The Easter Bilby is coming.

Yes, you heard that right. There is an Easter Bilby.

What the hell is a bilby you ask? I had the same question.

Bilby (aka rabbit-eared bandicoot)

My friend Kate schooled me today on Easter in Australia. Her goal is to get me acclimatized to my new surroundings and culture. Being Aussie and all, that's her job.

It began like this...

Kate: are you at work today?
me: no, at home.
Kate: i left you an easter bilby on your desk.
me: what is a bilby?
Kate: http://images.google.com/images?q=easter+bilby&esrch=FT1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=6tqzS5vLFs2LkAXo-tCNDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CB0QsAQwAQ
me: you have an easter rat?
Kate: no, it's a marsupial bilby
me: looks like an easter rat
Kate: LOL
Kate: it's endangered
me: aw, now i feel bad
Kate: when you buy a choc bilby they usually donate to saving it
me: well, then i'll have to buy one
Kate: Rabbits are considered a great evil by most of Australia
me: you are kidding
Kate: hence we like to replace the Easter Bunny with the Easter Bilby
Kate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia
Kate: To give you some idea, the rabbit plague in AU was once so bad that people built rabbit proof fences.
me: interesting
Kate: The first rabbits would get there, be unable to get past them and would die
me: sad
me: they're so CUTE
me: Bunnies!!!
Kate: eventually the live ones would use the pile of all the dead ones to get over the fence
me: WHAT???
me: why are there so many?
me: don't they have a predator?
Kate: They are not native to Australia - we don't really have any natural predators for them
Kate: no big cats
Kate: no wolves
me: well how did they get here?
Kate: A stupid English guy who wanted to take pot shots at them from his veranda on his estate
me: wait
me: are you kidding?
Kate: nope
me: i cannot wait to put this on my blog

:-)

So it's true. I went to my favorite little neighborhood chocolate shop, Belle Fleur, today and what did I find? Chocolate Bilbies.

Here's one:

It even has eggs!

I said to myself, "But it's a marsupial. Marsupials don't lay eggs. They have pouches. DUH. Silly Australians." I was feeling all superior and stuff and then I realized NEITHER DO RABBITS. Oh, well.

Dead rabbits. In piles. Now I understand the hullabaloo about animal quarantine. Australia doesn't have diseases that other countries have (like rabies for instance) and quarantining your best companion is the way they protect their unique environment. It used to be 6 months, but since 2000 it became 4 weeks. Whew. Thank god for the pet passport.

I went to visit Rose twice this week.

Someone is in desperate need of a haircut.

The facility is pretty nice. Besides looking a bit like a concentration camp for dogs. The "carers" are really nice and the digs are actually pretty spacious and clean. They even gave her a little bed and a blanket. Her spirits were high today. I think she's getting used to the solitary confinement, concrete floors and constant barking.



Rose being herself



And being herself some more



And some more



And finally - pooped.

Her carer, Carol-Ann, told me today, "She is the sweetest dog. She really is. She is so well behaved."

"I know," I said. Looking in on her through the locked door.

"Such a great dog," she said.

"I know."

THEN LET ME TAKE HER HOME!

I MEAN SHE IS USED TO SLEEPING ON A VERA WANG SERTA NOT A CONCRETE FLOOR!

Oh, right - dead bunnies.

3 more weeks to go!

Save a bilby here.