Sunday, August 20, 2006

Zoo Life 

My favourite animals at the zoo are the penguins and the otters. They look like they're having fun, zipping in and out of the water all day. Does this not look like the good life?

Dark penguin in green water with head raised

My sister and her family travelled up to Perth from Esperance this weekend and we spent Friday at the zoo. We caught a train and the ferry, just like I often did with my Nanna as a kid. I've visited the zoo so many times I've lost count. Shan could only remember one visit and that's probably because my grandparents moved back down south when she was young and because I'm the eldest, so I've gone on almost every family visit. Then there are the visits I've made as an adult.

As a child I sometimes became bored and tired at the zoo. Too many other families, reminders to stay with my family, lots of squinting to look at some poor animal in a concrete cell lying resolutely in the shade. Now that the animals have a bit more space, it's easier to imagine what they're missing in the wild. I spent one visit to the zoo as an adult wandering around in tears.

Ooh, but this time I saw a wombat! They look a lot like rocks. The zoo is also building a new section to house sun bears rescued from Cambodia by Free the Bears Fund. We liked the macaws, Jess saw a cheetah, a spinifex pigeon let Jess and Josh give him a scratch and we could all check out a dugite up close. The turtles are cool too - so I like animals that can walk and swim. Oh, and about the only thing I could see in the nocturnal house was a frog sitting on a toilet cistern. Oh my God, is that a toilet?

My favourite part of the zoo (apart from the penguins and the otters, who from my point of view had equally cool houses when the otters lived in the concrete castle with the slides and the penguins lived in the wading pool with an island deal) is the merry-go-round. I may have commented before about how much I like the noise of the metal parts as they move. The merry-go-round (or carousel) looks a treat with all the lights turned on but my beautiful merry-go-round sound can't be heard over the 'carousel' music. Horrible music it is, including an instrumental version of 'Eye of the Tiger.' Matt wondered if someone recorded it at home!

The zoo is unreal.
// posted by Deanne @ 23:49
Comments: Post a Comment

This page is powered by Blogger.