Tourists ...!

[snakeluvver]

Tourists in Australia crack me up sometimes. I was at Australia zoo and this teenage boy went up to the tank of a taipan and said "This isn't a Taipan! Its a Carpet Python! I could pick that up with my bare hands!" It actually was a Taipan, so lets hope he doesn't make that mistake if he encounters one in the wild! Then this lady goes up to the enclosure of a Perentie and said "Ooooh look at that pretty chameleon!" LOL. And at underwater world in Mooloolaba a tourist from Europe went up to the enclosure of the Cane Toads and said "OMG! They kill animals here!" And he tried to smash the tank's glass to kill the toad! He had to be removed. I hope I'm not offending anyone, share any funny stories you have

 

[Nighthawk]

I grew up in NZ, and at a place I worked which was fairly rural (Shantytown, on the West Coast of the South Island), there's an absolute abundance of Weka, aka 'bush hens'. Despite the fact it's well-documented that Kiwi are nocturnal, while Weka are diurnal, and the long beak plus other physical differences appearing on EVERY dollar coin over there, I still had to chase tourists who'd plunged into the thick bush weilding cameras and crying "KIWI! KIWI!" after terrified Weka. If I had a dollar for every tourist I had to chase down... I would've given it to them so they could at least tell the difference in future! Meh, at least it was fun

 

[snakeluvver]

I grew up in NZ, and at a place I worked which was fairly rural (Shantytown, on the West Coast of the South Island), there's an absolute abundance of Weka, aka 'bush hens'. Despite the fact it's well-documented that Kiwi are nocturnal, while Weka are diurnal, and the long beak plus other physical differences appearing on EVERY dollar coin over there, I still had to chase tourists who'd plunged into the thick bush weilding cameras and crying "KIWI! KIWI!" after terrified Weka. If I had a dollar for every tourist I had to chase down... I would've given it to them so they could at least tell the difference in future! Meh, at least it was fun

Looks a tad similar but not really lol. At a first glance possibly but NAAAAAH.

 

[Nighthawk]

I know, to me they look nothing alike at all, but I suppose all most of the tourists over there see is 'small flightless brown bird'. As I said though, it was hilarious, particularly on a break and all of a sudden they'd bolt past, followed by a couple of tourists, all disappearing into fern and scrub. Mental, lmao.

 

[REPTILIAN-KMAN]

our creator makes some dumb people, theres heaps were i live too, when i went to australia zoo a girl had a bright pink ( a bit like nighthawks avatar pink ) fury hand bag and a kangaroo comes up and starts attaching her over the handbag it was scary for her but funny for us.

 

[slim6y]

You see Nighthawk - if I was you I would have set up a stall and said - see the endangered Diurnal Kiwi Bush Hen.... Technically you're not lying... And you'll make loads of money (ie the $1 per viewing)...

Last weekend I was the 'tourist' - I went to Green Island (near the reef) for a bit of a snorkel....

Two things happened that would make me want to rename this 'Angry Island'...

The first thing was very funny... I had ordered a fish burger and chips from the burger bar in the resort. The guy said - (and I quote) "Just watch the birds, especially with the chips..."

I laughed it off and said... sure... no worries man, I won't feed them I'm too hungry... I saw the way he looked at me. It was the "You don't know what you're in for" look.

I sat down to my lovely lunch. I had a chip in hand, just entering my mouth when - SWOOSH!!! I banded rail (not to dissimilar to a weka) swooped in between my face and my hand - chip only millimetres from my mouth and took my chip.

What goes brown - white - brown - white - brown - white... Me fighting with a banded rail over a chip....

Then... to top this off... I went snorkelling... Saw a beautiful shovel nose... some amazing critters... But... just one brightly coloured leather jacket had it in for me.

It swum up to me... Looked in my mask, right into my eyes... then decided look scary. I swoshed it away. But it just avoided my hand like Keanu Reeves avoids bullets in the Matrix... So I turned around so it didn't get the attention it was desiring in search of sea dragons... The little blighter bit me right on my hand... then... the cheek of it... ran away... So I high tailed it out of there thinking well, he's going, so will I... But the blighter saw my fear and came after me again... whacking my hand again!!!

I would have felt safer swimming with the crocodile there (the largest croc in captivity apparently).

I did ask the life guard if they'd have that fish removed from the national park - as it is a clear danger to other tourists. Well.. hey... the move crocs don't they???

Anyway - it was all very funny... And had a good laugh... But... I enjoy being the tourist...

At least when I leave the zoo I don't write in the 'Guest Book' - "Beautiful Koara!"

 

[ShaunMorelia]

At least when I leave the zoo I don't write in the 'Guest Book' - "Beautiful Koara!"

bwahahahahhaha

 

[deebo]

Some american tourists at Australia Zoo were looking ata scrub turkey and the husband said to the wife "It must be some kind of vulture."

