by Bindi Irwin
‘Oh no, not again,’ said Bindi, expecting another diva outburst of volcanic proportions.
Bindi and the fans watched Adam lift his face from the mud and begin to splutter. His sequins were no longer shining. For the first time that day, Bindi felt a little sorry for Adam Starr. She noticed the fans had gone quiet and even restrained themselves from taking photos. They seemed nervous about what Adam might do next.
‘Are you okay, Adam?’ asked Bindi gently.
Adam sat up and wiped the mud from his eyes and mouth. His long fringe was a soggy mess, hanging over his face. He looked like some kind of ancient creature of the deep, the mud monster that parents made up stories about to frighten little children.
Bindi struggled to hold in just how funny he looked. She let out a kind of snort, which caused Adam to look up at her sharply. Bindi started to giggle.
‘I’m sorry,’ she laughed. ‘It’s just you look so …’ She shook her head as she tried to pull herself together and took a deep breath.
‘So what?’ spluttered Adam.
Bindi reached out a hand to pull Adam up. ‘So un-Adam Starr like?’ She burst out laughing.
Suddenly Adam’s spluttering turned into a chuckle.
‘Would you look at me?’ he said as he shook his head in disbelief. ‘I’m a creature from the black lagoon!’ As he laughed, globules of mud splattered on the ground around him. The fans started giggling too.
Adam reached out to take Bindi’s hand. ‘Thanks for the helping hand, friend.’ As he pulled himself up he pulled Bindi down into the mud with him.
‘Aahh!’ she cried out as she slipped and ended up sitting in a swampy puddle next to Adam. By this stage she was crying with laughter.
Adam looked at the five girls gaping at him. ‘This is the photo opportunity of a lifetime, girls. Better get snapping!’
Adam and Bindi posed for the cameras while having a laugh, much to the delight of their adoring teen paparazzi.
Finally Bindi stood up and carefully stepped onto dry land. ‘You know, Adam, you should get into clowning. You have a real talent for comedy.’
‘It’s funny you should say that, Bindi,’ replied Adam as he stepped out from the mud. All of a sudden Adam did a backflip into the air and began walking on his hands. He then flipped to his feet and did a funny clown walk.
‘That’s brilliant!’ cried Bindi, before remembering the task at hand. ‘But we need to stop clowning around and find those devils!’
He nodded and turned to the fans. ‘I think you girls should head back to the resort. I don’t want to be held responsible for losing six girls as well as two Tasmanian devils.’
The girls looked disappointed but began the trek back to the hotel. Bindi and Adam started scouring the undergrowth, looking for signs of life. Moments later, they came across an out-of-breath Chris jogging towards them. He did a double-take when he saw Bindi and Adam.
‘You two have taken camouflage to a whole new level,’ he noted.
Bindi was disappointed to see that the cages he carried were empty. ‘No luck?’ she asked.
Chris shook his head. ‘Not yet, but I have an idea where they might have gone.’
Chris pulled out a walkie-talkie from his pocket. ‘Hi Tom. Can you meet us with torches and some dry clothes at the start of the track to Dove Lake?’ He turned to the others. ‘We’ll wait here. The other rangers won’t be long.’
Bindi hoped so. She was wet and starting to feel cold in the night air. Despite her discomfort it was amazing to be out in the bush surrounded by such incredible mountain peaks. She looked over at Adam. He wasn’t looking too good. The bruise on his face was turning purple.
She smiled. ‘Right now you are not looking like a famous movie star.’
He nodded. ‘You know what, Bindi, it’s a good feeling.’
They were distracted by torchlight and the sound of low voices. Two keepers from the Devil Sanctuary approached, carrying packs. They pulled out some clean khakis and handed a uniform each to Bindi and Adam to wear.
After both changing quickly behind some shrubs, they were all ready to get going. Properly equipped with torches, they all followed Chris along a narrow track.
Chris led the group through a back gate into the Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary, which was where he worked. He motioned for everyone to be quiet. As they made their way along the back fence line, Bindi thought she noticed a familiar pair of dark figures up against the fence.
‘I don’t believe it!’ she whispered.
Chris nodded. He turned to the group. ‘They’re well cared for here, it’s their home. If there’s one thing that’s a great motivator for a devil, it’s food. They missed their dinner time.’
They did look hungry. They were both poking their noses through the fence, sniffing at the food the other captive devils were noisily munching on. It was a touching sight. They were finally home.
Chris turned to his co-workers. ‘Let’s get them inside.’
They quickly rounded up the outlaws and rustled up some food for them. They looked completely tuckered out after the excitement of the chase.
Bindi was impressed that Adam turned down the offer of make-up, a hairbrush or even the opportunity to check his appearance in the mirror before returning to the stage. They had carefully removed two other Tassie devils from the sanctuary to appear onstage at the auction. Bindi carried one cage while Adam carried the other. They were still dressed in their khakis, and Adam looked every inch the part of a Wildlife Warrior.
As they gave their presentation about Tasmanian devils, Bindi was impressed that Adam had remembered lots of Tassie devil facts, and he spoke warmly of the animals as he talked to the audience.
Robert sidled up close to his sister and whispered, ‘What happened out there? You and Adam are looking like best mates all of a sudden.’
Bindi smiled mysteriously. ‘Let’s just say the judge gave the convict pop star some outdoor endurance tests and he passed with flying colours.’
Robert smiled. ‘And now he’s a firm supporter of Black and White. I told you to give him a chance, B.’
Bindi winked. ‘You were right, little buddy. A leopard can sometimes change its spots. Or in this case, a Starr can change his stripes!’
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ANIMAL FACT FILE
THE TASMANIAN DEVIL
Tasmanian devils are the largest living carnivorous marsupial in Australia.
They have sharp powerful claws and a backward facing pouch.
Male Tasmanian devils can weigh up to 12 kilograms and females up to 10 kilograms.
Most devils have distinctive white markings on their chest, which are used like a fingerprint to identify individuals.
A growl, screech, cough or yawn is their way of warning potential predators, while they ‘arf’ when they have food and are content. A sharp sneeze is used as a challenge to other devils.
More than 5000 years ago, Tasmanian devils were common on mainland Australia. Today, they are only found in Tasmania. They are, however, found in virtually every type of habitat occurring in Tasmania, including suburban fringes.
Tasmanian devils are shy, nocturnal creatures, and are rarely seen in the wild.
Devil ears are pink but turn red when threatened. This, along with their growl, is why they became known as ‘devils’.
They can kill small birds and animals but they prefer to eat dead animals (carrion) found on roadsides. A male Tasmanian devil is capable of consuming one-quarter of its own body weight in one feeding session.
The Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) could wipe out the wild population within 10 to 15 years unless a cure is found.
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