Close Encounters of the Fuzzy Kind

We spent a magical afternoon at the Wellington Zoo. We were able to see the elusive kiwi bird. This native New Zealand bird likes to hide in the dark and dig in the dirt with it's long beak. At the zoo it's habitat is bathed in red light. Kiwis cannot see the color red, so those lights allow us to see the kiwis, while they still feel concealed. It was kind of like a hunt as we bumped around in the dim red light searching for them, catching a glimpse in the back corner. This zoo has zoo talks and feedings for many of the animals, so we were able to get a better look when the Kiwi was coaxed out of the background with food.

Next stop was another native New Zealand bird, the Little Blue Penguin. This is the smallest penguin in the world standing at about 30 cm high. They are utterly adorable. They are nocturnal and liked to hide from the onlookers, but were once again brought into the light with food. They swam, ate, and waddled around in pairs. These little guys actually nest underneath the house where we are staying in the fall. But we are told they are loud and smell like fish.
Click on video to play.

Next talk was with the lions. OK, we said, why not? We were pleasantly surprised that the lion talk was nothing short of amazing. The keeper opened a door to reveal a steel grate. The female lion came over and laid down. At this point, Jeff and Natalie were about 3 feet from the lion. The zookeeper commenced her talk and fed the lion through the bars. We jumped a mile with each noise the huge and stunningly fierce lion made. The keeper never even flinched. When shown the empty bucket indicating the feeding was over, the unhappy lion gave a loud uromphh and walked off. A similar feeding was performed for the sun bear. While I understand that these feedings are likely politically incorrect in America, it was fascinating to get so close to these amazing creatures.
Click on video to play.

On the way out we stopped by a trampoline where a sign read "Hop Like a Kangaroo". So, of course, Natalie did. "Where are the kangaroos anyway?", Jeff asked. Turns out 2 kangaroos were lounging behind the trampoline free to roam the zoo as they please along with several large Emus. What? One kangaroo took off and hopped down the path we had just come up, while we stood there our mouths agape.
Click on video to play.