Hi everyone, welcome to a Roving Rave Reptile Review, to keep you up to date with our beautiful baby Alligators.

All 13 babies are growing very quickly and have quite different personalities. At two years old they are winning hearts everywhere (and no wonder – they did hatch on Valentines Day) with their cute smiles, or some, would say, cheeky grins.

An interesting fact about allligators is that the temperature of the nest or incubation area determines the sex of hatchlings. For example, 28-30°c (82-86°f) temperature produces females and temperatures of 32-34°c (90-93°f) produces males. For this reason, we are pretty sure we have all males in our little family!

The difference between alligators and Saltwater Crocodiles are:

ALLIGATORS
* Grow to 15 ft
* More docile
* Lower teeth hidden
* Eyes high on head
* Round, shovel-shaped nose
* Darker body colour
* Don't have salt glands

CROCODILES
* Grow to 23 ft
* More aggressive
* Lower teeth showing
* Eyes sit lower on head
* Pointy, long nose
* Lighter body colour
* Do have salt glands

Our baby alligators, not unlike small children, often lose baby teeth. The difference for alligators is that their new teeth continually grow to replace any damaged ones. They also have well-developed eyesight which can probably see colour and their eyes have a reflective area at the back to help them see at night. Their eyes also have a protective third eyelid, which is clear like a pair of goggles for swimming under the water. Webbed feet and a very strong tail help them swim very fast to strike and catch their prey.

In winter, alligators in the wild retreat into burrows, under riverbanks, in mud holes or move to shallow backwaters. They can survive freezing conditions by keeping their nose above water so that breathing holes form when the water surface freezes. Here they remain dormant until spring.

An alligator's adaptation to climate and habitat, plus their wonderful healing power to repair injuries, no doubt has helped it survive from the dinosaur period.

Next time you visit us here at Australia Zoo, do yourself a favour and come and meet either Brutus, Gordy, Mr Squiggles, Jet, Little Buddha, Cosmo, Luke, Reggie, Russ, Scooter, Angus, Diesel or Ty. You'll be glad you did!

Until next time, big alligator smiles!

Written by Leanne!

Leanne with Jet the Alligator and a Zoo patron

G'day everyone! Welcome to another Rover's weekly rave!

This week I am going to tell you about the best koala we have at Australia Zoo. His name is Cooper and he is actually the oldest male koala we have. He is 13 years old and has a wonderful life. He has met many celebrities, even some gorgeous models dressed in bikinis, with whom he enjoyed having a cuddle.But hey, what male wouldn't?

I remember the first time I met Cooper when I first started working in the koala section. He used to live down at Koala Walk-through at the top end of the Zoo. He was always in his own tree, which he scented quite regularly to let all the girls know where he was, in case they were looking? He used to lift up his head every now and then and bellow (it's a deep grunting noise the males make, which sounds like a wild pig! Scary!) Then he would just put his head back down and fall asleep for another couple of hours! Haha. He is so adorable. He has a very friendly face and he couldn't hurt anyone if he tried. All those rumours about koalas jumping out of trees and being vicious are just that; RUMOURS! Koalas are the kindest, sweetest and cuddliest animals you would ever meet, apart from the Rovers!) Haha. At least all the koalas you would meet at Australia Zoo!

Have a great day, and until next time...koalas rule!!!

Kristy with Cooper

When walking around the Zoo, if you hear a “hello” or a “bye bye” it may not necessarily be an Australia Zoo staff person. It may instead be a team member of a different kind; perhaps one of our cheeky Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, softly-spoken Major Mitchells or our loud and impressive Green-Winged Macaws.

Our roving birds love coming into the Zoo to say hello or even to make some special friends with our Zoo guests. The roving birds are always in training whether it's learning new and exciting behaviours, breaking old cheeky habits or working closely with new rovers.

The bird flight show is only new, and has currently been going for about three months now in the new Australia Zoo Crocoseum. We are constantly bringing new trained talent into these shows and at present we are training our two beautiful three-year-old Green-Winged Macaws Inca and Picasso.

