Animals and more animal
Sunday 24th May - Sydney
Julia: Today, we had a lovely behind the scenes tour of Sydney Zoo. Les our guide collected us at 9.00 am ready for our tour which started at 10.00 am. We were met by our Zoo keeper, Jane, and started our tour with a More...
Sunday 24th May - Sydney
Julia: Today, we had a lovely behind the scenes tour of Sydney Zoo. Les our guide collected us at 9.00 am ready for our tour which started at 10.00 am. We were met by our Zoo keeper, Jane, and started our tour with a visit to the Koala bears. We went right inside their enclosure where there were 3 Koalas asleep and curled up on their respective branches. They were all about head height so we were able to stand right next to them. They were so cute! - and very sleepy. Apparently, they sleep for 18 hours a day, only waking to have a scratch and a quick feed on the eucalyptus leaves. Their diet is so low on energy that they just sleep the whole time. These particular bears were extremely tame and weren’t bothered at all by our presence, although we were not able to actually touch them. We walked on and saw some small marsupials called Tasmanian Devils, that were like large black guinea pigs. Sadly, these devils are threatened with extinction because many, if not all have died from a contagious cancer of facial tumors. We then saw some dingos that were, as far as they know pure bred dingos, which apparently, is unusual as many wild dingoes have been cross breeding with domesticated dogs.
We then went into the nocturnal house and saw a few small animals though their glass enclosures before going behind the scenes into the kitchen where all the animals foods are prepared. They only have the best vegetables and good quality meat bought for them and there was a gentleman there all day making up different meals. He had made some meat porridge, different salads which contained, nuts, seeds, carrots, sweet corn, bananas and many different types of greens and even a special balanced honey drink. It was quite an operation for him and he had to make highly balanced and nutritious meals not only for herbivores, but also carnivores. We were shown inside the freezer of horrors which contained many frozen chicks, baby rats, large rats and many other horrid things for the carnivores to eat.
We then went on to one of the enclosures where we met some Echidnas which we fed some meat porridge. Jamilah was enjoying every minute of this hands on visit and was able to stroke the Echidnas. We then moved on again where Jamilah fed some pretty tame large rat like animals on her lap. Their favourite food was sweet corn and bananas.
Then we had a special visit where we were able to hold and see a tiny, tiny, feather glider. We sat in a tiny room where Jane released the little glider. He jumped all over us and it was a fun thing for Jamilah once again.
We then walked back outside to the daylight stopping off to see some huge Red Kangaroos which we hadn’t managed to see so far in the wild.
Once our tour came to an end we were invited to have a coffee and some cake. Jane kindly gave Jamilah a bag with some souvenirs and we had one very happy little girl. We caught a cable car down to the harbour’s edge and then caught a water taxi across the harbour to our hotel and where we said our goodbyes to Les.
After popping back to our room for half an hour we then walked to the rocks where we walked around the market and bought many small items. We also had a late lunch and then returned to our hotel for some down time.
***** Julian: This morning we were picked up and taken over the Harbour Bridge to Sydney or Taronga zoo on the Northern side. We were lucky to have a private guided tour which meant that Jamilah could get in with some of the animals and touch and feed them - she had a wonderful smile on right from our first stop at the Koalas. We went into the Koala enclosure where three Koalas were sleeping and could stand right by them (but not touch). One woke up and decided to pose for the photos, much to Jamilah’s delight. Jamilah enjoyed herself so much today that she has written her longest blog of the day, making my task easier as I need only record what she has missed (not a lot!). We saw the full spectrum of Australian mammals and other local animals, including: Koalas; Tasmanian Devils; Blue Billed Duck; Black Swan; Bilby; Phascogale; Northern Quoll; various gliders; Feather Tailed Glider; Short Beaked Echidna; Long Nosed Potoroo; Red Kangarooss (at last!! - we haven’t seen any whilst out and about in the wild); Red Necked Wallaby; Kookaburra; Tree Kangaroo; Victoria Crowned Pigeon; Rainbow Lorikeet; Cassowary.
Some interesting factoids that we were told: The Bibby, a rabbit like (well sort of) mammal that is losing out to rabbits, and hence they have started a new campaign in Australia to raise awareness by having Easter chocolate Bibbys instead of Easter Bunnies. The Bibby also has an interesting capability in that it can shed its fur when a predator gets hold of it - similar to lizards shedding their tails. The Phascogale is an interesting mouse type marsupial - they breed only during a 3 week period in the year; however, during that period they do nothing else except mate - no eating, drinking or even sleeping it seems. The males are so exhausted by this regimen that they die at the end of the period having lived only 11 months - a true definition of the phrase “sh…… out!â€; the females on the other hand live on for several years. The kangaroo hops, as do several other marsupials, because it is the most efficient mode of getting around using very little energy apparently, which is ideal in the harsh Australian climate - it also helps breathing by moving the diaphragm as they hop - evolution working well again.
When we went behind the scenes in the nocturnal animal house we were shown into the food preparation area and the “freezer of horrors†as our keeper guide, Jane, called it. Within were various plastic containers with dead mice at various stages from new borns, pink ones up to full grown ones - the latter come in lovely freeze dried pouches that look like food you get in the supermarket - yummy, mice for tea! We were also shown some meal worms, which we all held, basically beetle larvae - apparently they are the chocolate of the animal world being full of energy as the little things stuff themselves before they mutate into Beetles; they are used sparingly as a result. We were allowed to hold a Feather Tailed Glider, though hold is perhaps an over-statement - it basically run all over us and on one occasion glided over from Jane to Jamilah - interestingly when it is actually still for a while you can feel a humming vibration which is apparently its heart beat - some beat. After that we went into the enclosure of the Short Beaked Echidna which we fed; we were also allowed to stroke them and amazingly their spines, whilst sharp touched point on, seemed quite soft. Our final direct animal encounter was with Eddie, a Long Nosed Potoroo who sat on Jamilah whilst she fed him.
One of the final animals we saw was a Victoria Crowned Pigeon, which is an enormous bird for a pigeon and which has a lovely crown of feathers on its head - hence its name. This pigeon coos like other pigeons, but the sound is amazingly different - like a very deep rhythmic drum sound, caused by its very large chest.
After our fabulous zoo trip, we took a water taxi back across the bay to the Circular Quay where our hotel is, dropped off our bags, and then headed out to the market in The Rocks area. A fascinating little market with lots of local arts and crafts allowing us to buy all the necessary gifts for this trip. After a late afternoon lunch/dinner at an Italian restaurant we came back to our hotel for Jamilah and I to watch Robin Hood downloaded from the BBC (Prince John getting scuppered again by Robin and his men - oh yes!) and then onto photo processing for me (over 450 shots from the zoo to sort through!).
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