MN Zoo…

Well, I finally got to the zoo. I had planned on going a couple of weeks ago, but something came up so I went this last Wednesday, February 23rd. The zoo is being drastically remodeled. They will be a new entrance, a Penguin Island where the old entrance was, a new indoor Bird Show area, educational areas, even Starbucks moved. It was all a bit strange, I felt out of place. I spend so much time there, I felt I could find my way around blindfolded, but not anymore. Once it’s all done and I go a few times, I’ll feel comfortable again, but that will be a while.

As I was wandering around, trying to take some good pictures, I decided that if that day had been my first visit to that zoo, I would have been disappointed, because a lot of the exhibits were not on display because of remodeling and there weren’t very many people there, which is good and bad, and the animals that were on exhibit, were either sleeping, or too far away to be able to see well. I know that this was just a fluke, but I was hoping to get more pictures. I guess I’ll just have to go again soon. Gee, that may be difficult…snicker!

I did manage to get a few good pictures though, a tortoise, alligator, lemur, gibbons, flamingo, puma, amur leopard, and tiger. One of the leopards was posing for me, not really, but it felt like it. He (maybe she) was growling/meowing a lot too, so was the tiger, but I only heard him, by the time I got around to seeing him, he wasn’t making noise any longer.

I envy Kira being able to work at a zoo. I know it wouldn’t be for me because I think I would be too fearful, but I’m ALWAYS happy when I visit the zoo. Even going by myself was OK. I love to talk for the animals. Some times the expressions they have just scream for words, as with the Japanese Snow Monkeys…oh my gosh, when the adolescent young are running around, it’s just like watching human adolescents, they act exactly the same way, running and tumbling and being naughty.  The tigers love children, and when children are standing by the glass, the tigers walk back and forth by the glass, sometimes even running along with them. It’s a hoot! In the tropics area, if you’re very lucky, you’ll get to hear the lemurs and gibbons whoop and yell and rattle the fencing. That sound is so cool that when we hear it, we give each other a goofy smile and run to see them. I get goose bumps thinking about it. The bats (Flying Foxes) are my favorite though, and they are off display right now, but they are huge and active. To see them walk hand over hand (claw over claw) on the ropes in their display convinces me that these are the animals that movie people studied when they made vampires walk on walls and ceilings. Just watch them someday and you’ll know just what I’m talking about.

To get the best feel for the MN Zoo, you really do need to go at least four times a year, once each season, preferably during the week when it isn’t so crowded. The worst time to go is the middle of summer on a weekend. EVERYone is there, it’s hot, people are crabby, the animals are hot and they are hiding in the shade so you can’t even see them. We’ve found that the best time to go is spring with winter being a close second. It’s cool and there isn’t a lot of plant growth to hide in. Check it out!! Get a membership, it helps the zoo and the animals and you get free parking, plus you can go as many times as your heart desires.