I was amazed at 8.30am to find I had slept in. It was still pelting down outside and pretty dark, but it wasn't going to disuade me from the Western Plains Zoo. By 10am I was there collecting my pushbike inside the entrance. Unlike most zoos, this one is very spread out and a road runs between enclosures, with plenty of little pathways as short cuts. The choice is either drive or cycle and I had opted for the latter.
On such a dull day, most visitors had stayed away leaving me blissfully alone at many of the enclosures or siting on a lake bank watching primates play, surrounded by bush and no evidence of humankind. Heaven. Apart from the ocassional car and crowd at animal feedings, this is the way it was all day and I revelled in the solitude.
Enclosures have been cleverly designed as moats, or sunken fences so at times I was possible to round a corner and feel you were riding into a herd of Zebra or wildebeast! I watched African dog feeding, hippo feeding and heard a talk about Siamangs (lanky primates with a booming voice!) who put on a ten minute show to ward us off.
The day flew by and I would recommend this attraction with kids of ALL ages, and strongly suggest a bike. I saw visitors jumping in and out of their cars and felt they missed some of the experience...
Back at camp I was welcomed by my Noumean friends and a bottle of wine and pack of cards... now time to catch up and hit the sack!
Hello from us all as we all sit quietly and Chris has read out your blog to a room full of people! You have never been more closely followed! Stories of primates remind me of our experiences in Malaysia, when the monkeys took Abby and replaced her with one of their own, which we raised anyway......
ReplyDeleteKeep it up, and we look forward to the next episode...
Nicko et al
I always wondered what happened to Abby... now I know!
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