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I have to say I get asked more questions about Australia's unique and amazing wildlife than anything else, like the Kangaroo, cuddly Koala, strange looking Duck Billed Platypus and of course, all the "Deadlies". So I have assembled a few of the more well known ones into three groups to give you a little insight into these incredible animals.
The Good
This group includes the famous cute and cuddlies like Koalas, Possums, Wombats, Feathertail Gliders, Platypuses, Echidnas, Wallabies and Kangaroos. One of the best ways to really feel like you've arrived is to visit one of the many wildlife parks and hold a Koala and feed and stroke some Kangaroos. (And "no, you can't keep one as a pet!) Depending on where you choose to live will decide how likely you are to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat. They are still quite common and can usually be seen around dusk, when they come out to eat. There is also an amazing variety of wild birdlife in Australia, most if which will come into your garden. Large numbers of brightly coloured wild parrots flying around help make you feel like you're in paradise. It's important to make time to appreciate all the new sights, smells and sounds, particularly the beautiful bird calls. Many of the birds and animals have names that describe the way they look or the noises they make, such as the "Laughing Kookaburra" because its call is "ha ha ha ha ha". This makes them easy to identify when you hear and see them, which also helps you to feel more at home in your new environment. With even more wildlife in the sea than on land, exploring the coast is a must. If you get the chance to go snorkelling or diving you can find dolphins, seals, whales, dugongs, barramundi, giant clams, surgeon fish, giant turtles and a dazzling variety of corals, brightly coloured fish and crustaceans. Even going to the beach for some rock pooling will uncover a whole host of marine life. The Bad
The very first questions asked are usually". "What about the spiders?", "What about the crocodiles?" and "How can we protect our kids and pets?" When coming from a country like the UK which has only one, rarely seen poisonous snake, most people arrive here terrified. Usually because they've been watching programs like "Australias Most Deadly Creatures", which thrive on making all these animals seem as dangerous as possible. If everything the TV claimed was true, there wouldn't be anyone left alive here. In reality over twenty million people interact with these animals everyday without any harm coming to them. In fact, the majority of Australians have never even seen a deadly animal outside of a zoo. Learning the truth about these animals will help put your fears into perspective. For example; Last year in the UK, 20,000 people died in road traffic accidents, compared to one death caused by sharks in the whole of Australia, yet we still get into a car everyday. Crocodiles account for only one human fatality every two years and are only found in the most Northern areas of Australia, a fact they never seem to mention on TV! As Steve Irwin once said that he tackles more danger getting in his car everyday. As far as snakes and spiders are concerned, combined they are still only responsible for one death per year, which means you are more likely to be hit by a falling fridge than die from one of their bites. Another rarely mentioned fact is that given the chance almost all will run away from you. The best advice we can give is to arrive here with an open mind and learn about all the wondrous and unique animals for yourself. The Ugly
This last group includes cane toads, scorpions, giant slugs and stone fish. With these animals, just the look of them could give you a heart attack. It wouldn't matter whether or not the big hairy thing walking across your pillow is harmless, because you've already smashed through everything in the room, trying to get away from it. The golden rule in Australia is: if its ugly, leave it alone. Cane toads were introduced in 1935 to control the sugar cane beetles. Unfortunately, not only didn't they control the beetles, but they successfully breed and are now at epidemic levels. Due to the deadly poison they secrete, they have no known predators and are wiping out many native animals. The government advised all Australians to try to kill any toads they came across by putting them in a bag and popping them into their freezers! The Australians, however, have come up with many other ways to kill them. They range from dousing them in petrol and setting them alight, to the favourite pastime of playing "Toad Golf". Although this also sounds brutal, once they've caused the death of your pets or made most of your family very sick, driving them into the horizon with a golf club starts to sound quite appealing. The ultimate aim of the accomplished "Toad golfer" is to be able to get the toad into the neighbours pool. This unshakeable desire to turn everything into a game is one of the many wonderful things that helps Australians get the most out of life.
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