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Today was an off day for my husband and he wanted to take the kids to the zoo, since summer is rapidly drawing to a close. They start school a week from tomorrow.
Unfortunately, my daughter Emily was bitten by an animal. It was very distressing to her and I doubt we'll ever get her back to the zoo again.
Yes, we dared to venture into the domain of the terrifying Lorikeet. We actually dared to feed it! And if you've never been in the midst of a Lorikeet feeding frenzy, well just count yourself lucky!
As she nursed her wound on the way out of the aviary of death, she said:
"If my life depended on me going back in that cage with those birds, well I'd just die."
I do believe my daughter suffers from Lorikeetaphobia.
I'm quite proud of her though. She not only stuck it out at the zoo for a while longer, she even fed a giraffe later. The kid's got guts.
As we got in the car to go home, she asked one very important question:
"Mommy? There's none of those birds in Alabama are there?"
"Only at the zoo, sweetheart. Only at the zoo."
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Personally I thought it was really cool. You bought a little cup of nectar (for $2! They're making money hand over fist on that) and you held it in your hand and lorikeets would come sit on your hands and drink the nectar.
And, I got bitten too - it was a sharp little nip and it left a mark that bled slightly, so I know it hurt her. It was just funny how the rest of the day all she could talk about was how terrible the vicious lorikeets were. Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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That is a frightening, frightening animal. I am surprised at you, Belle, for taking your daughter into such obviously perilous situation.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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When my Dad was about six or seven, he went to the zoo with his cousin Bill who was about the same age. It was a hot day and so both had taken their shirts off.
While harassing the storks in one cage, Bill got a little too close to the bars. Well, Bill had quite an outie belly button and I guess the stork had had enough of the kids that day. The stork reached through the bars with its beak and clamped down on Bill's belly button. Bill screamed and fought and the stork just kept holding on. It took Bill's mom and her flailing purse to separate boy and bird.
Fifty-some years later and Bill still gets a bit nervous at even the mention of the zoo. Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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When we were kids dkw's goat butted me in the stomach once and the horn hooked under my ribcage. Didn't break the skin, but made it very hard to breathe and I had to wrestle its head down to get it dislodged. Hurt like heck. dkw's goat was a jerk.
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Think of it this way: your daughter's rather like Dudley Dursley, but with a rather more feathery snake "attack".
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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Poor Emily! An ostrich attached my cousin and me in our car in a safari park once and we never got over it (my genius uncle decided that the "Keep windows rolled up at all times" sign didn't apply to him).
Did the zoo people do anything about it?
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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We've only had one experience with Lorikeets. Our oldest was but a tot toted in a baby-pack. He laughed uproarously at the Lorikeets. His laughter was so bubbly and so infectious, that several of the people in the room turned their cameras and camcorders on him.
Then one pecked him.
After that it was panicked, fearful cries as passionate as his laughter. Unfortunately I only got my camera out in time for the cries. But I have the memories to last a lifetime. Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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