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“The zoo is most famous for it's owners - the Irwin Family and . . . the Crocodile Hunter.” |
Today, we went to the Australia Zoo located just outside of Brisbane - about 90 minutes north. The zoo is most famous for it's owners - the Irwin Family and previous home to the Crocodile Hunter. It doesn't have a huge variety of animals, but those they do have they have a lot of and the enclosures are done right - these animals are very well taken care of. There are elephants, kangaroos, wombats, snakes, tigers, lizards, koalas, and of course crocodiles - lots of crocodiles and alligators.
We have different opinions on what our top favorite animal is, but we both agree that kangaroos are in the top three. And the Australia zoo has to house the best "Roo Heaven" that we've ever seen. You walk through this double fence into a completely open enclosure full of kangaroos - and you're just walking through them. They jump and crawl all around you, eating the grass, lounging in the shade - they're just everywhere. It was so cool to be able to pet as many as you wanted, to crouch down next to a mother feeding her joey, and to lounge with them on a hill. The animals were obviously used to having visitors around because for all intents and purposes they just ignored us. But they were so cute!
Our favorite part of the day was the live "Wildlife Warriors 101" show during which Terri Irwin made an unexpected appearance - we were so excited!!! The show did demonstrations with snakes, birds, and then crocodiles. They had a huge python that two guys had to carry out together in order to get it to the water! But the crocodile demonstration was the best - I mean come on, we were at the Crocodile Hunter's Zoo! Terri and Steve's best friend, Wes, worked the crocodile portion of the show together. Demonstrating the behavior of the crocodile, Mossman, and proper safety techniques around the water in Australia. They talked about how crocodiles only attack for food or when they feel their territory is being invaded. The show was really good, but it was an especially good treat to get to see Terri Irwin.
During the afternoon we visited the elephant sanctuary to see Bimbo, Simba, and Seya to feed them their afternoon snack. We both managed to get through the line to feed them. April especially enjoyed the snot left on our hand after the feeding! A highlight of the day came when we got to pet and pose with a koala bear - they are so cool!
As you can imagine, there were tributes and photos of Steve Irwin throughout the zoo. Many of the items that had been received at the zoo from all over the world following his untimely death were on display, along with the hundreds of khaki shirts that people had signed during their visits to the zoo. It was amazing to see how many people he had touched during such a short lifetime and in just doing exactly what he loved in the world. Whilst we all know him as an animal conservationist and the Crocodile Hunter, the memorials around the zoo also talked about how much of a family man he was - an incredible doting father to Bindi and Bob and also how much he adored his wife Terri. The photos around the zoo of him with his family were amazing. Whilst he is gone, the memory of him continues to thrive in the zoo and his mission in life is continuing through the Wildlife Warriors organization.
The day was amazing and we had such a good time. It was sad at times, with regards to Steve's death, but was definitely worth a visit to see. We would highly recommend a visit to anyone that is coming to the East coast of Australia - absolutely incredible.
previous travel blog entry
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