Rouge Aerie: Tripping Through Taronga -- Part 3

On Thursday, I got a chance to go to Taronga Zoo for the first time ever. Taronga is a world-famous zoo, just a ferry's ride away from Sydney, and it very much deserves its reputation. It not only has amazing animals but amazing views, as I joked to Wes when we were walking around:

Come to Taronga Zoo. See our fabulous animals and city views.

It really was a great experience and I'd love to go back in the future.

Now, stick close to me, this is going to be a long one in multiple pieces! Be warned, there are a LOT of photos!

After the reptile house, we headed out to explore Wild Australia, which didn't really look too wild from the top of the hill. In fact, it looked downright Cosmopolitan.

A crowd had gathered in one of the little picnic areas because a peacock was putting on a display. Either he was protecting his territory or showing off for tourists. Whichever it was, the tourists ahead of me got some really nice shots. Eventually, so did I.

We still hadn't made it to Wild Australia before we found the giraffes, so we stopped to take a look all the same. They were busily chomping away, ignoring the audience behind them, but that was okay.

Wes likes giraffes. They're like "big, silly horses."

While still trying to find the Wild Australia exhibit, we came across another surprise--the Chimpanzees had recently been moved to a new and supposedly temporary housing situation until their old enclosure can be fixed it. Wes and I agreed that it didn't look particularly temporary but rather quite nice.

Just hangin' out, man.

Above the rest of the enclosure, at the top of the hill, the dominant male was tussling with a pair of younger chimps. They were racing back and forth across the grass shrieking at one another and faking each other out. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get a few photos and ended up instead turning to the scenic views of the harbour.

See? It's fabulous!

Wes and I still had trouble finding the Australian animals, but we did encounter Japanese tourists and a lot of goats and antelopes. None of them was particularly interesting and they all made incomprehensible noises amongst themselves.

A shy bongo

Eventually, we started seeing other animals that were far more interesting. Like the Pygmy Hippopotamus (where but Taronga will you ever see a hippo whose head is the same size as an Egyptian Goose??) and the Brazilian Tapir. Since it was feeding time, they were all pretty clearly visible.

At long last, we found the first of the Australian wildlife: the Cassowary. Apparently, Taronga Zoo has a breeding program in place to revitalize the species, with two special paddocks designed to meet that need. They had an adult in each enclosure, separated until the breeding period begins.

Look at this bird and tell me you don't immediately think "dinosaur".
I dare you.

Another, more alert cassowary.

Soon after we passed the cassowary enclosures, we came to the garden clock. The garden clock is a beautiful little garden which used to operate on gears and springs to tell the time. It has since been disabled, but its flowers are still maintained to look like the original clock.

Inside this little garden we found yet another peacock showing off. Wes even got a chance to hear the little jerk squawk (and nearly jumped out of his skin when it happened).

Not as pretty, but quite impressive. Check out how fluffy he is in back!

Once we were through with the showboating peacock, we got back on track. Down the path we went, this time right past the spider monkeys, who were relaxing before feeding time around their moat. Three little monkeys were right at the edge in front, while several more stayed tucked in the shade grooming.

Finally and at long last, we made it to the Australian animals! It seemed like we had been wandering for absolutely ages when we finally came across the first few enclosures full of tree kangaroos and rock wallabies. Some zoo volunteers were in the enclosures at the time, spreading what looked like peanut butter or some kind of fruit paste on branches and rocks for the marsupials inside to enjoy.

Yummmmm.

... and sticky.

After I'd been snapping photos for a while, Wes suddenly said he'd take me to a place where kangaroos hop wild and free. I thought he meant somewhere outside of the zoo, out in the bush, but no. He meant in the zoo itself. I didn't find that out until later, however, after we had visited a few more exhibits, including the Tasmanian Devils!

Unfortunately, since Tasmanian devils are nocturnal, they were both hiding in their burrow boxes at the time and I was unable to get any clear photos of them. They are simultaneously adorable and terrifying (those teeth!). I did get a photo of the 'roo roadkill in their enclosure, though!

From the way it's designed, I would guess that the keepers place meat inside the cavity to show off the devils when they're actually willing to come out of their den boxes.

After the Tasmanian devils, Wes and I went through the Australian Nightlife exhibit. Because it was so dark, I didn't get any photos, but I did get the chance to see many night time species in action. I never knew Australia had so many species of gliding squirrels! Also, their ring-tailed possums are way cuter than our opossums. Just putting it out there.

After our trip into the Nightlife exhibit, Wes and I continued onward into one of the many walk-through enclosures to see some more native Australian species. Mostly, there were lorikeets and parrots, but there were a few surprises, too.

Like Rock Wallabies! I wasn't expecting these little guys at all, so when I came around a corner and came face to face with them, I nearly squealed. They're incredibly cute and not at all afraid of their human visitors. They just sat on their perches, entirely undisturbed by any of the people observing or taking photos. To be honest, I think a few of them were waiting to be fed! The further in we went, the more species we saw.