School holidays provide a great opportunity to take a weekday visit to Melbourne Zoo. Arriving just after opening time we headed straight for the Carnivore’s Trail, catching the lions still having a yawn:
Whilst the nearby chameleon gave us a good look over
The Coatis, meanwhile, were enjoying a hearty breakfast
Miska, on the other hand, was preparing for a daytime nap in the morning sunshine. Only a few months ago she was reluctant to come out of her den during the day, but now she seems confident and acclimatised enough to enjoy her habitat even during the daytime.
Sundah, on the other hand, was still a mystery to us as we hadn’t yet seen her on the Carnivore’s Trail. Fortunately she had decided to rest in a cave like area of her habitat that left her clearly visible in between the bamboo walls
Meanwhile Indrah was just getting up from a nap and having a little snarl at the ducks who were in her pond.
Before seeming to decide that it was all too much effort and she needed to go back to napping behind the bamboo.
Next stop on the Carnivore’s Trail was the Tasmanian Devil. This canny individual had actually previously caught a duck that was a little too slow in getting out of his habitat. A good reminder that although in captivity, these animals still retain their wild behaviours which is vital for the future success of the captive breeding program.
After the Carnivore’s Trail, it was time to head across to the Reptile House and catch up with some favourites.
Including some new babies:
Then around to visit the Red Pandas who were having a little snooze in the high branches.
After a stop by the Japanese Garden, next, of course, was a visit to Binjai the Sumatran Tigress on the Trail of the Elephants:
Also on the Trail of the Elephants are the Orangutans. Whilst they are the face of the "Don’t Palm Us Off" campaign, it is not only Orangutans that are threatened by unsustainable palm oil production, but also tigers, rhinos and elephants. You can help by adding your voice to the call for mandatory labelling of palm oil on products.
Next stop was to visit Lemur Island and catch up with the boys who we’d had a close encounter back in January and February. Whilst the lemurs were having fun, the water dragons who had made themselves at home in Lemur Island also had babies running around. One little guy was boldly sitting out in the sun and chasing insects.
To give you some idea of the size, the little green shoots nearby are only about 3-4 centimetres tall. Check out the relative length of that tail though!
All too soon it was time to head home, but being members we know we can always come back again, any day of the year.