Just some overdue pics from our recent activities in the past month. We brought Dan to the
PACEM Eco-Park in Assumption Antipolo and he enjoyed seeing all the animals over there.
Wikipedia states that this animal, called the Cassowary, was voted by Guiness as the world's most dangerous bird. Apparently, it's capable of disemboweling a human with a single kick from its strong legs and sharp claws on its feet. The theory is that this is a genetic descendant of the Velociraptor (probably in line with the hypothesis that birds came from dinosaurs) since their feet and legs share a strong resemblance with one another. If the other sources I've checked are correct, the cassowary can also jump up to five feet in the air and are good swimmers too. In a video I saw, a zookeeper said that they are known to sneak up on their prey and stab them in the back with its claws and proceed to eat them alive.
Of course I didn't know all that when we came upon this creature at the zoo. My family and I were right in this bird's face with just a low fence between us, thinking it was just a harmless relative of the ostrich (which it is by the way). The only reason why I looked it up online was that it honked at us after it noticed we were gawking at it. Although "honk" isn't really as accurate description compared to "an unearthly, guttural bellow as it parted its beak nice and wide". Pauline could have sworn she saw the soundwaves coming out of its mouth as it screeched at us. When I read about how nasty this bird could be, I was a bit shocked since we were standing so close to it at the time, unaware of what it could do.
Here's one with Lyn and Dan by the bridge. The view is way better than what you can see here. From where I was standing, the path really makes a vague U-shaped downward slope then goes uphill again after bridge (which was sort of the midpoint).
Dan developed an interest in birds because they were studying it in school but the monkeys also got his attention at the zoo. He got a kick out of watching them climb and eat their food. He liked the baby monkey in particular probably because it was the cutest of the bunch, nibbling its meal.
This spot was unoccupied until the caretaker threw some food on the ground and these guys swamped the place in a matter of seconds.
It's nice how clear this shot came out. The camera's taking some blurry pics even if it's perfectly still...it is 4 years old though.
At the entrance with my family, wearing my blog's namesake :)
