National Zoo Experience
Wishing you all a Happy 2022. Thank you for all the Christmas Greetings. I kept this National Zoo Experience out of my December newsletter so that you have an interesting read while recovering from all the festive food.
Lindy was given a zoo experience from her family to celebrate a significant birthday last year. After all the interruption of COVID-19, Lindy finally contacted the Zoo to book in the encounters. The original experience was for Giraffes and Sun Bear. Lindy thought she would get to pet them or have photos taken with them. She found out that all she would get to do is to feed them separately using a very long fork. The Zoo keeper would put food on the fork and Lindy just has to hold it out for them to take. The Zoo management thought this wouldn’t give Lindy much experience, so Richard, the owner, offered for Lindy to meet the Tree Kangaroo and the Black and white Ruffed Lemurs. He also offered for Lindy to bring Polly along to experience the encounters together.
I, on the other paw, helped out the staff in the Zoo office. It was nice to know that the Zoo staff are all very passionate about animal welfare. The Zoo is contributing heavily to a large number of breeding programs that can help save a number of animals from extinction. Read more about this on their website
Early in December, Lindy and Polly received the VIP treatment from Jemma, the Customer Services Manager. She took them around in a Zoo Cart (similar to the one they use on the golf course). The staff along the way open and shut gates without them having to stop! I guess this is how VIPs get treated.
Their first stop was the Tree Kangaroo. Lindy and Polly helped the zoo keeper feed the Tree Kangaroo with avocado, his favourite food. They got to pat him while he enjoys his treat.
The next stop was to meet the black and white ruffed Lemur family. They were a bit shy at first. Then again, just like me, all you have to do is get the yummy food out and all is fine.
They then checked out a few other enclosures including the Llama before coming to pick me up. I had such a good time receiving pats and treats from the management staff that I didn’t really want to leave. Hopefully there will be an opportunity to visit the zoo and its staff again soon.
New Year close contact
While Auntie Polly was in Sydney for Christmas with her family, she came out with a slight cold. So on 27 December after waiting for four hours in a drive-through she was tested for COVID-19. As she had been staying with her elderly Mother she came back to Canberra on 28 December isolating on the way back.
This meant that Lindy and I became close contacts as we share a house with Auntie Polly. We didn’t go out from then on, while several family and friends dropped off coffee and supplies at different times. Polly finally received her positive result on 31 December, four days later. Following advice from Auntie Jing, who works on the front line, it was decided that Lindy should get a PCR test on day 6 of isolation as there are no RAT tests to be found – I wasn’t quite sure what this meant and kept on looking out for rats around the courtyard.
As Lindy and I couldn’t catch a bus to get tested nor could a family member give us a lift as we are isolating, Auntie Polly drove us both to the Mitchell drive-through centre. After explaining that only Lindy needed a PCR as Polly was already positive, Lindy was able to get her PCR test while the queue was not too long. Lindy’s result of negative came through just over a day later, so then it was just waiting until Auntie Polly received her clearance from ACT Health. Now we are all ready to start the New Year and resume activities. Here’s hoping for a PB at bark walk next Saturday.
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“Let’s share our world with all creatures great and small
This is the tail of Lindy’s Comet
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Woof Woof
Comet Hou