Our roving area is growing all the time. Training new rovers in our wandering wildlife team is part of my job when it comes to birds. We need to introduce all our new rovers to all our gorgeous roving birds, so they can bring them out and into the zoo for everyone to meet.

Some of the birds love to wave as guests are walking by, dance to the didgeridoo that Matt James plays or even tell a tale or two. Most of all, though, they love to show off.

So keep an eye out for these beautiful but cheeky birds as you wander through the Zoo, and be sure to come up and say g'day when you see them.

Rover Carly

Carly and Inca the Green Winged Macaw

Carly with Joey a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and Kate with Freddo a Major Mitchell out in the Zoo

Burrow, also known as ‘Buzz' by many of the staff here at Australia Zoo, is a very special little wombat. She is also a valued member of our roving team here at the Zoo. This is her story…

The name Burrow was originally thought up by Bindi Irwin, who has a lot of input towards animal naming because of her creative thinking. Burrow was captive bred here at the Zoo with two proud parents Minibus and Chisel. When Burrow emerged from the pouch at the tender age of six months, her life journey began. Specially trained staff cared for and spoilt burrow over the next nine months of her life, which has made her the friendliest, cutest, and most rewarding wombat at the Zoo. After Burrow learnt all of her much-needed life skills to become the best possible wombat, she was placed back with her family in the wombat enclosure (which happens to be the biggest enclosure in the world). Mother Minibus, Father Chisel and Aunty Doser all happily live together in an area of approximately half an acre (the size of a normal house block).

Burrow's diet consists of loads of grass-munching, plentiful amounts of various vegetables (sSweet potato, carrots, apples, corn, etc.) and specially formulated pellets which will assist Burrow to grow from her current weight of 10.3kg to a whopping 25kg! This is the average size for a female Common Wombat.

As mentioned earlier, Burrow is a valued member of our roving team. This specially trained section entitles us girls in the team to place Burrow's bright red harness on and allow guests to gently pat her on the back as she passes by on her daily walk around the Zoo. We even offer the chance to take an up-close and personal photo with Burrow, which provides memories that last a lifetime. How could you resist such a gorgeous little face?!

All in all, Burrow is pretty much the best wombat ever and Steve's saying, “Crikey, she's a beauty” doesn't quite do this girl justice!

Fast Facts:

*The wombat is Australia's largest burrowing animal.
*The wombat is a marsupial that is closely related to the koala.
*Wombats have been known to suffocate intruding dogs and dingoes by squeezing the carnivore's head against the side of the burrow with its large posterior.
*Wombats will only rear one young every two years. However, if the young dies and the conditions are good, she may raise another.
*The wombat has a backward-facing pouch so that when they are burrowing, the dirt doesn't flick back and harm the young.

Wombats rule!
Roving Rebecca.

Rebecca with Burrow

Everything has been going great in ROVING! Even though the mornings have been quite fresh here at the Zoo, the days have been perfect. All the animals just love to come out in the nice warm sun. One little girl that loves her walk time is our nine-year-old, adult wombat Minibus. As soon as she sees her harness and lead she is down at the gate raring to go. She walks all over the Zoo getting pats and meeting everyone. She has her favourite spots that she goes to without fail, but when we want to leave those spots we have to carry her away; she is very stubborn and won't leave no matter how much coaxing she gets, but is soon waddling off again on another path of adventure. Minibus daughter, the very cheeky 15-month-old Burrow is following in her footsteps; she also loves her walk time and is starting to develop the same traits as her mum, but she's a lot easier to get going on the right path. You will often find Burrow up the front of the Zoo saying goodbye to everyone as they leave.

Until next time from Minibus, Burrow all the Roving team,

WOMBATS RULE!

Jasmin with Minibus

“Crikey” to everyone out there. My name is Michelle and I work in the Roving Department. I started roving four months ago and since then I have been trained to handle Boa Constrictors, Corn Snakes and other reptiles such as Blue-Tongue Lizards and Shingleback Skinks. During this time I have also come to know our fabulous dingoes.

