2 days at Taronga Western Plains Zoo

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A 2 consecutive day ticket is the only offer at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo. We wondered if this was necessary. After spending an afternoon there being thoroughly entertained with animal antics we decided we needed to go back the next day for more.



Wednesday afternoon was hot and windy. Shorts and a tee was the popular dress code. Whereas Thursday was cold and wet so long pants and rain jackets were the order of the day. Clearly some people got it wrong … and were regretting it.



Large enclosures, many surrounded by an earth berm and electric fence allowed uninterrupted views and security from and for the animals. None-the-less many of the exhibits still managed to find a location in which to semi-hide.



Covering a large expanse, movement around the zoo was to walk, ride a bike or travel from location to location by car. With lots and lots of people, especially young, wobbly uncontrolled children on bikes you had to have your wits about you.



The exhibits were predominantly animals that roam large territories in their natural habitat, or lived in large groups. So we saw meerkats (always popular), hippos, rhinos, elands, buffalo, giraffes, elephants, siamangs, tigers, lions, dingos, kangaroos, bison to name just a few.



By far the most popular animals were the giraffes. And yes they were gorgeous and entertaining. For a fee you could get up close and personal. This meant you had the pleasure of feeding them a piece of carrot, experiencing a long grey tongue exploring in places it shouldn’t and even be drenched in giraffe slobber. We’re not sure who got the best value; the people who paid or those who got a good laugh watching their reactions.



We got the most entertainment by far from the Galapagos Tortoises. These slow plodding monsters often seem unworthy of a visit. They don’t seem to do much at all. However, we have changed our minds. Wednesday afternoon we watched as a big male plodded slowly into the shelter area where another was peacefully sleeping. He started nipping at the sleeping tortoise’s face. The pair had a ding dong biting session; fast and furious. Scales and chunks of flesh were torn off the face of the sleeper. There was no letting up. Eventually, with its face fully protected by its legs the ‘bully boy’ gave up and the fight ended.

Thursday we were drawn to this enclosure again. We wanted to see how badly the one had been hurt. Yes there was some flappy flesh that looked rather sore. But, to our amazement we watched as the injured tortoise slowly plodded towards the feeding ‘bully boy’, sticking its face right into that of the other. Just a quick nip, this time. What a glutton for punishment.

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