Port Douglas: Kangaroos, Koalas and CrocodilesPrepare for cuteness overload my friends! This post is filled with all kids of friendly fluffy animals, as well as a few of the less friendly ones. During our week long stay in Cairns, we visited the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas, a nearby town only 1 hour away by car. We were excited to find a place that is more of a sanctuary rather than a zoo and be able to see animals roaming around a bit more freely than in typical zoo cages. When we arrived we were happy to see that the place was not crowded at all. Our visit started with an educational session on koalas, crocodiles and snakes. Our group was about 10 people and the habitat guide was very informative. We asked a lot of questions and found out many interesting things about Australian animals. At the end of the session a few of us paid an additional 18 AUD (on top of 33 AUD general admission) for a chance to hold and take a photo with the cutest koala. When the guide handed me the animal I was surprised how heavy it was! And that it stank haha. It was a smell of eucalyptus trees (which is pretty much all they eat) and some animal odor that they release in mating season. Nevertheless, it was a great experience and I'm happy I got to cuddle this cute stinker. Later in the day we walked around the habitat and were able to feed some kangaroos, wallabies, and ducks. We had as much fun feeding them as other visitors (more specifically toddlers and kids below 12 years old). Kangaroos, wallabies, pelicans, and many other species of birds were running around or sleeping in corners of a large open territory while other animals had separate areas for their and visitors' safety (emus, cassowaries, crocodiles). Kangaroos and wallabies were not shy at all and they came up to us for food (which you can buy at the gift shop for 2 AUD per pack) and allowed us to pet them. Ducks and other birds were interested in some TLC too but they were neglected a bit as they were regarded not as exciting by most visitors. At the end of our visit we witnessed a crocodile feeding. We were very lucky to see it because crocs are fed only once a week. Once they heard their feeder they gathered under the little bridge on which we were standing and were ready for their meal of slaughtered male day old baby chickens. As the habitat worker was throwing dead chicks from the bridge you could hear the very loud noise of jaws snapping! You can hear it in the video I included below. It sure was a scary sound and sight. From a group of about 9 freshwater crocodiles we moved on to a separate enclosure to see a pair of saltwater crocodiles. Talk about intimidating! Once the smaller female crocodile realized that food was coming (heard the thump of a bucket) she stormed out of the water at a speed one would not suspect such large animal could attain. As we watched them get fed, we realized that meeting one of them in the wild would be one of our least favorite things. Crocodile attacks do happen in Australia but because most people know what types of habitats to avoid (swamps, certain beaches), there is only about 1.8 fatal attacks per year. You are actually a lot more likely to drown than be eaten by a crocodile. After the feeding, to calm our nerves (and by our I mean my), we went back to pet and feed kangaroos and wallabies again.
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Hope you guys had fun learning about these Australian animals. If you have any questions or comments, drop us a note below. Cheers! Comments
@Gabu Saltwater crocks have the ability to live in salt waters while fresh water crocks do not. Salties are a larger species, their females are smaller than males. Satlies are usually the ones that would eat people. Here's a good article
http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-saltwater-and-vs-freshwater-crocodiles/ Btw, you make elaborate multiple course meals EVERY DAY and only in 24 minutes.
Gabu(non-registered)
SOOOOOOOOOOO many cute animals!!!! I love this post. So far, wallabies are my favorite animals too - & because I never smelled them, I'm still a fan of koalas! They are slightly larger than I imagined, and look pretty hefty. And I'm curious - what is the difference between a salt and a freshwater crocodile anyway? Can't believe they get fed once a week. Imagine if that was the case for humans? I would make the most elaborate weekly meals - 12 courses or more, complete with a wine pairing :P
Sterzo(non-registered)
So....was Vlad actually feeding the wallabies or just taking the food that kids were giving to them for his snacktime?
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