The Wildlife Games

by Bindi Irwin

  Apart from the ‘I’m so beautiful I could cry’ girl, whose mother was now doing last-minute alterations to her culottes, there were two other contestants, excluding himself.

  To Jason, neither of them looked like a real threat. There was a boring-looking boy with his head in a book, and a girl sitting on the sofa, eyes closed, legs crossed in a lotus position, looking like she was meditating. She was obviously taking this pre-performance preparation seriously; maybe she was the one he’d concentrate on beating.

  The ‘talent wrangler’ – who had introduced herself to the contestants earlier with, ‘Hi, I’m Tara, I’m the talent wrangler, and you guys are THE TALENT!’ – reappeared carrying a clipboard, a phone, a walkie-talkie and a harried expression. ‘Okay, talent, I mean kids, youth, whatever, say bye to your parents for the day.’

  She turned to Jason and Ana’s parents. ‘So we’ll see you at the gala dinner at the end of the day, where we’ll announce the winner, okay?’ Mrs Hunter gave her daughter a big hug. ‘I know you’ll win, sweetheart.’

  Ana grimaced. ‘Bye, Mum.’

  Jason’s dad winked at his son. ‘See you at the finish line, son.’

  Jason grinned. ‘See ya, Dad.’

  Tara listened to a request come through on her walkie-talkie. ‘Yes, coming now, over.’ She gathered up the kids. ‘Okay, talent, come with me.’ She made a swinging gesture and her phone flew out of her hand. The boy who had been continuing to read his book reached out and grabbed it before it fell on the floor.

  ‘Here you go, Tara,’ he said as he returned the phone with a wide smile.

  ‘Right, uh, thank you, ummm –’ Tara scanned her clipboard – ‘Declan?’

  The boy nodded and returned once more to his book.

  Jason Singer noted the boy’s lightning-quick reflexes, and glanced at the cover of his book. It was a book by someone named William Scott Wilson, called Ideals of the Samurai. Hmm. This was bad news. His knowledge of Japanese samurai was limited. He knew they were super flexible, looked wise, hardly spoke and could defy gravity. Well, in the films he’d seen they’d defied gravity. Whether that actually happened or not . . .?

  Jason reassessed this opponent. Declan obviously had good hand–eye coordination, seemed comfortable with the girls and probably practised martial arts. Jason decided he’d better keep an eye on him too!

  BINDI CHECKED THE DAY’S schedule in the admin office of the zoo. Everything was under control. Filming didn’t start for another hour, which was great, because she didn’t want to miss out on feeding the gorgeous Australia Zoo crocodiles in the Crocoseum, which was Australia Zoo’s 5000 seat auditorium.

  She glanced out the window and saw lots of zoo visitors wandering past, pointing out the extraordinarily large reticulated python or checking out the maps in their hands, working out the next exhibit to visit.

  Minibus the wombat was being walked on a leash, and a little girl with pigtails was giving him a pat, wearing the biggest smile on her face. Bindi remembered being that little girl, and feeling the simple joy of having a beautiful Australian animal to pat. Of course, as she’d grown up the animals she treasured became a little bigger and they definitely had sharper teeth!

  The walkie-talkie that was hooked onto her belt crackled to life. ‘Ten minutes ’til showtime, Bindi. See you over at the prep room, over.’

  Speaking of which, she needed to prepare for croc feeding! She raced over to the room where Terri, Robert and Wes, the zoo director, were waiting to discuss the plans for the morning’s show.

  Since she’d turned 13, Bindi had been allowed to feed the crocs on the tailwalk ramp, and it was a major thrill to do so. She’d seen her dad do it for years. Then after he’d passed away, Terri had begun to feed the crocs – it felt like a rite of passage for Bindi to get the chance to do it now.

  Robert came out to watch, and Bindi knew her brother was itching to be able to feed them too, but for now his job was to keep an eye on what was going on, and tell a few jokes. She really admired his ability to look so comfortable in front of an auditorium full of people, and his improvised comedy routine was getting better by the day.

  ‘Okay, gang, we’ll be feeding Mossman today,’ Wes said. ‘Keep on your toes. He can be unpredictable, as you know.’