I was very fortunate when I began in roving to be allowed to train with the dingoes. This meant a lot of hard work, including helping out with the Exotic Mammals Department for the past three months completing the first stages of training and bonding with the dingoes. We have three adult dingoes called Mia, Kirra and Cooya, and three ten-month- old dingo puppies called Kiah, Myndee and Tehya.

Along with me, our dingo pups are undergoing some very intense training. For me, one of the hardest parts with training is remembering all the little things that go along with it - even the simplistic things like which way is left and right! (I am also a blonde and Kiwi so that certainly does not help). These gorgeous little girls are a pleasure to work with and make every day most enjoyable.

Dingo Kisses to everyone out there.

Michelle
Rover

Michelle with the Dingo pups

G'day everyone. My name is Sandi and I work as a Roving Keeper here at Australia Zoo. It is our job to carry/walk animals around the Zoo so that all of our visitors can get to meet them up close. One of my favourite animals to rove is Chloe the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo. Let me tell you about her day at the Zoo.

Chloe's day at the Zoo begins around 8·30am when we bring her down from her night-time enclosure to the wombat enclosure. She passes many people on her journey to wombats, but she can't talk. She's in a hurry. We used to think it was us that she was all eager and excited to see in the mornings, now we realise it is her food. Chloe has her breakfast when she arrives at wmbats. She has lots of vegies provided but it seems to be her rule not to touch these until every last seed is eaten. After breakfast it is time to survey ‘her' kingdom, and maybe have a little snooze. They call it the wombat enclosure but Chloe knows it is hers. After all, why else would there be a multi-storey perch with all manner of browse, as well as ample grass to wander around on? It is perfect for her. She does graciously let the wombats share it though.

After breakfast and a little snooze, it is time to go out and meet her adoring public. Chloe has the run of the Aoo and can often be seen up at admissions greeting people as they arrive. She also likes us to take her to the tortoises, to outside the Photo Studio or to say hello to the girls at Information. Although she has many special places to visit, one of her most favourite is the Wetlands. At first she used to be a little bit worried about the friendliness of Maggie the Magpie Goose and the physical show put on by Bruce, one of our Brolgas, but now she feels quite at home being an audience to their antics. After all, it is more entertaining than watching wombats sleep.

Chloe is everyone's favourite and has us all wrapped around her little feathers. While out and about on her travels she meets many new people and makes many new friends. Lots of Chloe's visitors try all sorts of things to get her to talk, and she delights in sitting there quietly taking it all in. That is, of course, until we ignore her and start talking amongst ourselves. Then the ‘Hello Chloes' come thick and fast. Chloe also likes to have her photo taken by our visitors. She puts on some beautiful poses, but unfortunately it is often precisely when the photo is about to be taken that she realises a feather is out of place. Some serious grooming then has to take place, and to do this properly takes time.

Chloe has also made some friends, or should I say boyfriends, with staff here at the zoo and she loves running into them while she is out roving. These boys never fail to be greeted with a raised crest, a bobbing dance and a “Hello Chloe”. Birdy Brett is very special to Chloe. He looked after her when she first came to the zoo and only has to be within a 100m radius to get a reaction. Mammals Cory is another favourite she likes to bump into. She first met Cory when he came to ‘her' wombat enclosure. He said he was there to look after the wombats, but Chloe knew better.

For many of her journeys, Chloe loves to travel by Steve's Safari Shuttle. The people love meeting her on, the Shuttle and I'm sure she would stay on it all day if we let her. When she first gets on Chloe likes us to lift her up to the rear vision mirror so she can check herself out - and by all accounts she likes what she sees. She raises her crest and gives herself some kisses. Then she likes to sit on the back of the driver's seat to have a little dance and pose for some more photos. After that it is time to smooch yet another of her boyfriends. Alan the Shuttle driver is the newest of her boyfriends. From the back of his seat, she leans over and gives him many cockatoo kisses, nibbles on his ear and raises her crest to the sound of his whistle. This can continue for quite some time – much to the pleasure of the public and dismay of the person whose job it is to keep the Shuttle running on time. Once the Shuttle does depart, often a little late, Chloe comes down from the driver's seat and takes position back on our arm so she can safely take in the view of the ride. At the end or her roves, Chloe always heads back to her enclosure for a break and to spend time browsing and/or snoozing.

