we didn't care, we were
in our element!
After a
stroll around the new development that is happening and seeing the Tiger
enclosure we got to meet the ten most venomous snakes in Australia! No,
we didn't get to do a "Steve" and hold them, they were behind glass
thankfully!
The
development I mentioned needs a bit of detail I think! There is this
bloke called Steve Irwin, his nickname is "The Crocodile Hunter," but he
is far from being a hunter! He has grown up working with animals and
taken his parent's four hectare Reptile Park and turned it into a three
hundred and fifteen hectare wildlife park! Whilst doing this he has done
more for raising awareness about conservation than many others could ever
possibly hope to achieve!
I
cannot say enough about what is being achieved around Australia Zoo, but
to try and put into perspective how much all the people who work at
Australia Zoo care about animals I will tell you this. A few weeks before
we arrived, the Animal Hospital next door to the Zoo had performed a four
hour surgical operation to mend a frog's leg! They treat every animal as
an individual and if it can be saved and released back into the wild they
will do all they can to save them!
Back to
our day, we had morning tea and then proceeded to "The Crocoseum" to see
the Snakes, Tigers, Birds and of course, the Crocodiles! Even without
Steve doing the shows they really know how to keep you on the edge of your
seats! When they hand-feed the crocs you can see the power of these
awesome creatures as they launch themselves at the handlers!
After
the shows, we went to the petting zoo, and yes, we had to drag Angela out
of there kicking and screaming! Although the goats, sheep, pigs and
calves were gorgeous! Then it was onto the Wedge-Tailed Eagle, a simply
magnificent bird of prey!
Lunchtime arrived and the food we were treated to was fabulous and there
was so much of it!
After
lunch we got to feed a couple of Aldabran Tortoises and Harriet, the 175
year old Giant Galapagos Land Tortoise. They are very receptive to humans
and so affectionate. They love being stroked and are so like dogs when
you stop stroking them as they nuzzle into you to get you to keep stroking
them, but you must watch your fingers when feeding them!
We then
went to the Animal Hospital and were astounded at the commitment of the
team there. They are independent to Australia Zoo, although the Zoo is
their major sponsor and so the support of “Wildlife Warriors” is vital to
the work they do here.
After
the Hospital we got to meet two of the most adorable Dingos, who are truly
the most independent animals I have met. They seem to be the missing link
between dogs and wolves. These two however, were just after some love and
attention and Angela received lots of “Dingo” kisses from one in
particular.
We were
then asked if we wanted anything else to eat or drink! The day finished
with an "Animal Extravaganza!" We got to play with, hold, touch and
generally coo over a Possum, a Wombat, a couple of Tasmanian Devils, a
baby Crocodile, a Yellow and Green Macaw, a Burmese Python (I could not
believe how beautiful and incredibly strong this guy was) and of course we
saved the final cuddle for a Koala.
I took
213 photos and our photographer for the day, Ben, took 205! All the
photos that Ben took during the day were printed out for us, in various
sizes, and the photos that had us in them were put onto CD and everything
was posted home to the UK for us!
We cannot find a single
thing about the whole day that was not perfect and like gluttons for
punishment we even went back the following day! |