DAVID KATAGUE/COURTESY OF TARONGAhenit cametogettingtheanimalinhabitants
of TarongaZooSydney’sjust-openedWildlife
Retreataccustomed to theirimpressive new
surroundings,sometooktoit a littlequicker
thanothers.Forseveral,it wasa months-long
laudablelevelof dedicationfromtheirkeepers,
and a move from their regular enclosures to The Sanctuary,
a purpose-builtareathat’sopenonlytoRetreatguests.(Beforethe
62-roomeco-lodgeopenedtothepublic,staffspenttimedoing
thingssuchas rollingsuitcasesdownthepathsandbuildingupthe
animals’exposureto newlightsandsounds.)Butamidallthat
effort,someothers— includingthepossumwhounexpectedly
tookupresidenceina centenariantreeoutsideoneofthelodges,
andthefrogswhosecroaksnowemanatefromthecreekthatruns
throughthemiddle—justturnedupandhaven’tleft.
I expecttohavetostretchmyselfa littlefurtherthanthedoor
ofmyTreetopSuiteforananimalsighting,butwithinminutesof
arrivingI’vespottedtwoofhalfa dozenkoalaswhocallthetrees
here home, plus several furry marsupials, indistinct from a
distance. During a guided walk, I later find out they’re
a mixofpotoroos,bettongs(whoaremuchmoreadorablethan
theirmoniker‘rat kangaroo’wouldsuggest)andwallabies,and
meettwoshort-beakedechidnas—Robbiecrawlsrightuptome
andsniffsmyshoesasthoughheis a neighbour’slabrador.Pains
were taken to ensure the Retreatwas built with the creatures’
comfortin mind:taketherooms’ internallights,whichhavea
warmhueandarerecessedintotheceiling,neverpointing directly
outwards so as not to shine into any unwittingeyes.CREATURE
SkylineviewsfromTheNest,
akaN’GurraLounge.Above:a
TreetopSuite.Right,fromtop:
giraffesatTaronga,anda koala
and a wallaby in The Sanctuary.TarongaZoo’snewWildlifeRetreatpairsoneofthecity’s
(ifnotthecountry’s)bestoutlookswithanotheradmirable
view — to aid animal conservation.By Elle McClure
COMFORTS
176 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU December 2019