Last Friday, my best friend and I visited our local zoo, the Greenville Zoo. At another friend's birthday party earlier, I had casually mentioned that I hadn't been to the zoo since childhood and thus had few memories of it (except the reptile house, because the snakes scared me!) So I was informed that we were going to the zoo. Despite the cold weather, I had a blast! I'll admit ours is not a large zoo, but it has expanded over the years and features a nice variety of animals. Unfortunately the winter is harsh on the ones accustomed to warm, tropical climates, but it hardly ever gets unbearably cold in Greenville, so they tough it out. The latest buzz surrounding the zoo centers on the birth of a baby Masai giraffe named Kiko. I naturally got quite a lot of photos of him and his parents. Who doesn't love a baby gira--well, anything?
To my conscious knowledge, I've never seen an elephant or a lion or a monkey "in person", so that was a real thrill. We watched the elephants get fed and I zoomed in with my big lens on their eyes. The monkeys were still vigorous even late in the day, swinging and munching on "animal crackers", as were the lemurs, although the latter had to compete with the native squirrels who kept venturing into their cages, looking for food. The orangutans were pondering life. One of the male lions was reclining on a stone "throne," posing sleepily for the visitors.
Also, the dreaded reptile house of my childhood presented itself to me now, as a young adult, as an intriguing prospect which didn't frighten me in the least. In fact, I loved observing the skinks, snakes, gila monster, rhinoceros iguana, and of course the enormous pythons. As regards the pythons, only one was awake at the time: a yellow fellow that resembled a gigantic, scaly, muscular arm. He was trying to climb up into the fake trees on the side of his enclosure, failing every time. One time, in falling, he disturbed his sleeping comrade, who let him know about it. The skinks were bizarre creatures, but fascinating all the same. I developed a particular fondness for the rhinoceros iguana, for I wondered whether he actually used those fearsome horns and spikes all over his head. I also noticed the adipose pad on the occipital part of his skull, identifying him as a male. The rattlesnakes and cottonmouth were curled up, resting. Unfortunately my lens was too big to get any shots inside this house.
Back outside, the poor tropical birds were huddled against the cold, wishing the summer would come soon. I commiserate with them. Funnily enough, the giant tortoises were sleeping in their house, while the turtles in another exhibit had been replaced altogether by a pair of white-faced whistling ducks. The horned owl was waiting for night to come on so he could eye enviously the native chipmunks scurrying about the drainpipes. He kept rotating his head when I tried to get a shot of his eyes. The red pandas refused to wake up. But the pink flamingos were having a ball out on the pond, wading as they do with their slender, knobby-kneed legs, tilting their heads toward the water in search of food, and constantly preening their beautiful plumage. Near the fence, a black swan posed for us, all the while lamenting its clipped wings. I wish I could have explained to him the reason why they had to be clipped, but I could sympathize with his desire to fly.
In the middle of our tour we refreshed ourselves with a couple of hot dogs from the concessions stand and I bought a souvenir for my mom while my friend bought a giraffe puzzle for her grandfather. The gift shop impressed me, displaying an extensive selection of adorable stuffed animals and other toys. The staff we encountered were all very amiable. At last, with sore feet and freezing hands, we climbed into my friend's car and headed home, but I had so many lovely memories and photos to warm me up for days to come.
Go to the Greenville Zoo's website to find more information about the exhibits, admissions, accommodations, and ways to support the zoo through volunteering, membership, and "adopting" one of the animals. Please help this blossoming zoo reach its full potential!
In the next few posts I'll show you the best photos I got. The rest can be viewed on my Facebook page.
No comments:
Post a Comment