a KRM Branch Excursion: September 2018

The September outing was to the Perth Zoo on a beautiful spring day. There were only four attendees due to many members being away on trips. The zoo was quite busy which was good to see, with the added attraction of the dinosaur exhibits proving popular with most visiting families.

We made our way around, visiting most exhibits along the way. The nocturnal exhibit was very well designed, allowing views of rarely seen species, including nocturnal birds such as Boo Book Owls and the Owlet Nightjar.

The Wetland Exhibit allowed close up views of some beautiful bird species, such as Glossy Ibis, Pied Herons in breeding plumage, Royal Spoonbills and Whistling Ducks.

The Reptile Encounter had some very nice species, including a beautifully coloured Perentie, and an information session was taking place during our time there. After stopping for lunch we carried on through the Elephant Section and the Asian Rainforest section before finishing up at the Australian Bushwalk section. We had hoped to get close up views of Numbats but they were not active during our visit so we missed out.

On our way towards the exit we stopped at the Amazonia Section and saw the Golden Lion Tamarin and the Coati. The Coati exhibit is a great example of how far modern zoos go to provide displays of the animals that are as authentic as possible. The exhibit has a mulched floor and the Coatis were seen foraging for food by turning over the mulch as they would the leaf litter on the rainforest floor. Thankfully we have come a long way from the old type of cage exhibits.

Our last stop was at the area where there are Lemurs, Gibbons, Cassowaries and Tree Kangaroos. We had a nice view of a Tree Kangaroo suckling a joey (below, C Prickett), a very tender moment. It had been a very enjoyable day.

Colin Prickett