Australia Zoo

Giant croc outside the crocoseum

We went to Australia Zoo today it awesome! I have been there before but a very, very, very, long time ago when I was 7.  Australia Zoo was created by a man known as the "crocodile hunter".  His name is Steve Irwin. He was an animal rescuer that went all over the world with his family to save  hurt, orphaned or endangered animals, he also wanted to educate people on wildlife preservation. Steve Irwin had a TV show on Animal Planet called "The Crocodile Hunter" - I grew up watching all his shows!

Steve Irwin died tragically when going into the ocean with a sting ray -but before he died he started Australia Zoo where they teach people how to be safe around animals without hurting them. Just likes Steves dream. He pushed it to the limit to save animals.
The drive to Australia Zoo was long but I didn't mind because I sewed the whole way ( yes people - a needle and thread - sewed).
When we got our passes into the zoo we all got V.I.P bracelets! the first thing when we walked into the gates we saw was a Komodo Dragon,  this reptile is huge!

Komodo Dragon - the boys really thought it so cool they were seeing a real dragon

Funny playful otters "please sir, can I have some more"?

The zoo keepers were in the middle of feeding 2 otters so we got to see them play around in the water.

As we walked around the zoo we were able to catch a photo with a cockatoo and a kookaburra, aligator, koala and blue tongue lizard. Every where we walked there were zoo keepers with animals and they let us walk up and pet and touch them

Holding an Alligator

After that we saw the wild warriors show which was held in the  "crocoseum".

At the Crocoseum they do a presentation of animals called "Wildlife Warriors" - the birds flock overhead and fly past us, one pooped on Ellies hat! the zoomed around the crocoseum and put on a big show for us - it was really great, but the main part of the show was when they brought out the crocodile, Steve Irwin started this show back a long time ago when the zoo was really small. They bring out a crocodile and demonstrate how the crocodile feeds in their natural environment, they feed them chicken in front of you while they told you facts about where you don't swim, how to escape crocodiles and also how to ever avoid being attacked by one, avoiding the situation is the best way of preventing.

Did you know that crocodiles are really slow on land? especially the big ones.  The crocodile we saw was slow because they are cold blooded animals, and it was the middle of winter, so he was a very sluggish croc.
Lunch and then more wildlife, we fed the kangaroos, they were kind of already full when we got there but they still let us pet them.
The kangaroos are kept in a really large enclosure called "Roo Haven" and you can just walk around and the kangaroos are just lounging or hopping freely around you.  It was peaceful, and quiet - when my little brother aiden wasn't trying to chase them and make them hop, he thought that was funny the naughty boy. The kangaroos eat a special food that looked alot like what we feed our pet bunny, so I am guessing it was dried grass.

Catie-Roo and a Roo... and aiden NOT chasing this kangaroo

We also petted koalas, which are soft like the inside of ugg boots

TIP: when looking for koalas look for their fuzzy little butts wedged between tree branches. look for the butt, not the face.

We  kept walking and went to the gift shop. We all got stuffed tigers my tiger is called "Terri" and it is a white tiger. Catie called her tiger "Ginger" (I'd like to think she named it after me hahahaha).
In the Africa section of the zoo we saw Sheeba the cheetah  (she loved Aiden - and followed him around).
At the end of our day because we were VIP we got to go to a place no one in my family had ever seen before - the animal hospital.
The hospital is outside and at the back of the zoo, It's like a mini hospital where they have vets and nurses to  take care of all the hurt or orphaned animals. It made me feel a little sad because all of the animals were hurt, some were babies. Alot of them are caused by cars or vehicles hitting them, many of the mothers die and then the babies become orphaned. Maybe one day I can work there too, I really love animals.