Do the Zoodoo

Just outside Richmond (TAS), there is a small Zoo called Zoodoo. We decided to go there and see what they were all about.

As you enter the park, there is a bus-like vehicle that takes you on a tour around some of the exhibits, and as it was leaving shortly, we decided to wait for the tour.

Out tour guide had a very dry sense of humour, and as he handed out small paper bags of bird food, he was insistent that the bags be returned to him. We were told to hold onto the bottom of the bag with our fingers curled around, so the animals could eat the food from within the bag. Our first animal to visit was a bunch of emu’s that could stick their heads into the bus.

Daniel hanging on to the bag of food

Josie losing the bag as well as the food

It was almost impossible to hold onto the bags, such was the ferocity of the feeding frenzy. These emu’s are MAD!

So we restock our food bags and head for another enclosure. This time it is ostriches! They are at least 2 feet taller than the emus, and they had a surprise in store for us.

Their beaks fit over the outside of the bag of food

and then they eat the whole lot, bag and all!

The driver is very upset that he has none of his bags returned, but we pointed out that there were no bags on the ground to pick up either! The ostriches had eaten the lot! None of the kids were game enough to hang onto a bag to feed these voracious animals. So far, this has been a very hands on experience, but the children are a little freaked out!

On to the next enclosure, to complete the freaking out of the children. There are 2 dromedary camels which we will feed from a bucket, whilst the kids hide (as best they can) under the seats.

Rosa overcame her fears eventually

Connor hiding

One of the camels was watching the bucket on the other side of the bus and had to reach over Daniel’s head to get to it. So it LOOKS like Daniel is being loved on by a camel, but he is NOT!

Karen seems to think that Daniel has become attractive to camels, and finds great hilarity in this, it was simply the camel reaching for the bucket of food. Nothing more!

Once the bus tour is over, we are encouraged to find our way around the rest of the exhibits. There are Monkeys, Tassie Devils, Kangaroos, Koala, Wombats and all the others you would expect. There are also 2 Bengal Tigers and 4 White Lion Cubs.

	Connor liked the Tassie Devils	Hand feeding an albino Pademelon
		Chinchilla Lion Cubs

In the front section of the Zoo, there is a farm animal section where they keep miniature horses, chickens and roosters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and a pig with her piglets. Karen and the children fell in love with the rabbits and spent a long time in the enclosure petting them. (Daniel was not allowed in the cage due to certain remarks involving stew and curries).

Rosa says the bunny rabbits were very cute and it was very funny when the camel rubbed against Daddys head. She would also like to have one of those Kapuchin monkeys that we saw, as a pet. It was the first time she has seen a fallow deer. She has also never been chased by an emu before, so she was a bit scared of them.

Leisl says she was lucky to find 2 large peacock feathers including a white one. She really liked the albino Pademelon and especially the rabbits. The rabbit in the above photo kept coming up to her and sitting on her lap. It was a very exciting day at the zoo, and her favourite animal was the Marmoset monkeys. During our picnic lunch, we found 6 little eggs in a nest near the front gate, but the zookeepers told us to leave them alone, as they were abandoned.

Connor says the zoo was very fun and it was very very funny. He doesn’t know if the monkeys have had any babies. He also didn’t find out the names of the tigers.

Josie says the zoo was delightfully wonderful and she loved the Kapuchin monkeys.