Another one to add to the list!

The zoo talk today was called 'Courting Controversy'. And it did. The chap was talking about the role of zoos in breeding, re-introducing animals, culling/euthanasia, what animals to procure, was it all about money etc. It was a solid two hour talk, and they had to stop the many questions at the end.

Incredibly, UK zoos, with a few exceptions, are not funded at all by the government. They have to generate their own money. And they do. Every zoo in America and Europe is funded quite generously. Of course, now the money's being cut back, causing problems. I checked on Sydney Zoo website, and found it in the small print. For every $1 raised by the zoo, the government gives $3.

The chap had a couple of throwaway comments about the Giant Pandas (I take it he's not in favour) and the fellow organising the talks was just in front of me, trying not to laugh out loud.

He did question the existence of the meerkats. "Why have we got meerkats when they're not endangered?' One brave soul put up her hand and said that it was because the public liked them, and the zoo needed the public to keep coming. He had to agree on that.

I won't hear a word against the meerkats. This morning, before the talk began, I was having a wander. No animals out and about. All still in bed sleeping. Or had they all been moved away overnight? Until I came to the meerkats. They were out, twittering, yabbering, clinging together, scanning the skies for enemies and generally being cute. I'd say they pay their way. And you'd get a fair few meerkats for the cost of feeding one Giant Panda for a week!

When I came out of the talk, it was gloriously sunny. I walked a different way past the Stellar Sea Eagle. I've been by their enclosure many times, and they're always just sitting up on their platform looking angry. But today I went round another way by accident. The fence was covered with a bamboo matting, but there was a hole in it. I saw a man looking in. I had a look in.

There he was, on the big tree stump in the middle of the compound! He was looking pretty stellar, too. But he had his back to me. I started to make little squeaking noises, approximating a small mammal in distress. I obviously got it right, as he looked around. SCARY! I would not want to be a small mammal in distress around this chap.

Several people passed by hurried by while I was doing strangulated squeaks. Still, I've got another bird that I can spot and name (because his name was on the cage). And I didn't even need my binoculars.

I can't add him to the bigblipyear birds, as he's not in the wild.

Though he was pretty WILD.