Recently, after weeks and weeks of nagging and pestering and arguing, I finally got my parents to agree to go to the zoo. Yes, the zoo. MY MOST TREASURED PLACE IN THE WHOLE WORLD! I absolutely love animals; their adorable little faces and BABY ANIMALS ARE JUST SO CUTEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

And my absolute favorites, the great koala and kangaroo, would be present. That was an immediate trigger for me to ask to visit, of course. Why would I delay my chance to meet the animals I literally went half-crazy or melted over every single time?

I woke up extra early for the highly important occasion on Saturday, packing up everything, filling waterbottles, dragging my reluctant parents out of bed, yelling at my sister to wake up and checking the weather. Thankfully, it wasn’t a sunny day, a cool breeze ruffling my hair as I raced to the car.

Bouncing on the balls of my feet in impatience, I gasped in elation the moment we conquered the ticket formalities. And in we went, me already chattering up a storm about each and every animal present. I’m certain they were all staring at me in bewilderment, the most overly thrilled human to cross their paths as of that day.

The first few animals I spotted were sleepy. Really sleepy. I noticed a Tasmanian Devil curled up in its den to protect itself from the sweltering sun, its glossy black fur shining and glimmering in the bright rays. Heading into the inner exhibits, there were some of Australia’s most dangerous snakes displayed, from the brown snake to the tiger snake to the python. I shuddered in disgust, but I also wondered, they say that a snake can swallow an animal 3 times its size or more. However, its head was so miniature! Did their mouths stretch extra wide or something? LIKE SOMETHING FROM HARRY POTTER?

I could have sworn that one of the snakes looked like Nagini.

Sorry, back to the point-

Little blurbs and excerpts of a few animals were displayed on the walls, one being the inland taipan. I was so glad it wasn’t present there because its killing rate and how terrifying the snake generally was would probably lead to me fainting right there in front of everyone.

The fact that the amount of deaths each slimy reptile caused(Snakes may be scaled but they do look slimy☹) was proudly emblazoned onto plaques beneath their glass cages did absolutely nothing to reassure me.

The Taipan is cited as one of the most dangerous snakes in Australia and around the world due to their aggressive behavior and highly toxic bites.

There are two types of taipans found in Australia, namely, the Inland taipan and Coastal taipan. Both are known to be endemic to Australia and are listed within the top 5 most toxic snakes in the world.

(I DID NOT NEED TO KNOW THAT AND THE FACT THAT ITS LURKING OUT THERE SOMEWHERE FRIGHTENS ME TO NO END.)

Also, who in the world said snakes were shy?

AND SPIDERS.

Which brings me to the next part of my journey. Giant spiders, funnel webs, redbacks, giant cockroaches and crickets were watching us with their beady little eyes as we walked past, scanning the room.

Did you know that funnel web spiders are native to SYDNEY? Oh, and all funnel-web bites should be treated as life-threatening. It just gets better and better.

We also saw the saltwater crocodile, lazily sun-basking in all its glory, with its cousin, the freshwater crocodile glaring at it.

They must have had a pretty bad argument then.

(IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A JOKE.)

I spotted a blurb on an emu but to my utter disappointment, there wasn’t an exhibit on an emu. I was heartbroken. We did get to watch the cassowary (highly dangerous, carnivorous, heaviest, and fastest bird, flightless and so on) being fed berries. I was surprised at its docility, and how well it was trained. It was a beautiful bird though. The multicolored crest, feathers, neck, and head shone, complementing its beauty.

Then came…WHAT I’D BEEN SO EAGERLY LOOKING FORWARD TO!

The most memorable exhibits were the last two.

KOALAS AND KANGAROOS.

In a large open ground, kangaroos slept in the shade, wrestled with younger joeys, nurtured their kids, and then, there was the funniest group, that peeked out from behind trees and stared at us. They cocked their heads inquisitively, turning back and raising themselves on their haunches. They were tall, incredibly, and I was ecstatic to know that if they came jumping over the ropes, we’d get to pet them. I took a bazillion pictures, and with much reluctance, decided to move on.

Did you know that kangaroos can leap up to 6 feet and over a distance of 25 feet? They can reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour and have extraordinary strength in their legs and hands.

That last exhibit was THE BEST AND THE MOST ADORABLE.

It was a wonderful exhibit named “Koala Rooftop”, 12 trees with koalas and joeys comfortably seated in them.

Let me be clear, I LOVE ALL ANIMALS(not reptiles), but pandas and koalas will undoubtedly claim first place in my heart and mind. I shall never doubt them. And believe me, EVERY PERSON, even those who aren’t interested in animals will soften when they see koalas. I guarantee it. Guides can give me explanations on how they’re not just cuddly little teddy bears, but they’re still teddy bears to me. I have always and will always adore koalas.

AND THESE WERE JUST TOO LOVABLE AND ENDEARING. THEY WERE CURLED UP ON TREES IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, SLEEPING PEACEFULLY.

“Aussie animals sleep quite a lot. In fact, koalas sleep for 18-20 hours a day.”, was what the guide announced.

THEY’RE SO LUCKY-

ANYWAYS…

I stood there staring like a baby, my jaw dropping, my eyes forming literal hearts, and my parents stood there, saying they really were the ‘sweetest’ animals ever, which isn’t something you would hear often from my parents. IT WOULD STEAL ANYONE’S HEART.

Once or twice, a koala would wake up to lick its nose, shift its position, stare at the crowd in bewilderment and fall back asleep. I CANNOT PUT INTO WORDS JUST HOW ADORABLE THEY WERE.

THE JOEYS WERE EVEN CUTER. ONCE, A JOEY WOKE UP TO STICK ITS NOSE OUT OF HIS/HER MOTHER’S FUR AND JOEYS ARE MORE ACTIVE THAN ADULTS SO IT STAYED AWAKE FOR A WHILE TO GAZE AT US AND POKE ITS FACE OUT FROM BEHIND THE SLEEPING MUM WITH ITS LITTLE PINK AND BLACK NOSE AND I MIGHT HAVE JUST MELTED INTO A PUDDLE RIGHT THERE.

I do sound crazy, don’t I?

SEE.

What’s the animal you love the most?

Signing off…