by Bindi Irwin
Bindi was so pleased to be here, watching the end result with her friends and family. She looked over and gave a wave to Josie and her cousin. They’d jumped at the chance to attend the screening, and Andrew had already mentioned he was interested in entering next year’s competition.
Even Stan the director was here with Ginny. He’d survived the concussion and twisted ankle, just as Ginny had foretold, and had helped out in the editing suite, where no further injuries took place. (‘It was a miracle,’ according to Ginny.) Stan knew after viewing the raw footage that they had a hit on their hands.
The four contestants laughed and joked with each other as they watched themselves compete on the show. The winner of the most points had been Jason, but it hadn’t really mattered to any of them by the end of the day.
There were hilarious facial expressions that Ginny had caught when no-one was expecting the cameras to be on them. Mimi’s expression in the lemur enclosure looked exactly like Mandabe the ringtail’s a second later, which caused her to spit out her soft drink with laughter. Ana’s face when she smelled the camels was uncannily like the camel’s face when Ana later complained about how uncomfortable she was riding the poor creature.
But like the real event, the kids were especially moved by the footage in the wildlife hospital at the end. They were thrilled to have found out that the pelican they’d helped operate on had been released back to his coastal home, and the tiny little baby joey in the humidicrib had been fostered out with a wildlife carer who would look after him until he was big enough to be released.
Bindi finished the show with a piece to camera. ‘So now it’s up to you, the audience, to decide the overall winner of the Wildlife Games. As you can see, it’s not just about who can run the fastest or who is the most knowledgeable. These four fantastic contestants – all complete winners in my book – are young people who have already helped to raise awareness for wildlife around the world, and will continue to do so.
‘Today they’ve shown their commitment to the cause, and when you vote on which contestant you’d like to see win the Wildlife Games gold medal for 2012, take a moment to consider your own contribution to wildlife and conservation efforts in this country and around the world. Our animals need you. We want everyone on earth to be winners of the Wildlife Games.’
The room burst into a round of applause as the end credits scrolled.
Robert disappeared out of the room and returned a moment later with Archie the brolga close behind. Bindi gave her brother a quizzical look as Archie strutted around, looking right at home.
Robert shrugged. ‘I knew Archie would want to be part of the celebration.’
The head of the Aurora Network, Mr Harris, stood up at the front of the stage. As soon as Archie saw the attention focused in one direction, he knew where he was headed.
Mr Harris cleared his throat. ‘Well, everyone, a truly fantastic – Squawk! – effort!’ Mr Harris frowned at Archie, unused to being heckled by a brolga during a speech.
Archie frowned back.
Mr Harris chose to continue. ‘I know the show is going to – Squawk! – rate its socks off, and – Squawk! – raise a heck of a lot of money for the wildlife hospital!’
Squawk!
Bindi and the contestants were trying hard not to laugh at Archie’s antics. ‘He’s a bird that always wants the last word. I respect that,’ said Anastasia to her new friends with a giggle.
Squawk!
Located near Australia Zoo at Beerwah in Queensland, Australia, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital was opened in March 2004, inspired by the memory of Lyn Irwin (Bindi’s grandma), who was a pioneer in wildlife care in Queensland.
It was her dream to establish a wildlife hospital, and now her dream provides a lifeline for nature’s innocent victims.
The hospital is overwhelmed with patients and is getting busier every day. In November 2008 we were proud to officially open a new facility, Australia’s largest wildlife hospital, to accommodate this growing need.
✩ Nearly 100 wildlife emergency calls are received every day.
✩ Up to 30 different species are admitted to the hospital every day.
✩ Currently around 80 koalas are undergoing treatment.
✩ Approximately 70% of patients are victims of car accidents or domestic pet attacks.
✩ The cost to treat one animal ranges from $100 to thousands of dollars.
Thanks to the support of our major sponsor, Australia Zoo, a dedicated rescue team operates from the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, collecting sick, injured and orphaned koalas and other native wildlife within south-east Queensland. These patients are provided with first-class care and rehabilitation before being released back into the wild.
The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital includes a veterinary facility with an intensive-care room and laboratory, and separate holding facilities for males and females, and diseased and non-diseased koalas. There is also an orphan enclosure designed specifically to allow hand-raised koalas to develop climbing skills and minimise contact with human carers before being released back into the bush.
The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital has several full-time veterinarians on board, as well as a hospital manager, vet nurses and volunteers who all provide first-class care for sick, injured and orphaned animals. The hospital team also undertakes research into koala diseases, migration patterns and wildlife health management, and consults on land clearing.
If you are interested in supporting the work the wildlife hospital does, please visit:
www.wildlifewarriors.org.au/make_a_donation/
Also in the same series
An Island Escape
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Version 1.0
Bindi Behind the Scenes: The Wildlife Games
ePub ISBN 9781742748351
Copyright © Australia Zoo 2012
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at
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First published by Random House Australia in 2012
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Author: Irwin, Bindi, 1998–
Title: Bindi Behind the Scenes: The Wildlife Games /
Bindi Irwin, Chris Kunz
ISBN: 9781742748351 (ePub)
Series: Irwin, Bindi, 1998– Bindi behind the scenes; 1.
Target audience: For primary school age
Other authors/contributors: Kunz, Chris
Dewey number: A823.4
Cover photograph © Australia Zoo
Cover and internal design by Christabella Designs
Ebook Producation by Midland Typesetters Australia
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