If you ask people in this country what is the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Australia, there are probably two predominant answers: the famous Sydney Opera House – and kangaroos. Yes, they really are everywhere; there are said to be around 50 million, twice as many as the country has inhabitants. Unfortunately, kangaroos are also the most common cause of road accidents, which doesn’t end well for most of them.
Wildlife in Australia
In addition to the kangaroos, there is a lot of wildlife that you don’t see here. On our trip we met wallabies, dingoes, potoroos, echidnas and wombats. The large emus roam freely and steal food from tourists’ picnic tables at rest areas if they are not careful. The songs of the native songbirds are omnipresent, especially the impressive melody of the Australian magpie. He accompanied us with his singing throughout the entire journey, every day and even at night.
The pink galahs and the white-eyed cockatoos always appear in flocks. You can see pelicans on the lakes, and in the parks and even in the pedestrian zone you will come across wildlife like ibises looking for food (the crumbs in the restaurant are much easier to find than the beetle in the meadow). And if the ibis isn’t there, the bearded dragon is wandering around between the tables.
The kookaburra can often be heard high up in the trees, but it’s hard to take a picture of it. Finally, there’s the koala, this cute little teddy bear, endangered and always tired. Unfortunately, we did not come across a platypus, this egg-laying mammal with webbed feet and poisonous spurs, on this trip. Well, maybe next time.
Der melodische Gesang des Magpies ist in Australien überall zu hören
Mit seiner fröhlichen Musik wurde der Magpie schnell zu unserem Lieblingsvogel
Dieser Vogel hat uns die Erdnussbutter vom Mittagstisch geklaut
Den “lachenden Hans” bekommt man nur ganz selten zu Gesicht
Die großen Vögel spazieren auch durch die Innenstädte und sogar durch die Restaurants
Die Zahl der in Australien lebenden Kängurus wird auf rund 50 Millionen geschätzt
Damit gibt es in Australien rund doppelt so viele Kängurus wie Einwohner
