Steve Irwin was a large part of my childhood and taught me that it was okay to be excited and goofy about the things you love in life. His show also helped nurture a deep appreciation for animals of all shapes and sizes. I spent the entire day there, and would happily return in a heartbeat.
This is part 1 of 2 from the Australia Zoo, more tomorrow..
He chowed down on breakfast as we hung out in his cage, taking turns to walk up and say hi. I hear this red panda is new to the behind the scenes game, but he was a champ and performed like a veteran.
We have otters back in Calgary, but it's hard not to love them even though they're no new to me. Often rambunctious, these otters were tearing around their enclosure chasing after pebbles.
There's a specific theme of owls in my pictures as well. This inquisitive feathered friend was intrigued by my camera's lens. Perhaps their own reflection s what caught their eye.
Koalas are everywhere at the Australia Zoo. Throughout the park there's several spots where groups of trees contain multiple Koalas. If not asleep, then most certainly eating.
I had heard of a binturong before, but never seen one. This was the first time I had been able to spend time with one. This darling creature posed for me long enough to snag a picture.
There is an open section of field in Australia Zoo where you can walk through and mingle with the locals. Like a single's mixer for kangaroos.
The way this duck lingered made me unusually suspicious he was up to no good.
Full disclosure, this picture was taken by the lovely photographer at the Australia Zoo. As a general rule, I'm not comfortable editing photos without permission. This means it's raw and unchanged! Meeting a red panda is a bucket list item I can now check off.