Alice Springs Animal Shelter Form: Fill & Download for Free

The most common mistakes people make about Australia is that Australia is full of dangerous animals.Okay, yes, we have more potentially lethally venomous snakes than anywhere else on Earth, and some of our spiders are not only huge (in spider terms - still tiny relative to humans) but also potentially dangerous. But the last time anyone died of a snake bite in Australia was 1977 and the last lethal spider bite was in 1980 - about forty years ago!Yes, we have the massive saltwater crocodiles, but those only live in the far north (where I currently live) and are easily avoided by not going into swamps or unpatrolled beaches. Yes, we have sharks, again easily avoided by not going into the water. What’s more, sharks aren’t really interested in eating people - most shark attacks are what are known as “exploratory bites” because the shark mistakes the silhouette of a surfer for a seal or a big fish, and are most likely to be curious and possibly friendly if you happen to be scuba diving near them.I’ll tell you what we don’t have, though: bears.Grizzly bears are the single most terrifying land animal on Earth. Up to 360kg of solid muscle, grizzlies can run faster than a human, climb trees, stalk their prey for miles and really don’t seem to give a damn if their prey is an antelope, salmon or human. Even the marginally smaller black bears will kill and eat a human if the fancy takes them.They might not be as dangerous as a saltwater crocodile, but let’s not forget that we don’t actually share habitat with crocs. Bears, on the other hand, live on land just like us, so pretty much anywhere good for humans is probably good for these giant slabs of muscle, teeth and unpredictable temperament.Yet somehow, people from countries with these massive killing machines consider Australian animals more dangerous.On the flip side, though, plenty of foreigners (and ignorant Australian city people, too) forget that wild Australian animals are, well, wild. They don’t take kindly to people coming too close and are as likely to defend themselves as run away.Take koalas. Everyone loves koalas, these adorable fluff-balls that live in trees and look around them with the kind of serenity granted only to Zen masters, imbibers of various illegal substances and the extremely stupid. Tourists and foreign dignitaries just love to get their photos taken cuddling one of these natural teddy bears.Case in point.Of course, these are tame koalas that have been raised in captivity and carefully selected for their friendly temperament. Try that on with a wild koala, and you’ll find out that these dopey little buggers are slabs of pure muscle with giant, tree-climbing claws also perfectly suited for attempting to rip your face off.Not to mention that the horrible little bastards are also absolute sex fiends and most likely have a dose of the clap.Or kangaroos. Skippy The Bush Kangaroo is about the worst possible representation of a roo you could possibly imagine. A kangaroo with the instincts and intelligence of Lassie the Wonder Dog, portraying wild roos as loveable and cuddly.However, the force that a roo, even some of the smaller species, can put through those hind legs is capable of killing a human if it hits you in the right place. More likely though, a kangaroo kick will probably just leave you horribly injured. And some of those roos, like the big reds that are found all through inland Australia, really are not so little:That’s the late, great Roger, who lived in a shelter for orphaned kangaroos in Alice Springs. He was hand-raised by the founder of the shelter, Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns, so you might expect the big red fella to have some affection for his adopted parent. Not so - Brolga regularly had to run from the big bugger whenever he was caught in his territory, and as you can see, the big guy had the muscles to back up his claim.Honestly, foreigners just get animals wrong in Australia. They spend all their time terrified of snakes and spiders, and then want to cuddle a monster who’s as likely to disembowel you with his feet as he is to run away.

Hard to find water, hard to grow food and hard to make shelter against the extreme weather. It's just too hard!Most people who do live in deserts are nomadic, following the water. Cities that do exist in the desert are often on the coast. Australia, the Middle East, North Africa you'll see the river valleys are the only built up areas with the occasional oasis town like Alice Springs or Hohhot.Humans, in the end, prefer to live somewhere easy.

