TTH, First, thanks for the lovely butterfly. I'm impressed at your getting the camera and getting the picture so swiftly. Now about petting wild animals. It's not a good idea for a variety of reasons. However, I share your desire to touch animals. Is there a zoo in your area that has a petting zoo?
I used to be a member of the New York Zoological Society (now the New York Wildlife Society, I think). It had membership nights. Members came to the zoo after hours and met the animals. I petted an elephant in the Bronx once. They also had membership night at Lincoln Center. I petted a boa constrictor, owl, deer, llama, duck, armadillo, and more. Maybe, if you're interested, you could look into something like this in your area. Just a thought.
New Guinea singing dog:
The caption calls this a parrot from New Guinea. I'm skeptical. It looks like a macaw to me. It's a bird from New Guinea:
