Fractal Blog

Sitting outside our favourite leisure establishment sipping a civilised alcoholic beverage while watching the world go by, we noticed this cute little specimen foraging for food very close by. Given that it was so cute it got photographed. Then the staff noticed, took it to be a rat and proceeded promptly towards a plan for exterminating the pest. Especially since it seemed to have hungry brothers and sisters, too.

Not usually slow in proclaiming opinions, the self-styled Australian Wildlife Expert mentioned to the staff in an off-hand remark that he thought these were marsupials. That would mean Australian Native Wildlife. There are draconian penalties for harming Australian Native Wildlife so clearly the plan could not proceed without formal identification of this lifeform. Fortunately both the Sydney Aquarium and the Sydney Wildlife Park are an easy stroll away so a staff member, armed with a cardboard box and a piece of paper for use as a makeshift shovel attempted to catch them alive. This was funny to watch but eventually successful.

The cardboard box was ferried down the quay to the wildlife experts. Ten minutes later the verdict came back: Rats. Being a wildlife park with plenty of authentic Australian wildlife (of which this lizard on the Cockle Bay train is a model) there was probably no problem in what to do with the rats. My guess is that the lizards were in for a good meal. And it was humble pie for the loud, confident and wrong Burbler.

Talking of urban wildlife, we found this exemplar closer to home. In our new flat, to be precise. "Isn't it beautiful" was not my first reaction but then it wasn't me who had to deal with it. My first reaction wouldn't have been to photograph it either but taking a photograph seemed to expedite my main aim, which was getting the thing out of the flat.