From the Himalayas to California, in five-star luxury or … not, let the train take the strain, says Anna TimsThe Bergen Line, Norway - This adventure over northern Europe’s loftiest railway is so precipitate that the train has five braking systems. It passes fjords, glaciers and snow-capped peaks on its way from Oslo to Bergen; it loops through a spiral tunnel in mountain rock and at its highest point crosses the ­glacial wastelands of Europe’s largest ­mountain plateau.Davos, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy - At around 20mph, the Bernina Express must be one of the slowest trains to earn that description. You wouldn’t want it to go any faster though, since it rears and plunges over the southern Alps, navigating 196 bridges, some of them spanning dizzying chasms, and boring through mountains via 55 ­tunnels. The views from the glass-roofed panorama car as it climbs 2,253m over the Albula pass to St Moritz are staggering. And the engineering skills that zigzagged the track over precipitate terrain are so impressive that it has ­become a Unesco World Heritage Site.Pretoria to Cape Town, South Africa - By day you glide past waterfalls, sunflower farms and flocks of wild ostrich and make a stop at the diamond mines of Kimberley; at night you watch the moon rise over the desert lands of the Karoo. The following dawn you are among the world’s finest vineyards (produce of which is served on board) before pulling in beneath Table Mountain. Almost as awesome as the views is the luxury of the Blue Train. Marble-tiled, gold-plumbed bathrooms, stately, cigar-stocked lounges, gourmet dining and personal butlers may distract you from the observation deck.Adelaide to Darwin, Australia - When the final stretch from Alice Springs to Darwin opened in 2004, a century-old dream was realised. The Ghan, named after the Afghan camel trains that pioneered routes through the outback, travels 1,852 miles up the middle of Australia, crossing vineyards and desert, past mountains, gorges and grazing kangaroos. Although life has grown more comfortable since the days when drivers of stranded trains had to shoot passing animals for supper, this is not a luxurious experience. Air-conditioning is turned off at night, so don’t be tempted during the summer months.Cuzco to Machu Picchu, Peru - Several backpacker trains a day pull out of the Incan capital of Cuzco, one of the world’s highest cities, and snake their way for 50 miles through the Andes to the cliff-top ruins of Machu ­Picchu (pictured). Along the route you plunge from the highest points past towering green peaks into the ­Sacred Valley, then ­follow the Urubamba river with views over the canyon. The same route can also be ­travelled aboard the Hiram ­Bingham, a luxury train ­modelled on 1920s ­Pullman ­carriages, with fine dining.Seattle to Los Angeles, United States - The double-decker Coast Starlight links the greatest cities on the west coast and some of the nation’s most spectacular scenery. If you buy a flexible ticket you can explore the cascades, the high Sierra, San Fransisco and Big Sur. From the comfort of your reclining seat you can watch the mountains, forests, valleys and Pacific Ocean shoreline pass by. Dining is an elegant affair of linen and china. Children can play videogames in the Arcade Room. Sleeping car pasengers can pay extra to taste local wines and cheeses in the parlour car, which also has a theatre and coffee bar.Qinghai, China to Lhasa, Tibet - You need emergency oxygen and your signature on a health registration card to travel, such are the altitudes reached by the new Qingzang railway. As the train climbs up 5,000m on its 2,703-mile trek, temperatures plummet so drastically that the water in the toilets has to be heated to prevent it freezing. This section is the world’s highest track and much of it is laid over permafrost. The highest drama comes as it broaches the Tangula Pass and crosses the ­Tibetan Plateau. International travellers will require a special visitor permit ­before disembarking in Lhasa.Glasgow to Mallaig, Scotland - Britain at its wildest, loneliest and ­loftiest – the Road to the Isles track reaches 411m. After shedding the city, you hug the banks of Loch ­Lomond, then speed through a drama of ­waterfalls, castle ruins and mountain flanks. The bleak expanses of Rannoch moor are so ­inhospitable that no road dares cross it and the track had to be balanced on a mattress of tree roots, earth and ashes. Later Ben Nevis rears over the line ­before you sweep across a 100ft high viaduct given new fame by its appearance in several Harry Potter films.Siliguri to Darjeeling, India - This steam train used to haul ­overheated expats to the British hill station of Darjeeling, where they would sit out the summer blaze ­before returning to Calcutta. The line is now a World Heritage Site and the stations along the way have been restored to vintage quaintness. As it ascends from the plains, the temperature drops ­dramatically and you crawl past tea gardens and teak forests with spectacular views of the Himalayas and the world’s third ­highest peak of Kanchenjunga.Chiang Mai, Thailand to Singapore - An intimate view of the equatorial tropics minus the mosquitoes. Aesthetically, the Eastern and Orient Express stopped circa 1925. The cabins are panelled with cherry wood and marquetry; the observation car masquerades as a colonial veranda. Thus sheltered from the discomforts of nature you can gaze upon rainforests, rubber plantations and paddy fields. You’ll pass through Bangkok, cross the bridge over the River Kwai, head down the Malaysian coast, salute Kuala Lumpa and end by the tropical beaches of Penang with a handful of sightseeing stops along the way.