After a full day of charming many visitors, Chloe's day at the zoo comes to a close around 4·30pm. At this time we take her back to her nighttime enclosure (Chloe, of course, having to pick some blossoms to nibble on the way) where she has a big sleep and prepares herself for the following day. After all, it is a busy life when you are a roving cockatoo.

Until next time, lots of cockatoo kisses,

Chloe and Sandi (Roving Keeper)

Chloe with a guest

Chloe looking in the mirror

Our motto here at Australia Zoo is ‘Conservation through exciting eduction'. We achieve this in many different ways; our daily shows, our new animal experiences, and through one-on-one interactions with animals provided by our wandering wildlife team. We are lucky enough to be able to rove a range of animals, from snakes to baby alligators to wombats, and my personal favourite, the koala. I would like to take this opportunity to teach you a little more about some of the conservation issues koalas are facing in the wild.

Unfortunately, we are currently the largest threat to the koala, not only because we continue to replace koala homes with our own, but also because we fragment any remaining eucalypt forests by building roads through the middle of them. The number of injured koalas arriving at our new Koala Hospital is testimony to the impact of this conflict between koala and man. Dogs further threaten koalas that do manage to brave the urbanised world and take up residence in the few trees left in our backyards. To put things in a bigger perspective, some experts have estimated that if the rate of habitat destruction continues at the current speed, then koalas will be extinct on the east coast within 15 years. For such a cute and loveable Australian icon, that would be disaster.

Don't think that because the problem exists on such a large scale you can't do anything to make a difference. Probably the easiest way you can help is to simply go out and plant a few eucalypt species that are food trees in an identified koala habitat. If you feel like getting a bit more involved, then why not write a letter to your local government asking for greater protection of our eucalypt forests? If you are lucky enough to still share your home with koalas, then help by keeping your dogs locked up at night. Koala breeding season is also about to begin, so please be a little more vigilant when driving, particularly at dusk and dawn. Finally, perhaps the best way to help is to join us here at Australia Zoo and become a Wildlife Warrior by donating to the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation. So next time you visit us, make sure you keep your eyes open for our cute and cuddly koalas out and about with the wandering wildlife team.

Amy Robbins

Amy and Boris

Imagine having a job where you get to play with all different types of animals everyday and all day. Well then, welcome to the world of roving. Hi everyone, my name is Kisha (pictured holding the koala). I'm part of the fabulous Wandering Wildlife team called the Rovers. At Australia Zoo we believe that every visitor here would like to touch, feed or learn more about our fabulous wildlife. A rover's role here at the Zoo is to get out and about in amongst our visitors with an animal so that you (our guests) can have a hands-on education whilst experiencing an amazing, interactive encounter. So now I will describe to you a typical day in the life of a rover and maybe you'll see why it is one of the best jobs in the world.

9:00am – It's kick-off time and the front gate opens. Time to walk Burrow, our one-year-old old Common Wombat, who was bred here at the Zoo and loves to meet and greet our guests as they arrive.

9:30am – Now it's Karma's turn. She is our very cute and, I must add, very licky Brushtail Possum. Karma also helps us to say (or kiss) good morning to our guests.

10:00am – Our two-and-a-half-year-old old baby alligators are next, and boy they are so soft to touch! Just remember to pat them on the blunt end!

10:30am – Lovey, one of our Blue-Tongue Lizards loves to show off by poking his amazing coloured tongue out at arriving guests. All you Aussies out there may recognise him from your own back yard and no, he's not venomous.

11:00am – Neville the Koala needs his cuddle. What a nice way to warm up. Wow, he smells just like eucalyptus leaves.

11:30am – It's snake show time. Have you ever had the chance to pat or even cuddle a Boa Constrictor? They are so shy and gentle, and extremely soft to touch. Little Barney the Boa will eventually reach up to four metres long.

