THE population of exotic jungle animals in the local area has recently doubled with the appearance of a smiling panda at Kalaru Zoo.
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The building of a second cage over the last few weeks at the Tathra Rd address has had many people curious as to what "animal" would be introduced next.
Property owner Ian Stafford had already generated plenty of conversation and turned many heads with the life size "tiger" in his front yard over the last 12 months.
Now there is a happy panda to keep the tiger company.
When asked if he was a frustrated zoo keeper Mr Stafford replied he was just "a silly old bugger" and put these animals in his yard "because I could".
"I wanted to do some sort of feature at the front, and this seemed like a good idea," he said.
"I like most animals...but it's mostly to make the kids happy who don't get to see these animals because there are no zoos here.
"Everyone stops to have a look though, not just kids."
Mr Stafford said there was plenty of interest in what was going in the second cage, but he had remained tight-lipped about the new arrival.
In keeping with the wild animal theme, the enclosures have been planted with bamboo and other "jungle-type" vegetation.
"Hopefully in six months' time when all the plants and bamboo have grown it will look like they are in their natural environment," Mr Stafford said.
"I am not making a statement of any kind," he said.
"The bars on the cage are not a political comment, but having said that I believe that without captive breeding programs of endangered animals in zoos, the only way people may see some of these animals in the future would be on the internet.
"The animals are there for everybody's enjoyment," he said.
"We don't mind if anyone wants to stop and have a closer look, but don't feed the tiger though!" he joked.
The introduction of the latest member of the zoo family already has people suggesting what should go in the yard next.
"I think Kalaru Zoo is at its capacity at the moment," Mr Stafford said.
"With the kangaroos, horses, sheep out the back, the dogs, and the panda and tiger out the front, it has become a real menagerie.
"It takes a lot of time to go through all the Internet photos to pick the right one and build the cages, so that's it for now."
And what does his wife Diane think about the front yard additions.
"She is pretty understanding, and just shakes her head when I tell her what I'm doing," he said with a laugh.
"But she does get excited about it when it's done."