10/7/07 Crikey! Australia Zoo

Crikey!
see all photos »

A 20km drive and an early start at the Zoo, as we had been told there was so much to see and do – and yes there is! The kids had watched the ads on TV here for the Zoo and so were very excited about the jumping castle and rides they had seen (yes, I know, there were iconic Australian animals and near extinct species to look forward to and they couldn’t wait for the jumping castle).

A large crowd gathered nearby for the scheduled elephant feeding, but all were surprised to see Teri and Bob (Senior) Irwin appear along with a heap of media and a big truck. The Irwins were taking receipt of the donated truck to assist with crocodile research. They made a bit of speech, smiled for the cameras and headed off, complete with a minder for Teri.

mmmm ... elephant snot
see all photos »

The elephant feeding continued on, with three elephants rescued from a Burmese circus many years ago. Rhys and I stood in line (more like a food conveyer belt) for ‘Siam’ – there were three lines running simultaneously. Rhys lost his nerve at the last minute, though I can’t blame him after I ended up with a cold, wet hand covered in dirt and elephant snot!

Off to the Crocoseum, the 5000 seat stadium (where Steve’s memorial service was held) to watch an hour-long show involving many birds, snakes and crocodiles. A large variety of birds were let lose to fly around the stadium, swooping low and then landing a various locations, including one very close to us. A number of non-venomous snakes were let out of big crate and a bloke was chosen from the audience and participated in the show – he was wrapped in a snake and looked very uncomfortable. He was thanked for his efforts by being thrown in the water!

Ben & a big red
see all photos »

The show’s finale was Monty the big 3 metre croc who was encouraged out into the stadium’s pool and then encouraged to lift his head out of the water to show his big jaws with some type of dead animal. Throughout the show, footage from Steve Irwin was included along with a heavy conservation message encouraging everyone to become wild warriors by doing simple things like not littering or cutting down trees.

Next stop was ‘Kids Zoo’ where we got the opportunity to pat and feed baby goats, sheep, cows, and pigs. Rhys wasn’t very brave again but Ben had a ball. We were impressed with how incredibly clean everything was and how friendly and helpful the staff’s members were – over 570 people are employed by the

Monty
see all photos »

Zoo.

Venomous snakes, wombats, rainforest birds and then red kangaroos. This was another feeding opportunity for the kids and Rhys got a bit braver here – touching and feeding the roos. They were obviously full up and only a few of them were interested in the food!

An impressive Asian section of the Zoo separately housed the tigers and the elephants (who arrived back from doing another show). There was another elephant feeding session whilst we were there and all four of us had a turn this time – though there wasn’t as much elephant snot as the morning session! One of the elephants had an impressive sneeze – the dust flew everywhere!

We had a look at the otters being fed, Tassie Devils, reptiles and then a quick look at the museum; finally, enough time for another jump on the jumping castle for the boys and it was 4.30 – closing time for the zoo.

What a great day!