A few friends and I drove to Caversham Wildlife Park on one of the weekends! It's my first time to Caversham Wildlife Park ever since I moved here. Although I didn't bring my telephoto (70-300mm) lens, the animals actually came kinda up close, so I managed to take lots of decent pics :)
If I'm not wrong, Caversham Wildlife Park is about an hour's drive from Perth (based on the GPS). It's situated in Whiteman Park, a really tranquil and pleasant area. And it houses many, many different species of wildlife, ranging from reptiles to birds to even kangaroos! The kangaroos were allowed to roam around pretty freely. Here's the official website for the park: http://www.cavershamwildlife.com.au/
Took a look at some of the birds around. One of them (directly below these words) actually posed for me. He even turned his head here and there to let me take a picture of him!
Sleepy owls - interestingly they sleep on one leg...
And this is perhaps one of the fattest and laziest birds I've seen. Check out how round it is!!
Headed to see the kangaroos - there were quite a number of them hanging around. Some of them chose to walk around and enjoy our company, while others lazed about.
These kangaroos decided to pose for us. It's like saying, "this is our best side". It makes them look so laid-back! Honestly everything about this place is laid-back. The animals seem kinda relaxed.
One of the females had a pretty big baby in her pouch, and he was struggling to get out. I could see that the mother was in a bit of a situation when her baby just couldn't get himself out. I think he's way too big...very soon he won't be able to fit back into the pouch. He's too tall!!
The baby managed to find his way out in the end, but was craving for Mum's milk. So he stood outside and drank his milk, while his mum groomed him.
Later on, he decided to wander out on his own - and here he is, trying to be adorable! He wasn't too scared of us. And his mum seemed OK for him to wander around. He probably returned to his mum after we took countless pictures of him - but here's his "moment of glory" - posing for the camera!
The kangaroos were fed pellets, and we could just help ourselves to them. We could also touch them - but obviously we had to be very gentle with them. If provoked, they could injure us seriously.
Went for a farm demonstration straight after. The presenter showed us how his sheepdogs got the sheep into this catching pen here. The dogs were very well-trained, and was mostly compliant to all commands. And they were really skilled in getting the sheep here. Apparently the dogs don't lead the sheep - they run behind them and the sheep would get away from them. The dog can then chase the sheep in the direction the farmer wants...and the sheep will then "go with the flow".
The farm demonstration also involved sheep shearing, where lots of wool was taken from one of the sheep. There were techniques on how to shear a sheep, and the sheep himself was kinda OK with it. He looked really odd though, after the shearing. It's like - he's the only "bald guy" amongst his fluffy mates.
Saw some goats in yet another enclosure. They loved our company! And they even 'smiled' for the camera.
More birds in another enclosure. The pink one was really naughty. He kept swinging up and down his branch and making lots of noises. But he was so cute!! The other birds were quieter and more cooperative. We even saw a wombat and a small snake - and the wombat was FAT!!
Passed by the dingo's enclosure. One of them was howling for our attention.
And of course, who could ever forget the koalas?
We were allowed to touch one of the koalas - but the other one was strictly out-of-bounds. Apparently the koalas are "rotated". One is touched for about 15 minutes...and then another takes over. Of course, the temperament of the koala has to be taken into consideration. Once koalas don't want to be touched anymore, they'll display some behaviours to show that.
Koalas sleep A LOT. But when they aren't asleep, they're munching on their favourite eucalyptus leaves. They usually stay in the trees...and hardly come down. And look - they're so cute!
There were 2 koalas - one was sleeping and the other was receiving hugs/cuddles from us.
One of the koalas was braver, and he was placed on this wooden railing here. He walked up and down slowly, and was later carried by his trainer. Apparently he was very popular, and people wanted a picture of him and with him. I wonder how long he stayed though - he seemed very active.
So these are the main highlights for the trip to Caversham Wildlife Park! I'll go there again someday. This time I'll bring my student card so that I won't have to pay the full fees.
Anyway - we shopped around for some souvenirs after that. And I found a pair of adorable owls with glow-in-the-dark eyes! They're sitting on my bed now, and I still can't get over how cute they are! I love the tufts of "fur" they have, and of course, their belly fuzz! It's so nice to tickle their bellies :)
Oh - and I bought the owls because people often say I am a "night owl" - I stay up late at night. Well I tend to be more conducive at night!
And that's it for today's post! We'll focus on some places up North in the next couple of posts!