Kangaroos, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Western Grey Kangaroo (with joey), Monarto Zoo, South Australia
On our bus tour of Monarto Zoo last year I managed to get these photos of several kangaroos. The Western Grey Kangaroo was carrying a joey in the pouch (see above). Below is a shot of a large Red Kangaroo.
When the zoo was opened to the public in 1993 the area was enclosed by a tall fence. Some kangaroos native to this area were trapped inside the fence and have continued to thrive, albeit not in the enclosures housing the cheetahs and lions!
Western Grey Kangaroo (with joey), Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Red Kangaroo, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Addax and Barbary Sheep, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Addax and Barbary Sheep, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
A few kilometres from our home in Murray Bridge, South Australia we can visit the Monarto Zoo which is a part of the Adelaide Zoo in our state capital city. This is an open range zoo with visitors being able to travel through the animal enclosures on regular shuttle buses.
Today I am featuring two of the animals seen in the zoo. In the photos (click on them to enlarge the image) you can see Barbary Sheep (brown colour) and Addax, a species of antelope.
For more information about each species, go the zoo website:
Addax and Barbary Sheep, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Addax and Barbary Sheep, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Scimitar-horned Oryx, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Scimitar-horned Oryx, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Our local zoo here in Murray Bridge South Australia is Monarto open range zoo, with most of the animals on display kept in large paddocks where they are free to wander. Visitors to the zoo are escorted through the various enclosures on shuttle buses which run every few minutes throughout the day. Excellent views of all the animals can be obtained through the large bus windows. This is accompanied by excellent commentary given by volunteer guides.
The zoo takes its logo from the animal featured here, the Scimitar-horned Oryx. This species once ranged over all of North Africa but has not been sighted in the wild for over 15 years and is now considered extinct in its natural environment. It is conservation programmes like this at Monarto (and other) zoos which is so valuable, and the main reason I enjoy supporting their work.
In their natural habitat of steppes and desert, these oryx would eat shrubs, leaves, grass and fruit. They would form large mixed herds and were able to withstand extreme heat by being able to regulate their body temperature and the retention of water. They could survive for weeks in the desert without drinking. Sadly they were hunted for their horns and this resulted in their extinction in the wild.
Scimitar-horned Oryx, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Tintinara, upper SE of South Australia
Farming display, Tintinara, SE South Australia
On my recent quick visit to Tintinara in the upper south east of South Australia I had morning tea in the picnic grounds next to the Information Centre and Craft gallery. On the lawns in front of the centre there is an interesting display of metal cutouts of a farmer, his ever alert sheep dogs and a small flock of merino sheep (see photos). This is a fitting tribute to the farming heritage of this area where both sheep and wheat are the strengths of the agricultural pursuits of this region.
Farming display, Tintinara, SE South Australia
The water table is not too far below the surface and windmills like that shown in the photo above are a feature on many farms. Most farms in the region rely on this aquifer, part of the Great Artesian Basin that covers a large part of Australia.
Lizards of Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
No Comments »18th January, 2009; Category: Animals, Hiking, Holidays, National Parks, New South Wales, Sydney
Eastern Water Dragon, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
A few days after Christmas last year we had a family get together picnic while we were in Sydney. We all went to the Lane Cove National Park for lunch. While there we saw numerous Eastern Water Dragons moving around the picnic area. Some of them posed nicely for my camera. Two of them, one a baby, even came to visit my wife while she was sitting at a picnic table reading; they went between her feet.
Several of us went on a short hike through the park. We were lucky enough to see a large goanna crawling up a tree. It was hard to get a good photo as he kept much of the tree trunk between us and him. The photo below is the best I managed.
Goanna, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney