Cuddles and Close Encounters

A "must do" for us while in Oz - Cuddle a Koala

Here are some pics of cool things we saw and did in Cairns in our "spare" time. We got up close and personal with more of Australia's iconic creatures and loved every minute of it! These photos were taken at the Cairns Tropical Zoo. It is a small, immaculate zoo that encourages you to meet and greet most of its animals.


The not-so-cuddly cassowary. It is a very vicious creature that can run fast and strike even faster. It has very sharp claws and can disembowel a human with one swipe. Trust me, it HAS happened. We heard a story about an unfortunate jogger in Queensland. Good reason to not go out for that run ... in Queensland anyway.
This is one of the MANY crocs at the zoo. Can you imagine being an unsuspecting swimmer??? Mom and the boys saw this bad boy at feeding time and there's no question about their power and ability to leap out of the water to catch their dinner!



Jacob and Jack feeding the Lorikeets. They are so vibrant and beautiful.

Sam and the pigeons.

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree ..."

These carnivores are vicious! We got to feed them and they bash their prey (in this case fluffy yellow baby chicks - that were dead) until they are tenderized and then they eat them. "Nature isn't always pretty" is what our tour guide said.

A wombat eating his dinner. He is a herbivore.