What I remember of Oz zoo was a coastal taipan ( photo of it here
http://150.101.58.70/thumbnails.php?id=Snake_Taipan ), a magnificent retic ( I have some photos somewhere, I'll try and dig them up) and wild EWD by the ton. Oh, and some crocs. The only furballs I remember were a pair of loony camels and some cute Asian otters.
As for the best zoo, well that is a matter of opinion. Here is a list in no particular order of other zoos I have visited . This is a bit long-winded but then so am I.
Dubbo zoo (NSW) had a good reptile show with the guy demonstrating how a deaf adder won't move by hovering his foot a couple of centimeters above it. He didn?t do the same demo with a brown. Pack of African hunting dogs were sizing up the customers and a mad giraffe that would let you pat it on the head.
Cleveland Wildlife park (SA) has a small reptile section with pygmy, red-bellies , deaf adders , BTS and a lonesome carpet. Large colony of yellow-footed rock wallabies with a couple of very tame individuals. Good exhibit of KI roos . NOTE : do not enter the enclosure with an apple in your jacket pocket , the male pictured just stuck his head in the pocket and started to eat it there. There is also a goanna pit with what I think are
rosenbergi. They used to have a pair of sand goannas who would go for your fingers but they have been replaced with bilbies which don't.
Adelaide Zoo has GTP and pigmy blue tongues. They also have a free flight display of blue and gold macaws and have small marmosets running free during the afternoon. They also have a pair of 70-year-old flamingos. They also have an American alligator that nipped some bozo last year.
Monarato (?) zoo (SA) has mainly African fur balls but big ones in big cages. You can stand at the wire of the giraffe enclosure and look at what look like sticks in the distance. The also have wild browns and sleepy lizards, who meet a grisly end when they wander into the hunting dog enclosure.
Earth sanctuaries (wollawong(?) SA) have no reptiles or exotic animals, just natives living in a semi-wild state. And lots of them, they have nocturnal walks and I saw mammals I have never heard of before.
Melbourne zoo cats were remarkable in that I was there a couple of times at sunset. The big cats were active, the lions would chase you if ran along side the enclosure. They had anacondas when I was there and a frog exhibit sponsored by freddo the frog.
Currumbin sanctuary(QLD) had mainly birds, a few large macropods and about half a dozen fresh water crocs. They had a show which included a carpet snake, a sleepy lizard (or shingeback as they call them up there) and a wedge tail eagle. Good rainforest aviary.
Bredl Reptile park (SA) has a large collection of rectics , a scrubby and the dreaded corn snake. Experience the thrill of looking at a taipan through 3 mm of glass or a 3 meter anaconda through 3mm cracked glass. Heaps of baby lacies, including the bells morph and a cage full of guinea pigs.
Healseville sanctuary (VIC) had a goanna pit that I remember as a kid. I also remenber wanting one. Some things don't change. They had a good collection of owls when I was there last.
