Last weekend we surprised the kids with a trip to Symbio, a local wildlife park where you can view and interact with all kinds of great creatures. We fed kangaroos, gave the koalas a pat, and saw a cassowary (among other things). We learned that koalas are endangered and that over 99% of the koala population has been lost in recent years mostly due to habitat destruction by humans. We also learned that the Tasmanian Devil, the only carnivorous marsupial, is also endangered and projected to be extinct by 2015. If you ever make a trip to Sydney I suggest you give Symbio a visit.

The cassowary is the largest land animal in Australia and can be found in the rainforests of tropical North Queensland. I hope I never accidentally run into one while tromping though the rain forest as a swipe from one of its massive talons could easily kill a human, or at least make the human wish it were dead. In any case it is quite an impressive bird. Here is a video that shows a cassowary.