  Terri added. ‘And Bindi, you know how hard he hits, so listen to Wes.’

  ‘You can’t host The Wildlife Games with a croc hanging off ya,’ added Robert helpfully.

  Bindi grinned.‘Good point, little buddy, I’ll try to remember that.’ She ruffled her brother’s hair.

  Robert walked over to the window overlooking the Crocoseum and saw the Major Mitchell cockatoos doing their last fly-by around the auditorium. ‘Time to get into position.’

  The Irwin family and Wes raced downstairs to their entrance as the voice over the loudspeaker began the countdown.

  ‘Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one . . .’

  The smoke machine released a large plume, then someone yelled ‘You’re on!’ and the team ran out, ready to begin the croc feeding show.

  The four Wildlife Games contestants – Declan, Anastasia, Jason and Mimi – were in the auditorium watching the show. As Mossman the crocodile lunged out of his pool at Briano, one of the croc handlers, all of the crowd gasped.

  Except for Jason.

  ‘Yeah, that’s no biggie. I wouldn’t be afraid of him. I’ve seen larger crocodiles than that when I’ve been camping with my dad,’ he said, puffing out his chest. Jason looked over at the other contestants to see if they were impressed.

  Ana just rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the show. Mimi didn’t take her focus off the show, almost as if she was imagining herself a part of it.

  Declan glanced over at Jason and raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that right?’

  Jason was about to go into detail about his last camping trip and all the staggering acts of bravery and courage he’d been a part of, but the other three were now watching as Bindi moved to the feeding platform. Mossman the crocodile swam slowly but determinedly just under the water to wait for her to dangle a delicious piece of fresh meat right above his sizeable snout.

  Jason chewed on a fingernail. No worries. There was sure to be another chance to psych out his opponents.

  AFTER THE SHOW ENDED WITH loud applause, Tara reappeared in the Crocoseum, chewing some gum, rearranging her cap and sending a text message, all at the same time. She rounded up the contestants. ‘Okay guys, once the auditorium has cleared, Bindi will come over and say hi and let you know the order of events for the day.’

  ‘Finally,’ said Jason.

  Tara threw him a sharp look.

  ‘I mean finally I’ll get a chance to meet Bindi Irwin, my hero,’ he quickly added, bending over to do a few hamstring stretches.

  Mimi spoke for the first time that day. ‘So . . . so we’ll really get to talk to her? I mean, Bindi?’ The other contestants were surprised to see Mimi looking less than serene.

  Tara was oblivious to Mimi’s changed state. ‘Sure. She watched your audition tapes, and has read up on your backgrounds. She’s been really looking forward to meeting you all.’

  Mimi looked like she was considering fainting. ‘Oh.’ She took a deep breath and stared up at the sky.

  Anastasia started smoothing the imagined wrinkles on her outfit. ‘I know Bindi has her own fashion line. I want to talk about where she sourced her fabrics from.’

  Tara looked up from her BlackBerry, bemused. ‘Ah, Anastasia, I don’t think you’ll have time to discuss fashion.’

  Ana thought differently but wasn’t going to waste her breath correcting Tara. As soon as she’d found out she was to compete in the Wildlife Games, Ana and her mother had gone into overdrive. There was a lengthy list of things she needed to achieve today – obviously winning the Wildlife Games was top of
that list, but slightly further down was to do some research on how to start a self-branded fashion line. And she knew Bindi was the perfect person to talk to.

  A moment later, Bindi bounded up the auditorium’s stairs to join the contestants.

  ‘G’day, I’m Bindi!’ she said enthusiastically, shaking hands with each of them. When she got to Anastasia, she joked, ‘Don’t worry, I washed my hands after feeding the dead rat to the croc.’

  Ana couldn’t help herself. She pulled away from the handshake and wiped her hand on her culottes, just in case. Ewww, rat germs.

  Bindi laughed. ‘You’re Ana. I still remember you doing that cartwheel round-off routine on your audition tape. You’re a great gymnast!’

  Ana nodded. ‘Yes, I am.’

  Declan and Mimi both giggled. Ana certainly didn’t lack confidence.

