Animal Diaries Archive

Nice weather... for ducks!

26 May 2006

We’ve had a burst of wet weather up here on the Sunshine Coast, and while the land has been absolutely loving the rainy relief, it’s put a bit of a damper on the days of some of our Kids Zoo animals.

Each of our animals reacts to the rain differently, and goats are probably the extremists when it comes to getting wet! They absolutely can’t stand water (aside from drinking water, that is!), and will bolt for shelter at the first sign of a drizzle. Even when they come out for a walk just after it’s been raining, you’ll see them pull up short at puddles and go to any lengths to walk around or jump over them rather than get their toes wet. Our calves don’t mind a soft bit of rain so much, but certainly would rather be under the sheltering roof of their pen than stay out when it starts to pour. Splashing around in puddles after a drizzle is always great fun, though, and better yet… chasing all the ducks that come out for a stroll!

Sheep aren’t bothered by the rain too much, with their thick woolly layers for protection, and are more than happy to hang out and graze a little longer while it’s drizzling. We just give them a good towel off once they’re home! And our piglets? Well, as you probably know, there’s nothing they love better than a grand roll in the mud, and you can’t get much muddier than when it’s raining! So having a big run and roll and splash about in the rain can make a wonderful treat for pigs, but we have to be extra certain to dry them off completely once they’re home, because out of all our animals they’re the most susceptible to catching a chill.

And, of course, all our Zoo guests love coming in to Kids Zoo if it starts to rain… with our broad sheltering roof and snuggly baby animals, there’s no better place to be!