Kylie Tabor, TEAN Abroad: Perth, Australia Spring 2024
As someone who is not from Australia, we often hear about all of the
“scary” Australian wildlife and how everything here is out to get you. The
truth is, while the wildlife here is not to be messed with, they want
absolutely nothing to do with you! If you are living in the city, it is very
seldom that you actually see any wildlife at all! Being in Perth, I see black
swans in the river, and lots of other birds, but not much else. When you
venture outside of the city you see more kangaroos and spiders, but they
are not as scary as the reputation that precedes them. You have to go very
far out into the bush to be able to see the spiders the size of your head, or
risk stepping on a snake without noticing. That being said, if you do come
into contact with any Australian wildlife, it’s best to leave them be! If you
get into a fight with a kangaroo, chances are you aren’t going to be the
victor! Same if you do see a snake or spider, they are more scared of you
than you are of them, so just step away slowly and leave them be.
Australia is home to 21 of the 25 most venomous snakes in the world, so if
you see one, don’t stop to take a picture! Finally, the deadly drop-bear.
The human-size ravenous koala bear that falls out of the trees onto
unsuspecting tourists and eats them whole. While this animal sounds
terrifying, it’s not real! Drop-bears are a myth, so don’t let that scare you
away from coming to the beautiful land down under! Koalas, however, are
very much real, and are not as cute and cuddly as you may think. Just like
you wouldn’t want to tussle with a kangaroo, don’t try to hug a koala! It
won’t end well! Overall, my experience with Australian wildlife has been
nothing but positive. A few safety rules to follow are to only pet it if it’s in
a petting zoo and to remember that wild animals are just that, wild! So
don’t go and take a selfie with a kangaroo’s joey in the bush unless you
want to deal with the mad mama.
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