Melbourne Zoo: The Weekend Refuge

Ok, so I'm sure the idea of going to a zoo filled with noisy, running children and incredible animal smells (anyone who's been near Melbourne Zoo's River Otter enclosure knows what I mean) may not sound like everyone's idea of a weekend refuge - but it does to me.

My husband and I are with FOTZ (Friends of the Zoo), which means we pay a yearly amount (around $80 each) and get unlimited entry to almost every zoo in Australia. Considering a normal adult entry fee is around $25, we only need to go 4 times a year to get our money's worth.

And we just happen to live a 10 minute walk away from Melbourne Zoo.

Which means we go about 4 times a month.

So yesterday we trekked up to Melbourne Zoo bursting at the seams with Zoo Adventure materials: camera, cheese and lettuce sandwiches, a thermos of hot chocolate, and the last remaining Pac-Man cookie.

The animals were out in force and I managed to take some interesting shots. Some worthy of further explanation and commentary, so I thought I'd share...

First, the Meerkats.

These little guys had babies not that long ago, and they're now old enough that they're running around play fighting and generally annoying their parents. 

*Sigh* "Think happy thoughts, Dear. They'll tire themselves out soon."

Or looking guilty.

"Maybe if I sit perfectly still Mum won't notice the mess in the kitchen."

Or getting smooshed by their siblings. 

"Hmph. I hate it when they do this. You're the only ones who think this is funny!"

Our other big location for photo ops yesterday was the Reptile House, where we met this guy, who gave us this perfect Blue Steel pose - before diving off the log and going for an impromptu swim. 

And finally, these guys.

The first thing we noticed and giggled about were the looks on their faces. While I was snapping photos Rob noticed that they were, perhaps accidentally (hence the expressions), touching tails.

"Oh God. Did he just touch my tail?"

"Oh God. I just touched his tail. Don't make eye contact..."

And that, in a nutshell, was yesterday's Zoo Adventure. Another highlight for both of us was getting to watch the Red Panda (Rob's favourite animal), who was walking about his enclosure - a very rare sight! Unfortunately for our camera he was far too spry to get any clear shots, but it was such a privilege to see him so active.

And now I think I need to go tend to my own zoo... On Zoo Tycoon 2.