Day 21: Wombats, Koalas, and Cassowaries oh my!

Today we got up early and went to Billabong animal sanctuary. Dean and Jenny said they hadn’t been since the last time the American families came to visit. So it had been a while, but I think they enjoyed it. 

All the animals at billabong are rescues animals that can’t be released back into the wild  

We got in and went and saw the cute wombats, the bulldozers of the forest, as they are called. These little cannonballs are so stinking cute. There were two types, one with silky fur and one with coarse fur. It was hot so most of them were sleeping, but one came out to say hi. The keeper was telling us that wombats are super friendly for the first 2 years, and then as they grow up they want nothing to do with people after. He also said that they are very bitey, they bite when they are happy, when they are mad, when they are playful, when they are amorous. Basically, he said wombats are a good way to loose a finger. But look at that face, I’d feed my finger to him if he asked.

Then we went and fed the cassowaries. They are such cool birds! The male cassowary does all the rearing of the chicks. The female lays the eggs and then leaves, the males will care for them until they are grown up. Good on her, living her best life. 

Next we went over to the cuddly little koalas, and I got to hold on! His name was Baloo. He was so stinking cute, and really really soft. I was very happy

We also got to hold they beautiful Black cockatoos! Their tail feathers are either bright red or yellow/orange/red Stars and Stripes and they are sooo pretty. 

I got to hang with and feed the kangaroos, they were divas, they refused to eat any food that wasn’t directly put up to their faces. They’d look at you like “you want me to bend over to eat? No.”

This is a tawny frogmouth a really co native bird. The babies are supposed to be. Right white and puffy to look like eucalyptus flowers! 

Overall a really really great day full of critters! We also watched a crocodile show, which was stressful. Crocs are so much scarier than alligators. In Florida people swim with alligators, in Australia crocs hunt people. Although, they say most times people get eaten by crocs they were drunk and probably making bad choices to begin with.