Happy 20th Birthday! No.2

"The wallabies' houses" were opened to public in the Tama Zoo on March 21, 2005.

I never knew the event that the wallabies houses
were going to be opened to public that day before I arrived.
Luckily I had a chance to see Chewbacca from "inside"
since he lived next door to the wallabies.

　When I got near to Chewbacca's house, I found that the way to him was crowded with
more people than usual, when I saw that the back door for the keepers opened!
They say the wallabies houses were opened from 1:30 p.m.
I was just in time!
I could see Chewbacca at the metal gate and enter his room, too.
I could see Chewbacca without glass between us for the first time.

Can you see I'm in something a little out of the ordinary?
You are looking at me from the opposite side.

-Chewbacca-


Around 1:50 p.m. on March 21, 2005

I got angry!

You know you usually look at me from behind when I'm peeking through this gate or biting it.
　　

Actually I was very angry then,
because I saw many visitors were very near my enclosure.
I was biting the gate and showing my teeth to defend it,
and telling them to "Back off!"


(It is said that the wombats are territorial .)

I'm irritated

　

　

　
Photographed over the gate.

I changed my mind


He went up the steps and went to the glass wall.
I wonder if he was tired of being angry?

Chewbacca went to the glass

Chewbacca looks reddish as the photographs were taken against the sun.
　
You can see people through the glass.
　　

Chewbacca's hut in his room

The name "Chewbacca" is written on his hut.
　
Hay is spread in his hut. I wonder if it is both a bed and food for Chewbacca?
The reason why the hut and hay look reddish is that the light is on over the hut.

　
The place where a man is standing is the door of Chewbacca's room.
He goes in and out from here every day.

The white-tinged box-shaped part at the man's feet is a "view window" where Chewbacca often peeks and bites.

Two logs are seen close to the man's feet.
　　

* That day's event came to an end at about two o'clock and all the doors were closed.

Through the glass as usual from here

Chewbacca was peeking through the gate a little after two o'clock..
I wonder if he was curious about why many people were looking at him
at the opposite side of the gate while ago, and why no one was there after that?



Dug a little

　　　
The glass was dirty with dirt he dug.

I wonder when Chewbacca dug so hard?　



　　

After he went down to the door,



he moved to the glass wall and disappeared from our sight.
He seemed to have been sleeping just under the glass wall for more than thirty minutes.

　


After thirty minutes

　
He suddenly appeared as if he were saying, "Sorry, I kept you waiting".

I'm still sleepy

Yawned

Thought a little


Played with his favorite log
　 　　

And then slept
　

He showed an inclination to roll over, but didn't.

　

Groomed and scratched after getting up



　

　
　

Meditation?

In the trench

After grooming, he was absorbed in moving the log for more than thirty minutes in the trench .

At work
　

　

　


Took a rest

　
　


　

I have to go out



　

　

Came back to his favorite log

　


He didn't sleep at this time though he shut his eyes.
He has been moving the log for a while like this changing his position a bit.
　

　

It's about time to close the zoo



He went into the trench again at 4:45 p.m and stayed there. (The zoo closes at five o'clock.)

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Chewbacca's Room l Another Room of Chewbacca l The third Room of Chewbacca l The fourth Room of Chewbacca