The Zoo, Again

After I was sterilized yesterday, I decided to get the children out for some distraction before the next storm comes through (tomorrow) and makes outdoor activity miserable again. And truly, if I have to play with play dough for one more stinking minute I'm gonna fall off the edge of sanity that I'm teetering on. Everyone was loaded up and off the the zoo by 8:15, which is amazing because just getting them to put their shoes on took 10 minutes.

We had a blast! Thankfully the temperatures were in the 20's when we got there at 9am and the place was completely empty. Some of the animals that are sensitive to the cold were not on display but others were. The animals we did see were active and seemed to be just as happy to see us as we were them. I bet they get bored when there aren't people at the zoo for them to watch.

Oh Hey. If you are ever at a zoo super early and are the only ones there you should try something. Have your young children run quickly past some predator exhibits (just a couple passes) while they squeal - not loud but just a little squealing. I'm totally NOT JOKING. The predators (any large cat, Kodiak bears are really big into this, polar bears, hyenas etc) sit up and watch really intently. This is your best opportunity to get a picture of them with their eyes open and watching you!! We've done this at many zoos and it is awesome. But you have to be early and be the only people around. Otherwise the animals seem a bit over stimulated and don't pay any attention. The exception to this is the Kodiak bears at the San Diego Zoo. They didn't care how many people were around. You would think they would become numb to running children, but noooooooo those instincts are impossible to kill. And this is why we shouldn't keep large predators as "pets".

One time there was a mountain lion that focused so intently on Lucas as he ran past that it ran with him on the other side of the glass. It wouldn't take it's eyes off of him - I mean this cat was super intently focused on our little dude. (This cat had been an illegal "pet" that was hand raised in a home until it was confiscated and placed at the zoo) It was this moment when we realized how true it is that you have to keep your kids within arms length while hiking on trails - without exception. Their size, clumsiness, high pitched voices and propensity to run really trigger that predatory instinct. This is fabulous at zoos, not so fabulous in the wilderness.

Here we are: Bundled up and ready to go


Hippos!! This one was the "Daddy" hippo because he had an "outside pee pee". I've never seen a hippo outside of water so this was pretty cool. All three of them were out on land walking around eating grass and pooping. The kids loved the pooping part.


This crane was pretty pissed off that we were eating crackers right in front of it and we didn't share! We are so rude. It flapped it's wings and yelled at us.


Hyenas. They were excited to see us too. They came over and sniffed the air trying to smell the children as they ran around.


Again, the cheetahs were all about the kids. The one on the left's tail was twitching.


Mmmm. Food.






This time the Mtn Lion and Leopard didn't seem to notice the running, squealing kiddos, but then again there was another really loud family near us.


Hellooooo. I will babysit for free. She sat up to watch us go by.


Me giving the kids important instructions on how to best bait the animals. I know. You don't even need to tell me what a good Mommy I am.


MOOOOOMM!!! POLAR BEAR POOP!!


First a morning poop then a bath. Life is good.


Sleeping. *Sigh* Don't I look so fuzzy wuzzy? Don't you want to come cuddle up in my nice soft fur?


Oooo. Hollllld UP! Are those your KIDS I see darting around? *licking lips (no joke)* Ummm. . . still wanna cuddle? I swear I can overpower my instincts . . .*twitch twitch*


Crocodiles. Rarrr. I bet this dude is pissed off that his water is so clean. It kinda makes floating just under the surface like this pointless. It's hard to launch a surprise attack when we all can see his every move.


Um. Thanks. I'll take this under advisement. It's not like the 12 foot crocodiles chillin' in the crystal clear water would tip me off. . .


MOMMY TRACTORS!!! This was 20 minutes of entertainment. Watching the tractors rip the tree down.