  Jason piped up. ‘Well, I’m not sure if being good at somersaulting is going to help you win the Wildlife Games!’

  He grinned at Bindi.

  Bindi raised an eyebrow. ‘Ah, and you’re Jason. Your dad’s the sports teacher and –’

  ‘I play rugby, basketball, soccer, AFL, volleyball . . .’

  Under her breath Ana said snarkily, ‘I don’t think kicking a ball is going to help you win the Wildlife Games either.’

  Bindi continued. ‘And you said in your audition interview that your favourite reptile was the perentie.’

  ‘Oh, right. Yeah, I love them. When my dad and I last went camping around Uluru, our ute broke down and we had to walk 15 kilometres to the nearest –’

  Tara tapped him on the shoulder. ‘There’s not time for a story now, champ, okay?’

  Jason looked like he might disagree but kept quiet.

  Bindi turned to Mimi. ‘And it’s really nice to meet you too, Mimi.’

  Mimi blushed, not trusting herself to say anything in case all that came out was a squeak.

  ‘I loved your speech on the diversity of rainforest species. It was fascinating.’

  Mimi blushed more. ‘Well, I’ve always lived close to the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland. It’s the most incredible place to just, you know, be yourself.’

  Bindi nodded. ‘I know what you mean. That’s exactly how I feel about Australia Zoo.’ She turned to the final contestant. ‘And you’re Declan.’

  Declan smiled and shook hands confidently. ‘Hi Bindi, I loved the croc show. You looked so at ease out there.’

  Bindi smiled. ‘Well, I still have to remind myself to breathe when I’m feeding the crocs. It’s not really something you can relax and get too comfortable with.’

  Declan nodded. ‘Yes, this is the first time I’ve seen Mossman being fed. I’ve seen Aggro, Mungo, Bluey and Wally, and they all have slightly different approaches, don’t they?’

  Bindi was surprised. ‘So you’ve been here a few times already, then?’

  ‘Well, more than a few times. This will be my 23rd visit.’

  The other contestants turned and looked at him. ‘Seriously?’ said Ana.

  ‘Seriously,’ replied Declan.

  ‘Well, maybe it should be you who gives the intro to the zoo,’ said Bindi jokingly.

  ‘I could if you wanted me too,’ said Declan.

  Tara intervened. ‘That will not be necessary. Okay, guys, it’s coming up to 10 am.’ She passed out maps of the zoo. ‘Go and grab yourselves a drink and then we’ll meet up at the entrance to the wetlands area, where we’ll walk through your introduction to the show.’

  Mimi, Jason and Declan headed off to grab a drink.

  Bindi took out her script and scanned it. ‘I think I pretty much know what I’m going to say.’ She had prepared a few opening phrases just in case she got nervous.

  Tara smiled. ‘Hey, I’m not worried about you, Bindi. You’re the professional.’

  The coordinator saw Anastasia zeroing in on them and muttered quietly to Bindi, ‘It’s these other guys who’ll cause my hair to turn grey and fall out before I’m 30!’

  Right on cue, Anastasia began questioning Tara. ‘So where’s the film crew?’

  Tara answered impatiently. ‘At the wetlands area.’

  Anastasia frowned. ‘I thought they would have been here for when Bindi met us for the first time.’

  Tara looked around at the empty auditorium. ‘No, they’re not here. They’re busy setting up their equipment at the wetlands.’

  ‘What about the hair and make-up artists?’ Ana asked.

  Tara sighed. ‘I’m sure I mentioned this at the initial briefing but there is no hair and make-up for the contestants.’

  Ana frowned. ‘You did, but I thought you were making a bad joke.’

  Tara looked pointedly at her watch. ‘You have three minutes. Scram!’

  Ana reluctantly took off.

  Tara turned to Bindi with a sardonic expression. ‘Let the games begin!’

  After the croc show, Robert and his mum headed up to the African Savannah to see how the new exhibit was being received by the crowds. The sun had come out, and with the sounds of African drumming in the background, visitors could be mistaken for thinking they were actually in the Serengeti. The animals were on their best behaviour and everyone was enjoying seeing the African animals interact with each other on the wide open plains.

