12/13/12

Went to the zoo today with our crew plus Sarah's parents.  Every time I go to a zoo I always feel like I should be apologizing to the animals.  "Sorry guys.  I see that your normal range is around 50-60 miles.  It says so right here on the sign.  We've got you cooped up in a 75 by 50 foot pen."  People suck.  Then there is the conservationist part of me that thinks, "Maybe people seeing the animals helps by making them think of the wild open spaces where these animals live free."  The cynic answers, "Or they think, who cares about the wide open wild spaces.  We've got those at home in the zoo." 

Sigh. 

It would be much easier if I could just look and think, "What pretty animals." Nope. 

Then we got home and I decided to update the forum software for the AFO writing group.  Instead, I knocked the whole thing offline for a few hours while I struggled to figure out how to fix it. 

I did manage to get it back up though.  A small victory.

The kids were playing with Ned yesterday and came up with this. 

Apparently the Storm Troopers and Sand People want Dragon Rides.  :-)

On to the zoo. 

We grew tired of the facile entertainment of our portable electronic devices.  

There...real, live things.

including a Max in his natural habitat.  

Sorry Mister Elephant.  Enjoy your hay.

Probably the most fun I had was playing with the African Grays.  We whistled and bounced and 'talked' to each other for a while as everyone else watched penguin feeding. 

Something particularly sadistic about this zoo.  They will put the predator enclosures right next to the prey enclosures and ensure that the predators can see and smell, but not reach, the prey.  Evil bastards.  

Even the snakes.  There was one snake that ate other snakes that shared a cracked glass wall with other snakes.  Not this one though, he was pretty chill. 

That's a freaking big spider. 

 Here we get to the most exciting part of the day.  We checked out the white tigers.  Get right up close.

Now the ears are back.  Of course, our hapless photographer doesn't notice this.  Nope...too busy clicking away.

Then there is this white blur and a roar followed by a scream.  The tiger got pissed, rose up on her hind legs and roared while swatting the glass right in front of my head.  That will get your heart going.  

The male was much more relaxed.  

We brought our own monkeys.

Time to relax before heading home for the day to ruin your writing forums.