Animal Diaries Archive

Baxter The Birthday Boy

11 June 2004

This week meet Baxter, our oldest member of the Kids Zoo family. Baxter is a brown Merino cross ram and celebrates his first birthday this month. He was born a few weeks premature, one of twins, and for the first weeks of his life was hand raised in the home of one of Australia Zoo's keepers, even sleeping in their bed at night!

When he was old enough he came to make Kids Zoo his home and the two things he loved most was his bottle and to sit on your lap for a cuddle. He became every volunteer's favourite lamb, especially Mary, a volunteer from America who at every opportunity would take Baxter around the zoo on his collar and lead. Mary desperately wanted to take Baxter home with her, but instead we gave her Baxter's whole fleece when he was shorn which she took away to get spun into yarn to knit up into a Baxter-beanie as a souvenir!

A couple of months ago we though it was time for Baxter to become a real paddock sheep and leave Kids Zoo for greener pastures. Dr. John, our Zoo vet offered to give him a home. Baxter spent a trial night way from Kids Zoo with John but Baxter wouldn't eat or drink and cried and pined all night... John ended up in a sleeping bag in a tent in the garden with Baxter to try to keep him happy!

Early next morning Baxter came trotting back down to Kids Zoo were he leapt into his pen, wolfed (or sheeped) down a bottle of milk and a bowlful of hay and settled back down with his other lamb friends. We love you, Baxter!