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LaughingDove

Feeding Area for Free-roamig Emus - Cohunu Koala Park

13th of July 2016 Species list: http://www.zoochat.com/24/cohunu-koala-park-show-species-list-459577/ A zoo review will be posted here: http://www.zoochat.com/24/trip-australia-june-july-2016-a-449389/

Feeding Area for Free-roamig Emus - Cohunu Koala Park
LaughingDove, 24 Aug 2016
    • LaughingDove
      Despite the fact that there are potentially dangerous animals all over the place, there are no keepers around at all (apart from one keeper in the Koala area for the photo/cuddle with a Koala) so anyone could go up to most of the animals in the zoo, which is obviously potentially dangerous for the animals and for the visitors. Visitors could also walk around to any bit of the zoo they wanted to with no fences or gates at all. This included random areas of nothingness, around the backs of enclosures, and areas with piles of rubble, wire, and broken dinosaurs.

      I only saw three volunteers/members of staff anywhere in the zoo and they were the person driving the train, the person at the counter at the entrance selling the tickets, and the keeper doing the cuddle/photo with the koala. Not to be cynical, but those are the three places in the zoo where you have to pay...

      This was by far the worst zoo I have visited in Australia, and probably the weirdest zoo I have ever visited. More details to come in a review that will hopefully be written tomorrow.
    • Chlidonias
      the emus and kangaroos? While the zoo does seem pretty poor in numerous ways, I think you'd be hard pressed trying to find walk-through kangaroo and emu enclosures in Australasia which have staff present. There's no need.
    • snowleopard
      This facility does indeed appear to be rather dreadful, with a motley collection of animals and many bizarre objects. In terms of the staffing comment, I would like to point out that I find emus a bit dodgy as some of them can be incredibly aggressive when seeking food. I've always been a bit surprised to see walk-through roo/emu yards in Aussie zoos (seemingly hundreds of identical exhibits across the nation) with zero staff anywhere. Haven't emus ever seriously hurt anyone in an Australian zoo setting?
    • LaughingDove
      You make a fair point, Chlidonias. I suppose that is an unfair criticism of this zoo when so many others do it. Though as snowleopard says, I generally find it a bit odd to see Emus in walkthrough exhibits. I suppose in most zoos I have confidence that the staff who put the Emus in the walkthrough know what they're doing, with this place, not so much.

      With the comment on danger with this picture, I was particularly referring to the fact that visitors could approach the feeding area of the Emus.
    • Hix
      Emus are very stupid birds, and the only times I have ever seen them aggressive is when they think there is food around, and then the aggressiveness is limited to a very persistent sticking their head wherever they think the food may be (like in a bucket, handbag, pocket etc.). And if they get like that, you just push them away. I've never seen or even heard of an emu kicking or using their legs as weapons like their cousins, the cassowaries, do. Of course, that doesn't mean it can't or hasn't happened, just that it would be unusual. If something frightens them, they run away. And if they can't run away, they run around like they're deranged.

      Having said that, simply because of their size I would not put an emu together with a small child as there is a higher chance of an accident happening due to the small brain of the bird. Children accompanied by adults should be quite safe though.

      Of course, any wild animal can be unpredictable in their behaviour and an emu defending eggs or chicks might behave differently, but in a walkthrough enclosure you would be more at risk of injury from a kangaroo than an emu. IMO.
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  • Category:
    Cohunu Koala Park
    Uploaded By:
    LaughingDove
    Date:
    24 Aug 2016
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