Ah yes… the infamous Steve Irwin zoo filled with all kinds of Australian animals including many crocs! It was great to see the croc show still done in the same ‘Crikey’ spirit as any of Steve’s shows. Jamie and Mykee were pretty keen on holding the giant Burmese python, so Britt and I were pretty thrilled to actually have a chance to hold a koala and learn some new things about this strange marsupial. They are really as furry as they look and really smell like eucalyptus!
Other critters at the zoo were emus, cassowaries, wombats, dingos, kangaroos and a whole new section added including Asian and African animals that are endangered and slowly moving towards the extinction list.
It was obvious that in addition to ‘come see our animals’, this zoo really has a large focus on protecting not only the habitats these animals live in but public education on the endangered species. And Terry Irwin and kids are every present and working to keep the zoo going.
Another highlight was walking in the fenced area among the large red kangaroos… and seeing Mykee trying to get his hand into a kanga pouch – whose kid is this?!?! (I believe it came out of some bet with his brothers!)
Walking around the zoo you could definitely see Steve Irwin’s legacy live on. It made me think… what legacy will I leave? It’s definitely not going to be a large amount of stuff to pass on (sorry kids – we are spending your inheritance now J). Forbes would have us believe that your legacy is what you physically leave behind as a way to make sense of your existence. But a legacy is also the values you’ve left behind and the memories that can be passed on.
We may not have much to physically leave behind, but I’m so thankful that our family has a lot to pull from our ‘memory bank’. So many evenings start with…. “Remember when….”