Crocs, Roos, ECHIDNA! Oh my.

On Friday I went on a school field trip to the Australia Zoo. It was bomb. I pet an echidna. For those of you who don't understand the magnitude of this experience, let me explain: I pet an animal that slightly resembles a hedgehog, but is the only remaining animal in the group of monotremes, which are egg laying mammals. Essentially, nowhere else in the world will I ever run across an animal from the same group. It is very cool. Plus, they are stinking cute.

See:

Also at the zoo where some Wombats, that were actually moving around instead of sleeping, so I must share a picture of them with you for my mother's sake:

Now, for an in depth review of the crocodile show.
We walked into a large arena, took our seats, and waited while exotic birds were circling over head as part of a show that was just ending. They were very cool, although also very noisy. As they left, two people entered the middle fenced-off area. One of them was the croc handler, and the other was his... backup. They then coaxed "Monty" out into the pond in the center, where they were standing at the edge. It was a little unnerving to see that the handler himself was quite nervous. It is apparently not good when the crocodile stares at you, rather than the small treat in your hand. Anyway, they showed us how big he was by convincing him to come on land, showed us how he could do a tail-stand while in the water to reach at birds and things to eat, and were overall very impressive. Monty is quite the crocodile. It was awesome. However, I would probably not chose to be a crocodile handler right off the bat.
After all, I was in love with the Echidnas.
Because we were there with a class, we got to go to the education center, and the staff gave presentations about all the various animals including birds, crocs, snakes, koalas, and tasmanian devils. The Devil was really cute to because it was a baby and just stayed curled up in the care taker's arms.
Afterwards we were allowed to wander around the remainder of the zoo where we saw elephants, tigers, and a very neat tortoise.

A further note on devils: Apparently in the wild they are currently facing an infectious facial cancer that is wiping out all their populations. It is very sad because they really are a special creature and are so cute. Because of this, zoos and sanctuaries are breeding a population that is free of the cancer, and could potentially be re-introduced into the wild. A very interesting conservation project.

Overall the day was spectacular, and I have found that I am absolutely in love with Australian Wildlife. Maybe if this whole medicine thing doesn't work out, and the wine making thing also doesn't work out, and I can't find a satisfying job in conservation, I should open a zoo back home to pay homage to the Australian creatures. Just a thought.
Because, really, koala girl is a good look on me.