Easter has been a busy time for us all here at Australia Zoo. Australians celebrate Good Friday right through Easter Monday. This year ANZAC Day (similar to Veterans Day) was on Tuesday, giving most folks a five-day weekend.
We put together five days of games and competitions for the kids with wonderful prizes supplied by the good people at Animal Planet. Pentax was good enough to donate a camera and binoculars as major prizes, making for some very happy kids. One lucky kid even won a cubby house for the backyard. This special child lives in one of the most low-income areas in Queensland, so you can imagine the family's delight at winning. I wish you could have seen all the happy children having so much fun. It makes our job of teaching wildlife conservation so much easier when everyone is in such high spirits.
Easter certainly is family time. Steve, Bindi and I had a real challenge to face this year. Steve has injured his right shoulder on more than one occasion over the years, but this year the pain finally became too much to bear. A ligament was fraying against his chipped bone and scar tissue. The result was agony when Steve lifted his arm and constant, throbbing pain day and night.
It all started years ago when Steve had to catch a small crocodile we call "Bowen". This naughty little croc had been hanging out near a fishing ramp, eating scraps, in North Queensland. His boldness would have meant a bullet if Steve didn't catch him. Late one night Steve was scanning the river with his spotlight, when he picked up Bowen's red eye shine. Steve idles the dinghy up to the young saltwater croc and got close enough to jump out of the boat to catch him by hand. What Steve didn't see was the huge boulder just underneath the surface of the water. CRASH! Steve hit the rock with all his weight, smashing his shoulder. He caught the croc alright, and never did see a doctor about his shoulder. Most recently, while filming "Crocodiles of the Revolution" in East Timor, Steve had the same shoulder crushed while relocating a huge crocodile named Anthony. I was on the phone right away to our favorite orthopedic surgeons, Dr Craig Mohler and Dr Ken Butters, in Eugene Oregon.
Since Eugene is my hometown, Bindi and I headed over early to search for the elusive Easter Bunny. Bindi was thrilled when she found him. Mr Bunny was even lucky enough to get a kiss. Never mind that rabbits are a bit of a feral pest in Australia, we love them just the same! And I'm happy to report that Steve's shoulder is repairing well after surgery.
It's amazing to watch Bindi as she's growing up with a natural love for all animals. She gently rocks and sings to the new baby Burmese Pythons here at Australia Zoo. She lets the koala sniff her hand before she pets him. Bindi's affinity with wildlife is uncanny. She knows instantly if an animal is in trouble and cries until the problem is fixed. Even before she could talk, she became distressed when a bird accidentally flew into a building - we all had to stop what we were doing and safely remove the bird.
While filming tarantulas in California, Bindi had the chance to hold one. It sat quietly on her arm for several minutes. When we finished filming, we showed her how to release it back into the wild. She cried for it for the next half hour!
But my favourite encounter happened at home after a day of filming in a swamp. Bindi proudly held up a fully engorged leech that had fallen out of Steve's sock. I quickly grabbed it to toss it out, when the tears started to flow. So, as a family, we went into the backyard and released that plump little leech. Bindi was content that we had done the right thing. We could all learn a lesson from such open, honest, innocent love.
God bless you little Bindi. You're not even two years old yet and already you've filled our lives with so much happiness. Think of the adventures to come!
Terri Irwin
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