  The giraffes were serenely wandering through the grassy area, staring down imperiously at one of the zebras now and then if they got too close. The zebra would respond with a skittish side-step and move over to another area to graze with his mates.

  The rhinos were enjoying each other’s company, occasionally facing off good-naturedly with a little bit of horn nudging.

  But the crowds were definitely focused on the youngest of the rhinos, Savannah, who was busy chasing a couple of the zebras like an eager puppy. Her mum, Cabelle, kept an eye on her youngster from a distance, making sure she didn’t run into any trouble.

  Terri glanced at her watch. ‘I wonder if the Wildlife Games have kicked off yet?’

  Robert checked out his present from a recent birthday, the brand new dinosaur watch on his left wrist. ‘Soon, I’m guessing. Just after the big hand passes the Jurassic period.’

  OVER BY THE WETLANDS, BINDI was not getting bothered by roaming dinosaurs from the Jurassic period, but every time she was ready to start her introductory piece to camera for the beginning of the show, there was a distraction. First it was aircraft noise that completely drowned out Bindi’s voice.

  Next, a nearby brush-turkey decided to kick up a small storm of foliage right next to her foot, causing her to lose her flow a few words into the script.

  ‘Sorry, guys, let me try that again.’ Although this was very different to feeding the crocs, Bindi felt the same sort of adrenaline rush as she faced the camera. Taking a deep breath, she began again.

  ‘Hello team, and welcome to the Wildlife Games. My name’s Bindi Irwin, and on today’s show you’ll be seeing four awesome contestants battle it out with some of the most ferocious –’

  ‘Squawk!’

  ‘Cut!’ The director, Stan, gave the order. ‘Who squawked?’

  A brolga walked into shot, looking unapologetic.

  Bindi giggled. ‘I think it was Archie there. He’s a bit of a performer.’

  Stan cast a professional eye over the brolga. ‘Okay, he’s in. Bindi, if you could move over to your feathered friend, we’ll run again.’

  Bindi walked over to the brolga and whispered, ‘Nice work, Archie. You didn’t even have to audition.’

  ‘And action!’ the director yelled.

  The clapper loader brought the clapperboard down with a snap, causing Archie to let out another loud squawk in protest. The cameras kept rolling, and Bindi began again.

  ‘Hello team, and welcome to the Wildlife Games. I’
m – Squawk! – Bindi Irwin, and this is my mate Archie the brolga – Squawk! – And on today’s show you’ll be seeing . . .’

  Stan turned to Ginny, his camerawoman, as Bindi continued. ‘She seems much more relaxed now there’s an animal in shot, doesn’t she?’

  Ginny nodded. ‘She’s an Irwin. What do you expect?’

  The director nodded. ‘Of course.’

  Bindi continued, ‘And now, let me introduce you to today’s contestants. They’ve been chosen from over 200 candidates between the ages of ten and fourteen. These kids love wildlife, love adventure, and are here today to compete against each other to become the winner of the first Wildlife Games. They have already conducted major fundraising, as today’s winner will give the proceeds from their efforts to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, and the Aurora Network will also match the funds, giving hundreds of gorgeous native Australian snakes, lizards, birds and marsupials a second chance at life.

  ‘First up, from Melbourne, Australia, we have Anastasia Hunter, aged 13, a state and national finalist in the under-14 gymnastics championships, with a passion for cats of all sizes and shapes. Since she was eight years old, Anastasia has organised fashion shows and gymnastics concerts to fundraise for Sumatran tigers, and has visited Sumatra with her parents twice to personally deliver the funds raised.’

  The camera panned to Anastasia, who smiled at the camera, curtsied, then took a small run-up and launched into a gymnastic routine, flipping, rolling and ending with a triple cartwheel. The crew and surrounding zoo visitors broke into a round of applause. You didn’t expect to see this kind of display at a zoo!

  Archie the brolga was not as impressed. He was the star attraction, not this upstart girl. He wandered over and gave her a peck as she stayed stock-still in her landing pose, smiling at the camera. He pecked her again.

  ‘Owww,’ said Anastasia, still with her performance smile plastered over her face. ‘Would someone get this annoying bird away from me?’ she whispered through gritted teeth.