Taronga Zoo -Sydney

I tried to sit down to blog all last week, but this weekend was our neighborhood wide garage sale, so my week was full of cleaning and sorting and all sorts of torturous suburban neighborhood stuff. I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Now....Back to Australia-

One of the best days in Sydney was spent at Taronga Zoo. It is said to be the best zoo in Australia-and it did not disappoint. We signed up for a private tour so our guide could educate us on all the animals indigineous to Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. I was surprised to know that there are hundreds and hundreds of animals from Australia- a lot of which I had never even heard of. Akidnas-which are like porcupines, Bilbys-which are like bunny rabbits, etc. Of course there are koalas and kangaroos and Tasmanian Devils which we have all heard of . One thing I learned is that the Tasmanian Devil population is declining very quickly due to a strange and unexplainable occurance of facial tumors. Apparently these tumors are affecting the Devils and causing horrible pain. The tumors grow so big that they impair the Devil from eating and they die. There is a lot of research being done to try to find out about and prevent these tumors but it is expensive. You can find out more about it here: SAVE THE TASSIES .

Here are some lazy kangaroos. Kangaroos are like wild mules in that they move about mostly during dusk and dawn--so the rest of the day is just for relaxing. Their legs look so long all sprawled out. These are Red Kangaroos -as opposed to Gray Kangaroos.
Gorgeous Koala! We got to be right up close and personal with the Koala Bears and that was very exciting. They are so docile and so calm. They have very little energy due to the fact that they only eat eucalyptus leaves--but our guide was very adamant that the eucalyptus leaves do not make them drowsy or "high" or impair them in any way, which is what a lot of people think.
Here I am with a little Koala butt on my head. Awwwww!

The Taronga Zoo has one of the largest populations of Chimpanzees in captivity in the world. We learned so much about their social structures and the role of dominant males and how they treat young chimps. We also learned about the sad state of their fate in the wild due to logging espeically in Africa. It is very sad, but it was all so enlightening. Be aware of where your wood products come from.

Giraffes are my favorite animals (along with monkeys.....and my Finley) so we spent a lot of time at the giraffe exhibit. You could see the Sydney skyline across the harbor and it was simply beautiful.
Real Australian Dingos. They were so majestic and they moved almost like a tiger. We were told that wild dingos in the bush are very dangerous to livestock as well as humans-but they sure are handsome. I am sure if I came across one in the wild I would try to pet it, then probably get my lips bit off.

Another interesting thing about our day at the zoo was that a family from Chicago who now lives in Singapore were on our zoo tour. They were so nice and interesting to talk to and now my husband and I are quasi planning a trip to Singapore. We have thought about going there for a while, but after talking to that family, we are all about it.

This is me with the handsy koala at the exit of the zoo. Kim Kardashian was there the same day as us, but I never saw her. If you ever go to Sydney, and you have time, I suggest the Taronga Zoo.

Have a wild day.

(all photos property of MonkeyPosh LLC)