Wild Encounters with wallabies, anteaters at Brookfield Zoo

BROOKFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- Meet Talulah, the anteater. She's sharing her lunch.

"She's eating meal worms and wax worms," Maggie Chadell, Brookfield Zoo animal ambassador, said. "She loves them."

Talulah is one of the animals that guests can get close to at the Hamill Family Wild Encounters exhibit, which opens July 1 at Brookfield Zoo. Another one: the wallabies. Guests just have to stay on the path to get within a couple hops of the miniature kangaroos.

"We have wallabies. We have 21 of those. There are 19 adults and two joeys out of the pouch. This exhibit you can actually walk through and have personal interaction with the wallabies. You can even pet them if the wallabies come up to them," Glenn Granat, Brookfield Zoo animal ambassador, said.

"It's kind of like we're right in nature," Elliot Tandy said.

And don't forget Beatrice and Archie, two red pandas who are actually related to raccoons.

"They're from Western China and the Himalayas and they're endangered in the wild," Dan Powell, lead keeper of Wild Encounters, said.

Which animal will cause the most buzz? Or flap? Possibly Aviary, the parakeet.

"We're going to go in there and we'll have seed sticks and the birds are going to come right down to us, land on our shoulders, eat the seeds. And it will be a great experience," Chadell said.

There are 350 birds in the exhibit.

"Anyone can come in here," she said.

The permanent exhibit costs $5 for adults and $3 for kids.