12:00pm – Macaw madness hour. Inca and Picasso are our two-and-a-half-year-old Green-Winged Macaws from South America. You may even be lucky enough for one of them to wave at you!

12:30pm – Chloe the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo is calling. She's ready to jump on the Safari Shuttle and captain it down to the Wetlands. Not bad for a 65-year-old girl, but then again she may live to see 100.

1:00pm – A devilish hour! It's when our very curious, very cute but very shy Tassie Devils take a rover for a walk. These girls can be very affectionate and live for up to fave years of age.

1:30pm – It's a good time for Big Mamma! She is a very large and quite boisterous Shingleback Lizard who loves to bask in the afternoon winter sun while being roved. Some people also call her a Double Headed, Pinecone, or even Stumpy-Tail Lizard. She may live to be up to 30 years of age and will partner up for life. Wow!

2:00pm – Myndee, Teyha and Kiah are our mischievous nine-month-old dingo puppies and boy walking them is a lot of fun! After we've attempted some obedience training we then head off to sniff some guests. Did you know that dingoes are very shy and are a distant relative to the wolf?

2:30pm – Tiger, Dot and Tinca give our guests a colourful farewell as they are non-venomous American Corn Snakes. No, they do not eat corn or live in the cornfields, but they do have a lovely pattern on their belly which looks just like corn.

3:00pm - Esperence is ready for his afternoon socialise. He is a two-year-old perentie, or more commonly know as a goanna.

3:30pm – Darth and Midnight happily come out to sssssay goodbye as they love the warmth around our neck. Yep, you guessed it, they are snakes; Black-Headed Pythons are non-venomous and native to Northern Australia.

I hope that you get the chance to visit us here at Australia Zoo and interact with our animals as much as we love to. Oh and one more thing, some people say if you love your job, you never work a day in your life! What do you reckon?

The Roving Team

We are the rovers and we know that it is true,
That we have the best job at Australia Zoo,

Roving animals everywhere,
To come and greet our guests,
But we have a special Aussie one,
We think that they're the best,

They're very cute and cuddly,
And not everyone expects,
They're not the vicious animals,
That go straight for your neck,

They may be shy, they're eyesight poor,
They do have the big strong teeth,
What people don't realize, it's all bluff,
They really are quite sweet.

We love them, we cuddle them,
They're our little aussie rebels,
We are of course talking about,
Our own Tasmanian Devils.

Written by Leanne the Rover

Leanne with Jinky

Hi everyone!

This week we'd like you all to meet some new additions to our Wandering Wildlife Program. Lots of you will probably recognise these cute critters from in and around your own backyards. They are the largest members of the skink family and are well known for their bright blue tongues! Any ideas? Well if you guessed Blue-Tongue Lizards, you're right!

Around Christmas time last year, our reptile department were very excited to welcome ten baby Blue-Tongues into the world. They are now at the perfect size to start training and handling, so the Roving Team has been called upon for the job! Being born in captivity and hand-raised here at Australia Zoo, these little guys just love people! We've had lots of fun spending time with them over the last few weeks and now they are ready to head out into the zoo to meet our guests for pats and photos!

They all have names and different little features to help us tell them apart. Blue-Tongue Lizards have a long, light grey coloured body covered in dark stripes. Their head is large and as their name suggests, inside their mouth is a broad, bright blue tongue. This is a very important defence mechanism designed to help ward off predators. If threatened, Blue Tongues are known to poke their tongue at the offender, hiss and flatten out their body so they appear bigger. After this display, hopefully potential predators will have got such a fright they'll quickly be off on their way without harming this clever skink at all!

As Blue-Tongues are so commonly found right throughout Australia, we'd like to give you all some care tips for helping these special skinks in your local area:

We hope you come and visit our new Blue-Tongues soon and don't forget to keep an eye out for wild ones in your backyard!

Kate
Head Rover

Left to right: Carly, Sandy, Amy, Kristy, Kate with the baby Blue-Tongues.