A Trip to Australia and New Zealand
Sydney - Taronga Zoo
The second day we were in town, we took the ferry and spent almost the entire day at the Taronga Zoo. I am not fond of zoos. They remind me of prisons and I usually end up feeling sorry for the inmates. Taronga is somewhat different and many of the animals appear to be quite content in their socialist existence where their every need is being taken care of by their benevolent masters. After hearing a few of the very attractive young "keepers" talk about their charges, one starts thinking of the animals as pets rather than inmates (although I did see a couple of gorillas that looked somewhat depressed).
The various shows that are presented throughout the day are the best that I have ever seen, particularly the bird free-flight and the sea lion shows. Even the elephant show was entertaining - not because of the adults which passed logs back and forth, but rather because of the new born that chased a ball in the pool and stole the show. The entertainment was also blatently educational with heavy emphasis on the importance of improving our concern for our wild brethren and the ecology of our planet. The diversity of animals housed at Taronga was very impressive and we saw our first-ever wombat, platypus, kuala, kangaroo, and wallaby as well as a couple of new varieties of penguins and uncounted beautiful strange birds. If, like us, you have never been "Down Under," the Taronga Zoo should be high up on your Must Do list. That night we dined in a Bistro in the Rocks serving superb Australian beef.
