Australia - Day 12 - Australia Zoo

31st December, 2008.

I need to start today's narrative with an apology.  I'm sorry if I use the phrase "Crikey!" too often in the description below.  I just can't help it.  I'm inspired by the late Crocodile Hunter himself, Steve Irwin.  This zoo is his zoo.  Well, now his widow Terri runs the zoo, and his kids play a big part in the marketing of the zoo also. 

In many ways this is a typical zoo.  There are exhibits with animals, etc.  A few things that seem different:  The animals themselves seem to be more spread out.  The quarters where the animals stay seem a bit larger than other zoos.  Certainly there are more crocodiles here than other animals.  No surprise there. 

Something else cool about this zoo are the signs for each animal.  They are written as if you are listening to the Crocodile Hunter narrate the information.  I've got a few samples below.

Another unique feature of this zoo is the "Crocoseum" where the Wildlife Warriors put on a show, wowing the crowd with antics from animals such as elephants, snakes, birds and of course crocodiles.  The show was really cool.  I think outside of the huge crocodile, my favorite part was the flying bird show.  There were numerous birds flying around the stadium, including some lorikeets that skim right over our heads.  Very cool.

The highlight of the show is the crocodile.  However, this wasn't even the best of it.  Right before the crocodile came out, Steve Irwin's widow herself, Terri, came out on stage with their two kids to interact with the audience and croc.  Crikey, it was great!  (Video is here...although it's very long and will take a long time to download.)

A few pictures of the day are below.  As always, click on the image to see a larger version.