With family visiting from overseas who absolutely love animals, especially cats, we naturally had to ensure a trip to one of the three Zoos Victoria sites. On her first visit to Australia, we took Jasminka to Healesville Sanctuary and so this time we arranged to have an afternoon at Melbourne Zoo with a couple of extra special encounters. We arranged to meet up a little over an hour before the first encounter so we could take Jasminka around to see some of her favourite animals.
Even though we were not meeting up until the early afternoon, we once again arrived early to Melbourne Zoo, eager to visit many of the wonderful animals, especially the big cats. Our first stop was to visit Binjai, the Sumatran tigress, on the Trail of the Elephants. Binjai was busy eating some grass and sniffing around her habitat, seemingly playing a game of hide-and-seek with visitors.
After a while, like most cats, she decided it was time for another nap.
Having spent about 30 minutes watching Binjai, we journeyed on to catch up with the Orangutans who were enjoying the morning sunshine.
One even seemed to be attempting to make a wig out of some foliage.
Next on our agenda was a stop off at the Red Pandas, but as we approached we ran into one of the many zoo staff who know us and we chatted for a while about how things were going around the three Zoos Victoria sites. As always, there is so much happening, so many programs running to raise awareness for conservation issues.
After a brief chat, we continued on our way to catch up with the Red Pandas who, as usual, were perched in the high branches of their trees.
Around the corner from the Red Pandas is the Japanese Garden and the Siamang habitat. We arrived just in time to see the Siamangs moving out to their island across their rope walkway.
Seeing the Siamangs enjoying their lunch we decided to take an early break in preparation for our afternoon adventures. As we finished our lunch, we got a call that another family member was about to drop Jasminka off near the front gate and so we walked up to meet her.
Our first stop after meeting up was to visit the Gorillas. Kanzi, who is nearly 3, was running around having fun while her dad Ottana wandered around nearby. At one point Ottana gave us a very funny look that even had us laughing.
All too soon it was time to meet the keeper for our close encounter with the Sumatran tiger. The keeper took us through the safety drill as we walked across from the meeting point to the tiger habitat and there introduced us to Jess, one of the keepers for the tigers. Jess gave us a run down of what was going to happen and then took us into the tiger habitat display area.
Looking around we spotted a turtle casually sunning itself by the water’s edge.
Meanwhile, Jess explained to us how today’s enrichment consisted of two frozen treats. The first being a blood "icy-pole" made from the run off collected from thawing their meat.
The second was a lactose-free milk "icy-pole" which she placed close to the gate that we would be standing behind.
After safely retreating behind the gate and trying to guess which treat Binjai would go for first, she was released back into the habitat and immediately headed towards us and the milk based treat.
After several licks Binjai settled down with her huge paws either side of the treat giving definite body language of "this is mine!"
Then almost as if she suddenly realised there was a second treat available, she stood up and went over to the blood-based ice treat and gave it a few licks,
before settling down with paws either side of it.
Jess gave us a great deal of information about Binjai and her behaviours, including how she even hunts birds and possums that are incautious enough to enter her habitat. Both Hutan and Indrah, two of her previous cubs that still remain at Melbourne Zoo, have also learned their hunting skills and like Binjai, practice them on the locals that stray too close.
After such a wonderful close encounter with Binjai it was sad that it was time for us to move on, but we knew another adventure was soon to start, but we still had enough time to re-visit the Orangutans for Jasminka.
By mid-afternoon it was time for us to once again go an meet up with the keeper for our next close encounter, this time with the Ring-tailed lemurs. After going through the safety protocols (e.g. don’t pat the lemurs) we passed one of our cameras over to get some pictures of us with these beautiful boys while another keeper called Jess handed them some carrot sticks.
All too soon it was time for our close encounter to end, but we had been so lucky with nearly the entire troop wanting to sit on our laps at the same time.
Next stop was the nearby cafe to grab a coffee and then head off to see the lions and cat alley on the Carnivore’s Trail, then dropping into the zoo shop for some souvenirs before heading home for a family dinner.