Taronga Zoo
Supriya The Taronga Zoo is so much fun to visit. The zoo is home to over 2,600 animals of 340 species. The ferry ride takes you right to the bottom of the bay where it is housed and you can take a bus up to the gates. We didn’t get to take the Sky-View, which is a gondola that gives you an aerial look at the zoo as you work your way up the hill. Maybe next time! Some of my favorite animals were there like beautiful parrots, elephants and giraffes. But it was the Australian animals that caught my attention this time. In the section for residents of Australia, there is an open area where you can walk in the habitat of kangaroos, wallabies and emus. One incredibly curious emu walked straight up to me, cocked his head in interest and then breezed right past me to his food dish. It was very intimidating since they can be aggressive but this one was only concerned about his lunch. We also got to go up and be in the koala habitat; we were right next to their eucalyptus tree!
The great thing about the zoos in Australia is the human food. The food court boasted organic roasted chicken sourdough sandwiches, burgers, desserts and a bar. We didn’t have anything alcoholic, but many of the other Australian patrons did. It was an interesting sight. Another interesting thing about the zoos is that many animals are free to walk around. Obviously not dangerous ones like lions and tigers but many of the tropical birds were walking among the crowds. All the animals seem to be well taken care of and the zoo is incredibly active in conservation efforts by supporting breeding programs for Rock Wallabies, Blue Penguins and Tasmanian Devils, which are endangered. Over fishing is an ever-growing problem and the Taronga Zoo supports the Australian Sea-Lion by training representatives from other zoos and raising awareness with their resident Sea-Lions about their uncertain future. To learn more about Taronga Zoo, visit: http://www.taronga.org.au To learn more about their conservation efforts: http://www.taronga.org.au/animals-conservation To help out the Taronga Zoo by adopting an animal (rest easy parents, they’ll still live in Australia): http://www.taronga.org.au/support-us/adopt-animal/adoption-levels |
BryanI couldn't have enjoyed the day at the zoo more. Ill skip the process of getting to the zoo because Supriya summed it all up well. My favorite portion of the zoo was probably Supriya's least. The insect exhibit was impressive. M favorite Australian Spiders were the Red Back, Huntsman, and the famous Funnelweb spider.
The Red Back spider, much like the American Black Widow, spins vertical threads with sticky glue at the bottom. If an insect crawls against the thread, it will break and leave the helpless insect hanging. The Huntsman spider is a tarantula looking spider, equal in size, that has a flat body. There isn't anything really noteworthy about them, except their favorite hiding places include behind mirrors and frames on your walls. And finally, the Funnelweb spider. These log and ground dwelling spiders love tunnels. The females only come out to find mates. They usually spend years in their tunnels. The males have been found in homes crawling into clothes left on the floor awaiting for you to get dressed. These spiders are one of the most, if not the most, dangerous spiders in the world. But before you write off Sydney all together, since they have invented the anti-venom there have been no deaths- I'm told. Overall the zoo made it to the top 5 on my list. And if you don't like creepy crawlies, 80% of the animals here in Australia are unique to Australia. The zoo was an amazing window into the different creatures in this new world. |