This morning we got up early to go on a Zoo field trip. Since it was a special program at the zoo and it’s the Easter holiday with all the kids out of school, I just KNEW the place was going to be overcrowded. Imagine my surprise when we drove up and saw THIS nearly empty parking lot!!! Woo Hoo!!! A few more people arrived after us but it never completely filled up as I had expected it to.
This was an interesting sight as we entered the zoo. A floating granite globe that can be turned. We opted to save exploration of this for our departure.
We started out meeting our guide, Ms. Stacy, who led us on a walk through the zoo to introduce us to some of the animals. Our first stop was at the Cheetah cage where Ms. Stacy asked us some questions about how fast a cheetah can run. BTW, they can run up to 70 mph for a short distance.
At the elephant exhibit, we saw the backside of the elephants since it was breakfast time for them and they didn’t care to have company. We did, however, learn that they can be 11 feet tall, so to show the children how tall that is, Ms. Stacy stretched out a measuring tape to 11 feet. Then she told us that the elephants weigh 6000 lbs!!! She used a calculator to add up each child’s weight to see if the entire group could weigh as much as an elephant. The children totaled only 500 pounds, meaning they weigh maybe as much as an elephant’s trunk! Then we went to visit the Jaguar exhibit, but Mr. Jaguar was busy eating breakfast too so we didn't get to see him. However, we learned that they can jump up to 30 feet!!! We had a jumping contest to see how far we could jump. 30 feet is a LONG jump!!!
Next, we went to see the Andean Condor. What an ugly bird! But magnificent too! This bird has a wingspan of 10 feet! Again, Ms. Stacy pulled out the trusty measuring tape and measured the children’s height to show them how big 10 feet is.
Next up was the bat house. We didn’t get to see any bats because they were sleeping but the children learned about them and had a wing flapping contest.
Then we went to the Safari Theatre to make a bat craft, have a snack, and have a close up encounter with some other creatures. We got to meet a chinchilla and some hissing cockroaches!
The chinchilla has surprisingly soft fur and is simply adorable. I think I want one for a pet! 
My girls never cease to amaze me. As rambunctious as they are, they are terrified of insects…...any kind of insect. So, I was a bit apprehensive of their reactions when Ms. Stacy brought out the hissing cockroaches. I was pleasantly surprised that Little Bird didn’t freak out when presented with the opportunity to stroke the back of the hissing cockroach. She politely waved it away with a sweet, “No thank you. Not this time.” I was astounded that Kangaroo joined the gang of kids gathered around Ms. Stacy for a chance to pet this insect and my jaw literally dropped when I witnessed that she actually TOUCHED the critter!!!! I was thinking, “THIS from a child who RUNS SCREAMING bloody murder from a ladybug?!?!?!”
After a quick photo op, we got on the zoo tram for a ride around the zoo to see some other animals we missed. DQ and girls get ready for the ride.
Then we played around with the floating granite globe at the entrance to the zoo before calling it a day. We would have stayed longer but I had some other chores to get done before day’s end.
Ms. Stacy poses with my girls.
Then we played around with the floating granite globe at the entrance to the zoo before calling it a day. We would have stayed longer but I had some other chores to get done before day’s end.
I'm planning another zoo trip soon to the Audubon Zoo where "they all aks fo' you".
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