On Friday morning, Elsa and I met Shelly, Christian, Alison, Finnan, and Jude at the zoo. This was Elsa's second visit to see the animals, and this time she at least showed some interest in the flamingos and the panda bear, who was doing some somewhat sad-looking pacing very close to the window. I was telling Jarrett later in the day that I really have a love/hate relationship with the zoo. I think it is wonderful that we are able to take our children to such a place and let them see animals you just cannot see on an everyday basis, but at the same time I feel bad for them because they're so penned up. The kangaroos don't have room to run and jump, lions and bears pace, and don't even get me started on my childhood favorite -- the elephants. I know the animals are well taken care of, but it is just the lack of space that kills me. But, alas, I am sure I will continue to visit because it is still just so darn cool to see these animals up close.
It seemed like the monkey pictured above, however, along with his monkey buddies, were free to escape, if they so desired. There did not seem to be any sort of cage or netting around them -- just a few zoo staff standing around. Did they really think they could catch these guys if they decided to jet?
Besides looking at the animals and joyously snacking from her stroller tray, Elsa also had quite a fun time inspecting various tree branches and pointing out the vegetation in the snake and turtle tanks. I think she did actually spot a couple of the turtles moving around, but for the most part the reptiles were a little too camouflaged. She did, however, really enjoy my imitation of a hissing snake combined with very much tickling.
1 comment:
The NC Zoo is great for giving the animals enough space to move around, so you can bring her to the zoo here and not feel guilty. Although sometimes the animals aren't "close-up" or they are just "no-shows" but that's a trade off I'm okay with.
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