We got to pet koalas and kangaroos. Koalas are terribly cute- they have huge ears and big noses. Romeo, the koala the keeper was carrying around and the one we got to pet, seemed to enjoy being held. (He reminded me a lot of my cat, Dart, who likes to cling to me in a similar fashion while purring.). Kangaroos are even softer. These kangaroos are extremely friendly/lazy from years of people petting and feeding them, and we could walk right up to any of them, even the baby one. I even shook his little paw.
We got to feed kangaroos, pelicans, cassowaries, kookaburras, frog-beaked owls, doves, and a lorikeet. The kangaroos ate pellets and also had alfalfa in their feed trough. We threw fish to the pelicans. Mine ducked. The cassowaries got fresh fruit through the fence; they enjoyed bananas and kiwis the most and dropped the other fruit on the ground. The kookaburras and owls got dead mice which we dangled in front of their beaks by the tail (we wore gloves). I was told the owl might be kind of nippy, so I carefully placed his lunch in a tree fork below him. He ate two mice, and seriously thought about a third. The doves ate fruit and veggies from bowls and even they seemed to have favorites. One ate all the peas, the next ate all the carrots. Will fed a lorikeet that got louder when his sultanas were held too far away.
This next animal we watched from behind a fence- the crocodile! The keeper showed how they wait under water for unsuspecting land animals to lean over for a drink, and then strike with lightning-quick speed. This croc's name was Zach, and he was massive. I was glad for the fence.
Finally, we watched the bird show, where owls, hawks, magpies, cockatoos, and a white-bellied sea eagle soared down over our heads to land on the keeper's glove or various trees around the grass stage. One little hawk got scared when a larger, wild bird happened to fly high over the zoo. He flattened his feathers and his eyes grew huge as he trained them on the larger bird, and the keeper sent him back to the aviary so he wouldn't become stressed.
We spoke to many of the keepers at the zoo and the general feeling was love and appreciation for all the animals, whether big and ferocious like the crocodile or small and cute like the koala. Everyone was eager to tell us about their animal charges, answer any questions, and explain why each animal's conservation is vital to the environment. This zoo and its animals are very awesome!!