Made me and my wife crack up!

 

[snakeluvver]

Some american tourists at Australia Zoo were looking ata scrub turkey and the husband said to the wife "It must be some kind of vulture."

Made me and my wife crack up!

Hahahaha. Btw those bush turkeys are suicidal. They always build their nests in the croc enclosures lol.

 

[snakeluvver]

You see Nighthawk - if I was you I would have set up a stall and said - see the endangered Diurnal Kiwi Bush Hen.... Technically you're not lying... And you'll make loads of money (ie the $1 per viewing)...

Last weekend I was the 'tourist' - I went to Green Island (near the reef) for a bit of a snorkel....

Two things happened that would make me want to rename this 'Angry Island'...

The first thing was very funny... I had ordered a fish burger and chips from the burger bar in the resort. The guy said - (and I quote) "Just watch the birds, especially with the chips..."

I laughed it off and said... sure... no worries man, I won't feed them I'm too hungry... I saw the way he looked at me. It was the "You don't know what you're in for" look.

I sat down to my lovely lunch. I had a chip in hand, just entering my mouth when - SWOOSH!!! I banded rail (not to dissimilar to a weka) swooped in between my face and my hand - chip only millimetres from my mouth and took my chip.

What goes brown - white - brown - white - brown - white... Me fighting with a banded rail over a chip....

Then... to top this off... I went snorkelling... Saw a beautiful shovel nose... some amazing critters... But... just one brightly coloured leather jacket had it in for me.

It swum up to me... Looked in my mask, right into my eyes... then decided look scary. I swoshed it away. But it just avoided my hand like Keanu Reeves avoids bullets in the Matrix... So I turned around so it didn't get the attention it was desiring in search of sea dragons... The little blighter bit me right on my hand... then... the cheek of it... ran away... So I high tailed it out of there thinking well, he's going, so will I... But the blighter saw my fear and came after me again... whacking my hand again!!!

I would have felt safer swimming with the crocodile there (the largest croc in captivity apparently).

I did ask the life guard if they'd have that fish removed from the national park - as it is a clear danger to other tourists. Well.. hey... the move crocs don't they???

Anyway - it was all very funny... And had a good laugh... But... I enjoy being the tourist...

At least when I leave the zoo I don't write in the 'Guest Book' - "Beautiful Koara!"

Btw Leatherjackets are very aggressive. Scary fish.

 

[phoebe]

I was at Taronga Zoo once and overheard some women debating whether bats were birds or not. They decided in the end that they were definitely birds.

 

[MrShorty8878]

haha funny i dont beleive no one has menchaned drop bears lol i have the best time explaining to forieign exchange students and amarecin kids at our school what drop bears are they totoally beleive me lol this girl in my class said im camping on the weekend and i said "thats great hope you have a good time oh just watch out for those drop bears" and she was all freaked out and asked me all about them and i just tryed so hard not to laugh lol just gotta love the dropbears.

 

[snakeluvver]

I was at Taronga Zoo once and overheard some women debating whether bats were birds or not. They decided in the end that they were definitely birds.

Hahahaha thats a classic along with the "whales are fish" thing
Most of the time their mistakes are funny, but when they think they know more than someone experience (eg. i saw a boy who said that steve irwin knows nothing about snakes because steve irwin said taipans are rare, and the boy disagreed and said Steve is stupid) its just plain irritating.

 

[melluvssnakes]

I'm the reptile keeper at work and we've got a couple of Bluetongues. The number of people I've had come up to me and tell me that they are venomous... It's actually quite funny

 

[snakeluvver]

I'm the reptile keeper at work and we've got a couple of Bluetongues. The number of people I've had come up to me and tell me that they are venomous... It's actually quite funny

Bwahahahahaha. If I had a dollar for every person who called a GTP poisonous. I have absolutely no idea why I just always see people looking at GTP's and saying "Oooooooh they look venomous" XD

 

[giglamesh]

you have to remember in the animal world bright and pretty colours normally means toxic

 

[snakeluvver]

you have to remember in the animal world bright and pretty colours normally means toxic

Yes but if they're not smart enough to know pythons are harmless they wouldn't be smart enough to realize that.

 

[slim6y]

you have to remember in the animal world bright and pretty colours normally means toxic

Monarch Butterfly - deadly poisonous

Viceroy Butterfly - Non Poisonous

You tell me which one is which

It's all easy enough when you know... but to a tourist - how the hell should they know???

(by the way, it's not a trick question above)

 

[giglamesh]

point taken but reptiles, gila monsters, poison arrow frogs. things like that

 

[slim6y]

One more for the tourists - which is safe to handle and non-venomous?

This one should be easy - but can you remember the poem on how to tell?

I personally think tourists aren't subjected to these types of threats (often) - as nor are we - how many here would have thought eating a monarch butterfly could kill you?

How many know to steer clear of a coral snake but not a Mexican milk snake?