Contrary to the common belief, kangaroos do not run wild in Australia.
OK maybe they do, but I didn't see one so I refuse to believe it.
In all actuality the area my boyfriend and I stayed in, Surfer's Paradise in Queensland is very much a tourist city and even the outskirts were not really kangaroo friendly. So I'm sure in other areas of the country they are as plentiful as deer are here. We just weren't lucky enough to catch sight of them.
But have no fear. I refused to travel 18 hours in two planes to Australia and not see a Kangaroo. So we took the two hour bus ride to the Australian Zoo where the kangaroos were very visible and very friendly.
The Australian Zoo was originally started by the Irwin family. Bob Irwin, the late Steve Irwin's father, started the Beerwah Reptile Park on four acres in the 1970s.
Since then the zoo has grown into a huge tourist attraction with more than 500 employees. I think everyone loves the zoo, but what makes this one so drastically different from the zoos here in the states is the one on one contact with the animals
While I was there I pet kangaroos, koalas and even fed an elephant. My boyfriend, the braver one in this relationship, also pet snakes and lizards. It's more than Brookfield Zoo's petting zoo. You can even hold a koala, snake or other animals and get your picture taken with them.
We had many other adventures while we were there that I will be sharing with you throughout the week, but here are some photos to hold you over.
This is a Cassowary. A flightless bird that my zoo tour guide said is the most dangerous animal in the park. It is the only animal they do not hand feed. Weeks before one of the birds attacked a zoo keeper.
This is Bimbo...I fed her.
Mallory Medved is an assistant managing editor of weekly publications for
the Sun-Times News Group. She helps cover the Lincoln-Way area and towns
southwest of Joliet. Being naturally nosy has led her to a career in
journalism and fulfilled her dream of getting paid to read. Being a new
homeowner and a future bride, she's also perpetually broke, but enjoys
hearing about other people in the same situation. She lives in Plainfield
but is a native of New Lenox.
Christina Chapman is a Will County resident who desperately wants to live in Grundy County. But since she lost that battle with her boyfriend when they bought a house, she makes due covering Grundy County news for The Herald News in Joliet. When not covering municipal meetings, school events and finding the truth behind the latest coffee talk, she is trying to balance life as a young home owner who is fighting the stereotype that she is living in sin because she is not yet married. She hopes to share with you her perspective on life and the news in hopes that you’ll share yours.
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