G’day guys,
Since I’m so obsessed with mammals, I had to break up the
mammal section into different parts or I don’t think anyone would have read it
fully :P And.. I wouldn’t blame you! Haha
So this section is about Macropods or the Kangaroos and
Wallabies and such. These guys are pretty cool. Most of them are pretty sweet
and they let you pet/feed them while others are a little more skiddish. But I
must say, my favorite macropod would have to the… Pademelon! I may be biased
since I had the most interaction with these guys.
Marvin |
There is this one pademelon named Marvin. Oh Marvin. He was
in the “wallaby walk” area but apparently he was getting beat up by the other
wallabies and scratching/boxing little kids. Therefore he had to be kicked out.
So he has become Marvin, the free ranging pademelon. He’s quite a character and
he loves people. He’ll come right up to people and let them pet him and take
pictures. He’s a little punk since he acts like he’s starving all the time. One
of the zookeepers call him “Starvin Marvin”. He’ll come up to you and basically
beg for food. Except, he does that to everyone… Mammal people, Reptile people,
bird people, maintince, guests. Everyone. So
now he’s getting really chubby. He even started begging for water, I saw this
one guest put out his hand full of water bottle water to give to him! Haha he’s
such a good actor.
It’s really cute, at lunch, you see him bound down the hill to sit with all zookeepers. However, he’s starting to get into places where he isn’t suppose to be. Bad boy. They were trying to find places to put him so he wouldn’t be as much of a nuisance but he either escapes or gets beat up by the other animals. Haha, he definitely relates to humans more than other animals. He’s a sweetie though, I miss Mr. Marvin.
Marvin Looking Angelic About to go to Sleep |
It’s really cute, at lunch, you see him bound down the hill to sit with all zookeepers. However, he’s starting to get into places where he isn’t suppose to be. Bad boy. They were trying to find places to put him so he wouldn’t be as much of a nuisance but he either escapes or gets beat up by the other animals. Haha, he definitely relates to humans more than other animals. He’s a sweetie though, I miss Mr. Marvin.
The other pademelon I had some contact with was… Theodore!!
He’s just a baby! His mom died and so one of the zookeeper is hand raising him.
He is so cute. He looks a little scraggily since he’s just getting over
ringworm, but his fur has been growing in nicely so I’m sure he’ll be quite
handsome :) He’s our other lunchtime companion. The zookeeper lets him out
during lunch to eat, use the toilet, and run around a bit. He’ll run/hop around
and you have to make sure to look around your seat before you get up or you
might hit him. He really loves kiwi skins, banana skins, and some grains.
He really loves people as well. If you sit near him, he’ll hop right up on your lap and groom himself and relax. We have become good buddies and I miss him a lot. I hope I can see him again soon. I hope I have the opportunity to be able to hand raise a little pademelon and that he’ll be half as cute/sweet as Theodore.
He really loves people as well. If you sit near him, he’ll hop right up on your lap and groom himself and relax. We have become good buddies and I miss him a lot. I hope I can see him again soon. I hope I have the opportunity to be able to hand raise a little pademelon and that he’ll be half as cute/sweet as Theodore.
Near the front of the zoo, there is a “Wallaby Walk” that
has some wallabies and kangaroos that guests can feed. Near the food trough
sits a little grandma red kangaroo named Skippy. She is the sweetest little
grandma kangaroo. Nothing really fazes her; she won’t even get up when you
start raking around her. She’ll just look up at you, yawn, and lay her head
back down. She also has the softest, velvet-like fur I have ever felt. I wish I
had a jacket or boots lined with something that soft!
One unnerving thing about kangaroos is how buff the males
can get. The males and females are separated because they apparently mate like
madness and there would be 1000 joeys running around left to their own devices.
GIRL LOOK AT THAT BODY |
But it’s not that they are buff, it’s how human-like their upper body looks.
Their biceps and pecks are so toned and large, they are bigger than most guys I
know, that’s for sure. Haha
I WORK OUT!~ |
They
are usually pretty shy so I didn’t see them too often, but on some mornings
they would run/hop around the exhibit and me. Also on some days when I’m
bringing out their afternoon feed they would come up and check out what I have
brought them. It was pretty cool to see them up so close and personal!
So there's a little taste of my macropod experience :) Very fun! They are so sweet and fully of personality!
So there's a little taste of my macropod experience :) Very fun! They are so sweet and fully of personality!