Monday, June 13, 2016

Platypuses and wombats and devils oh my!

We went to the Wine and Wildlife event at Healesville Sanctuary today. Despite living in Melbourne for 20-something years, I've never been to the sanctuary before. I guess I prefer to go see more exotic animals like they have at the Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo, but  I did enjoy seeing my first platypuses, Tasmanian Devil and conscious wombat. 

I don't have any pictures of the platypus and Tassie Devil worth sharing because they were constantly on the go and it was dark in the platypus house, but here are my other photos. 

 A critically endangered Orange-bellied parrot

 This leggy fella is a curlew (also endangered)

 A rather bedraggled Tawny Frogmouth

 A more dignified Tawny Frogmouth  

 Some other bird I don't know the name of 

 Sooky young wombat who just wanted to hide 
between her keeper's legs

 Awe-inspiring massive Wedge-tailed Eagle, Australia's largest 
bird of prey with a wing span up to two metres


 Baby freshwater crococile

 I spy with my snakey little eye...

We visited the animal hospital where a stick insect was among the patients. The vets actually operated on it and put it under using gas. When they were done, they used superglue to 'stitch' it up! I don't know how they knew it was sick or what was wrong with it, or how they worked out how much gas to use so they didn't kill it. 

Oh, I also tasted some wine and chocolate.      

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

For foreign visitors, there is a a much more hands on Australian animal place on Phillip Island than Healsville. Nevertheless, Healsville is good and well worth seeing and supporting. You took some good photos.