So, if you were a keeper developing a really cool animal encounter in your zoo, and it happened to be with an incredibly amazing animal, and was, in fact, the very first encounter ever offered with this species anywhere, wouldn't you come up with a better name than "Wade with the Platypus"? Still sounds awesome though: http://www.zoo.org.au/healesville/wild-encounters/wade-with-the-platypus Extremely expensive however, given there has to be two people at $180 each, and I can't imagine you would be in the enclosure for longer than 20 minutes. Not sayin' I wouldn't consider it though... Bet nanoboy is booking his tickets already
Do you get to be injected with platypus venom as part of the show? The woman in the picture is tickling the platypus. That doesn't seem right. Having said that, this is now on my list of things to do before I croak.
one would presume they would only use female platypus for the encounter. I think platypus like being tickled just as much as the next person. Add it onto your list of things to in Australia David. Perhaps you could go there with nanoboy.
I am actually green with jealousy - I've been slightly obsessed with Platypus since I was a nipper - I've been bemoaning the fact that there are zero Platypi / platypus / platypusses in European zoos - and now not only do you get to see the real live animal you get to tickle it until it giggles - NOT FAIR
Animal encounter you say? Count me in! Go with David? Suppose he sniffs some pixie dust before and proceeds to ask the keeper "which politician has the best exhibit in a shoe?". I will run and hide.
I would not have priced out most of the visitors. $180 per couple is more reasonable I think. Even though it is probably the only place in the world to do it (you can touch a tiger anywhere these days) $360 is out of my price range. Will anyone from overseas on the forum specifically fly in for this? Would any locals on the forum do it?
I wouldn't fly over there specifically to tickle a platypus, but if I was in Melbourne/visiting Healesville anyway then I'd definitely do it (and I'm not a partaker of animal encounters normally). You do disappoint me nanoboy. The greatest animal encounter of all time and you say it's too expensive for you. *shakes head*
Me not doing it is probably more indicative of my financial status rather than my desire to do it. I got a seal encounter voucher for Valentines Day for MZ that I did not cash in yet. Maybe I can upgrade it to the platypus encounter. You would fly here to see an echidna but not to pat a platypus? *shakes head*
a long-beaked echidna!!! And then they went off-display again, so just as well I did! Next time I'm in Melbourne, if the encounter is still running, then I shall do it. I still have to come back to see those little bottlenose dolphins after all.
I wouldn't fly to Melbourne specifically to do this, but would consider incorporating it into a trip to Melbourne if I had that much money. I think $180 per couple would be acceptable, but that really is the upper limit. Its not quite clear if you have to book both places, could you just do it by yourself or with a random?
it looks like the maximum group size is two people, so you can book as a couple or just book as a single and there is space for another single to book.
I thought I should bump this thread seeing as how zooboy28 is actually living in Melbourne now. Is the platypus encounter still on offer at Healesville, and has he or nanoboy or anyone else here taken the opportunity to tickle said platypus yet?
Appears to still be running, when I went to the platypus keeper talk there were people doing it. Costs to much for me to afford it.
oh, the price has actually gone up!! Now it's $195 (but includes the entry fee to the park so maybe it hasn't gone up?). Members are $175.50. It says the environment is low light....does this mean it is inside the platypus house? I don't remember the tanks being that big so I assumed it was in the outdoor pool.
Thats pretty pricey. As I understand it, the encounter takes place in the outdoor platypus enclosure, the newish one that is now essentially off-display with only the front portion visible during shows.
