Cuddle a Koala (Kangaroos, too!)

I went to Australia with one priority at the top of my short list: hold a koala bear.

 This is me with Typia (I think that was his name...it was something to that effect in a great outback Aussie dialect). This sleepy little guy snoozed as I cuddled up to him. His fur was long and fluffy soft--I wanted to curl up and take a nap with him!

Koalas sleep about 20 hours a day--ain't that the sweet life?! Hmm, today I've got to sleep, eat, stay safe up in the trees, hey, I think I'll sleep some more. (These are my thoughts as a koala.) Ty woke up for a photo op and to chomp some leafy greens. Look at his adorable ears, did you ever see such poofy, fuzzy ears?!

I couldn't get enough of him. In third grade, Jed Lee gave me a koala bear stuffed animal at my birthday party, held at the local bowling alley. It had a baby koala hanging onto its back. I remember this particularly because at the time I really loved Jed Lee. So ever since then, koalas have been sort of special to me. You know. But in real life they are indefinitely more adorable. 

I hovered around Ty until the ranger said, "Ok, then. Might be an idea to move on, then. Ta." 

So I went off through the swampy woods to find kangaroos and wallabies.  

Found 'em!

This guy was very friendly. He liked sniffing my camera and posing for mug shots. 

His buddy startled me a bit when he came bounding up to me--bouncebouncebouncebounce--and grabbed at my hands with his claws. He lost interest when he realized I hadn't come prepared with a snack to share. 

I felt bad about the false pretense of my visit, so I scavengered up some feed and came back. He's just posin' for the camera--I think this is his Blue Steel face. 

He was oh-so soft and cuddly, like the koala, but not half as lethargic.

His buddies watching from a distance. Everywhere you walked, roos were just hiding out 'neath the trees.

These sneaky birds tried to swoop in and steal your feed; they kept scaring the wallabies away.

Beautiful birds and ducks in the marsh.

Parrots that chatted with me as I walked around.

Wombat. He was HUGE. He looks tiny here, but he was about the size of a grown lab dog, with much shorter legs. 

Tasmanian devils. 

This guy bounded up to the wall of his pen and started jumping up at me. I thought, "Aw, he is so friendly and cute! Why did I think Tasmanian Devils were scary?"

At precisely that moment, a second devil rushed the first and they started chasing each other in circles, biting and clawing at each other. When one hissed viciously at the other, he revealed a mouth full of white, evil fangs and goosebumps sprung up along my arms.

I don't ever want to come across a Tasmanian devil in the jungle by myself. I walked away from their wall hoping they wouldn't jump over it and escape, at least not until I had left. 

There were all sorts of wonderful animals at the reserve. One last picture, speaking of escapes, this is how they contained and displayed a very large, very wriggly snake:

Just some paper down on a tiny round table, a large cup over the top of him, and a good heavy book laid on top to make sure he doesn't go anywhere.