Dame Edna has gone back to her gladeolas and the Wiggles have left the building. Much of this past week has been filled with Croc Hunter mania. People flocking just to see Steve in the flesh; fans following his every move and doing anything to get his attention. But beyond the Crocodile Hunter fanfare and Croc Hunter Live, there was something else taking center stage — the animals.
If getting a wave and a nod from Steve as he zips around the zoo on his motorbike, or playing with Bindi on her playset, is one of the best things that could happen to you at the zoo, visitors say petting or feeding the animals is the next best.
"I was just really impressed at how close you can get to the animals and how the kids were able to touch them," Kent Manahire, on holiday with his wife and three children from New Zealand, says.
The Wandering Wildlife Program at the zoo brings all sorts of animals, from alligators and dingoes to parrots and skinks, out of their enclosures and into the hands of the public.
"Taking the animals out to meet the public is one of the best ways to educate people about wildlife, says Tiffany Harris, director of the program. "Using common sense with the animals, you can get amazing results."
Since the program's start about a year and a half ago, its roving animal handlers have grown from three to 10. Rovers are selected by their personality and passion for animals. If they get along well with animals and people, they are shoe-ins for the job.
"Anyone can hold an animal, but you have to know how to interact and handle the public too," Harris says.
According to Harris, training to become a rover varies depending on the animal. For instance, it takes six weeks to learn how to hold koalas so that they don't scratch or bite if they become nervous. Reptiles like corn snakes require two weeks.
And sometimes, rovers have to train people too. Some people pet too heavily, startling the animals. Rovers show them the correct way, and places, to pet.
"If someone doesn't pet correctly, usually it's us that get bitten," she says.
Almost every animal in the zoo gets introduced to visitors for a one-on-one encounter. But you do have to see the crocs, venomous snakes and some of the lizards from a distance.
"I'm just happy if we can send one extra person home with a better understanding of animals," Harris says.
That seems to be the Irwins' goal, too. They say the mission of the zoo is "conservation through exciting education," and the message may be getting through. While visitors to the zoo may come with the hope of spotting a TV star, a croc demo and a walk with a wombat may leave them, not with an autograph, but with a little bit more respect and knowledge of the animals around them.
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