The Cult of Bindy

I went to the famous Australia zoo on my day off, home of the Crocodile Hunter. Although it was not as expansive as some of the zoos in America, it was far more interactive. It was both shocking and enjoyable to see trainers lolling about the grass with tigers, being able to wander around "Roo paradise" to feed kangaroos, and being able to pet a koala. In such situations, some people tend to get in a "limited resource frenzy" similar to the selfish panic found in a grocery store parking lot when there are too few spaces. I would spot a lone kangaroo in the bushes, but by the time I started to make my way over there, another family had literally run over to the kangaroo and started shoving feed toward its mouth. Those kangaroos seemed to be on a permanent Thanksgiving day bloat, barely having the energy to hop away when the kids grew too annoying.

Despite the novelty of being able to pet the animals, the most curious part of the day for me was the zoo's focus on Bindy, the late Crocodile Hunter's 12-year-old daughter. Bindy has taken center stage in her dad's legacy, as evidenced by her own DVD series, book series, posters and pictures everywhere, and parts of the zoo named after her (Bindy's pony rides). This particular day was her birthday, and therefore all kids could get in free. The birthday had a Hollywood theme (very ironic for me, of course); all the staff were dressed for the part, and there were various "Hollywood-like" events (such as showcasing a party stretch Hummer that everyone could peek into).

The climax of the day was a showing of her new film Free Willy 4 (Free Willy is still going strong over here...anyone in the States know they made it past 2?) followed by the grand finale of her blowing out her birthday candles in the stadium in front of hundreds of cheering kids. At this point, my friend and her daughters and I were wandering around the Birds of Prey, admiring the huge Wedge-tail eagle when the screaming began.

"Bindy's blowing out her candles...we've got to get down there!" The seven year old exclaimed excitedly, grabbing her mother's arm. "Please please please, can we go see Bindy?" The five year old pleaded.

Their mother rolled her eyes to me and let their 14-year-old sister escort them down to Bindy while we finished at the bird exhibit.

"I just can't get over this Bindy thing," I said. "How good can this be for a twelve year-old girl? And don't you Australians abide by the 'tall poppy syndrome?'"(When one person starts getting a little full of himself/herself, other Australians like to knock him/her back down to their level).

"Well," she said with a glint in her eye. "Although Steve Irwin was Australian, his wife is actually American, so we kind of expect this kind of thing."

This may be true, but I will add that the zoo was packed and there were no shortage of excited kids longing to see Bindy. I myself made it through the whole day without catching a glimpse. I guess I'm just going to have to catch her on Free Willy 4.