Good-bye Morning at the Zoo

We have just been informed that our Koala Walkabout area of the zoo is losing their animals due to highway construction near by.  This saddens me so very much but not like it does my sweet Mister.  He is so very, very unhappy.  The koalas, emus, wallabies, kangaroos, lorikeets and kookaburras are all bering relocated at other facilities.  The lorikeets are one of my grands absolute favorite parts of the zoo and that will be tough to explain the next time they visit.

We are traveling by DART this morning due to the self-created gas crisis in Dallas and that means we are there when the zoo opens.  Perfect.  We do stop by several exhibits on our way to the Walkabout but it is the main focus of our day and this post.

As we pass the flamingo pond, three of the four babies are spotted.  Too cute.  They have lost the initial white and are now grey.  At some point they will be pink like the adults due to their diet.

Once we arrive at the Walkabout, the first stop is to see my beloved lorikeets.  Oh I will miss them so much.  Interacting with them for the past five years.  Lorikeet Landing has held so many memories for us, especially with Jared.  (sigh)  At any rate, I am not going to miss one more chance to hold and be with them.  As I enter the aviary, I notice that there are others struggling to get the birds to come to them.  With that in mind, I move to the corner near the exit and wait just a moment for them to come to me.  Success!  It's as if they know and are saying good-bye to me as well.

 Ugh, time to go.  Across from the lorikeets is the koala habitat.  In we go to discover that Tekin is awake and having some breakfast.  Gummie, the other koala, never moves as he sleeps through the moment.

After taking these two pictures, I leave Mister to be.  I'm sure he will have MANY pictures by the time I return.

Just outside the exit from the koalas is the "outback".  This is where the kangaroos, emus, and wallabies reside.  All of the animals are across the yard when I arrive, as is normal for them.  Happy to get a couple of photos this way, I head back to find Mister.

We have a few minutes before the koala talk begins so we walk back over to the outback.  This time it is as if we are of interest to the animals and they come up close to check us out.  Well, that and to get drinks, hahahaha.  Hey, I can choose to believe it's me and not the water.

This little wallaby puts his front paws (feet?) way down into the water as he drinks, making me giggle the entire time.  Oh yeah, he is the joey we have watched since he popped his head out of mama's pouch last February.

Within moments of him finishing, an emu immediately takes his place at the water.

It's time to return to the koalas for the morning encounter with the keeper.  Everyone laughs as he knows what is going on and has kind of tried to hide.

"Well, alright then.  If I must, I'll walk over there."  It's just a tease though and he quickly scampers back to his previous spot until the keeper finally retrieves him with her hands for a weighing and daily check.

The minute she is done he literally runs (well moves as fast as I've seen a koala move) to the absolutely highest post in the habitat.  "No more of that, thank you very much."  The keeper continues her presentation and Tekin starts relaxing a bit --- even stretching out his leg and giving us a nice pose.  Good-bye dude.  Have fun back in San Diego.

We need to leave this area NOW!  I don't want to cry.  After asking if Mister wants to see anything else, I say that we should see if the lion cub is out.  I still haven't really had a good look at her and am hoping for another chance.   Ooooooh, we strike it rich.  Princess Bahati is right up at the window with mom, Lina, and her aunt Jasiri.  Our luck is holding strong today.

The princess is asleep when we first arrive, but patience pays off as some birds decide to play right nearby.  This wakes the cut but is of little interest to the adults.  She watches intently until they fly away, allowing us to see her face a little better.

A quick stop at the giraffes for a glimpse of Tsavo, our 3 month old calf.  Nope, not out.  Perhaps our elephant calf, Ajabu will be out.  He turns one next month.  Wow!  I remember our first glimpse of him.  Score!  He still has a lot of growing to do.

One last stop for us - a quick trip over to the Hippo Outpost.  Will they be moving around or buried under the water like a couple of rocks?  Well, we get a little of both.  Yay!

As we watch, they do a switch and trade places before settling back in on a rock for some additional nap time.

Well, that's it for today.  We've said our good-byes and enjoyed some new members of the zoo family.  The rest is for another day and now we've got a train to catch.  If you want to check in on our whole day of fun, please click on THIS LINK.