AusLeisure

Australia Zoo has recently launched two new up-close animal encounters, becoming the only zoo in the world where visitors can get their hands on a Komodo Dragon. The Colossal Komodo Dragon and Rascally Red Panda encounters are brand new additions to the Zoo's diverse range of animal encounters, which take visitors behind the scenes, into the animalsâ enclosures, for a unique experience they will never forget.

Better known for their bacteria-laden saliva, Komodo Dragons are the world's largest living land lizard, native to Indonesia. Weighing up to 100 kilograms and eating up to 80% of their own body weight in a single meal, the Komodo Dragon is currently listed as a vulnerable species. The Colossal Komodo Dragon encounter gets you into the den, where you will pat and scratch a Komodo Dragon, while learning all about them from Australia Zoo's reptile keepers.

On the cuddly end of the scale, Red Pandas are native to the Himalayas in China, and are generally most active at dusk, dawn and during the night, living high in the trees. However two of Australia Zoo's newest residents, Yoddah and Pasang, come out to meet visitors as they are hand fed and pose for photos. These two boys represent their vulnerable species at Australia Zoo.

Not only will guests who experience an animal encounter walk away with awesome memories and a new love for wildlife, they will also be helping to fund conservation programs, with all money raised through Australia Zoo's animal encounters going back into animal conservation.

From scratching the back of a two-tonne Southern White Rhinoceros, to walking alongside a Bengal Tiger, to hand feeding a cheeky Ring-Tailed Lemur, and of course cuddling our gorgeous native wildlife, Australia Zoo is continuing to offer the ripper experiences that cemented the world-renowned zoo as

Australia's top tourist attraction* (it was named Major Tourist Attraction at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards for 2008), getting everyone closer to wildlife and sharing the conservation message.

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