I’ve always wanted to see a koala and I got several chances to do so in Australia.
They are so adorable! They sleep about 20 hours each day, so of course, all the ones we saw were doing just that. However, we got to get super close to them at the Sydney Zoo. We weren’t allowed to touch them, but we could observe them up close. Doesn’t this guy above look super relaxed?
His buddy was snuggled in a couple of branches below. This was a good chance to study their feet, which are different front and back. The front ones have two opposable thumbs! (His back feet are showing in this photo.)
In Tasmania we saw a wombat, which is similar to the koala species. Also very cuddly looking. And awake!
And then we spent some time with about 140 kangaroos. They live at a wildlife sanctuary where they are taken care of. As a result they are VERY tame, so we could walk among them, feed them, and scratch them. They were so spoiled as to be rather disinterested in us – and our food.
Many of the kangaroos had adolescent joeys (babies) that were hanging out in mom’s pouch. Only the joey’s back legs and tail were showing. VERY weird looking!
And then, we got to see a Tasmanian Devil in action. They’re very interesting looking little characters: about the size of a raccoon, with red ears!
I was shocked when one of the workers asked “Do you want to see him attack?” Well, of course we did. So, the worker gathered a small crowd. Then, he walked over to where the devil was sleeping in a log and poked him with a literal 10 foot pole. That little guy came tearing out of there, with teeth barred! The worker backed up in a big hurry and the devil got tired of the chase after 15 feet or so. Yes, it got our attention! (Reminded me of a very aggressive black dog we had one time. She sorta led with her teeth.)
It was great to see this unusual – to us – wildlife!
Ellen Lindner
No comments yet.