I'm not sure I belong in the Zoo

I went to the Zoo yesterday. I haven't been to the Zoo in years. And I think I know why.

First of all, kudos to Zoo Atlanta for letting residents of Fulton County and the City of Atlanta in for free this weekend. That was much appreciated. For having a free weekend, the Zoo was not nearly as packed as I had anticipated. Of course it was busy, but I don't think it was any more crowded than a normal weekend (but how should I know as I haven't been to the Zoo in years).

Not a lot has changed since I was kid spending my summers at Zoo Camp for a week every summer, and going on field trips and family outings. It still stinks when you walk in (thanks to the flamingos) but you get used to it really quickly.

The elephants are still the same, living in what I think is too small and too desolate a habitat. We were lucky enough to approach the elephants right after feeding time. Watching these giant beasts eat bamboo (?) was very cool. But I couldn't help but feel bad for them in their tiny area.

We moved on to the warthogs (how ugly! Disney definitely glorified the warthog in the Lion King, I would want Pumbaa as a pet) and they were all sleeping. Next was the Meerkats, all but one was sleeping. And thank God. Because the one that was awake was doing his best to entertain the crowd by climbing on a log and posing and being adorable. I would totally adopt a Meerkat if it was (a) legal and (b) I knew how to take care of one. We continued along to the zebras, giraffes, gazelles, and rhinos. The rhinos were sleeping. The gazelle was so far away we needed binoculars to see him (at least this habitat has room for the animals to be so far away), and the zebras and giraffes must be so jaded at this point that they all kept their backs to us. We saw the lion cubs, which looked cute, but they were piled on top of each other sleeping. Watching an animal sleep is like watching paint dry.

The highlight was for sure the gorillas. I remember Willie B in his awful little box with his television, I also remember when he got upgraded to the seemingly vast gorilla habitat. I think the gorillas are used to being the stars (thanks Wille B) and enjoy showing off for the hundreds of visitors that stare at them every day. The Silverback sat facing us eating something. We watched a momma and her baby (What are baby gorillas called? Cubs?) walk around. It was very human like the way the momma took care of her baby, very human like, in fact we watched her scold him (her?) when he did something momma didn't like. Then there were my favorites, three young ones I called Larry, Moe, and Curly (because that was the only trio I could think of at the time and Manny, Moe, and Jack didn't seem to cut it). They were playful, adorable, and hysterical. We watched them chase each other, wrestle, climb all over each other and then take part in one my favorite childhood activities, running up a hill and then rolling down it. I would've watched Larry, Moe, and Curly play together all day, but everyone else was getting bored.

We saw Ivan (the eldest Silverback) in his habitat (he's separated from the rest for reasons I can only assume have something to do with territorial issues). I felt sad that he seemed to be isolated. Pretty much every other animal we saw was sleeping. The lion cubs, the organutangs, the pandas (more on that in a sec), the birds (owls and toucans), something called a bongo, the lemurs, and a few others.

We spent a lot of time in the reptile house because it was dark and cool (temperature wise). I don't like snakes, and I really don't like being near them. I know the glass or whatever their tanks are made out of is strong and will prevent them from breaking through and killing me, but it's still an uneasy feeling. I will say the alligator snapping turtle is super cool (and probably deadly). We saw some other kind of turtle (I don't remember what it was called) that blew my mind. He totally looked like a dinosaur. He might've been my second favorite (after Larry, Moe, and Curly).

We had to wait in line to see the pandas. I don't like waiting in lines, but I had no choice since everyone else wanted to see the pandas (I did too). Only the male and the baby were on display since the female is on birthwatch. The male and the baby were each in separate boxes and it reminded me of Willie B's old habitat. A box with not much in it. It made me sad and the fact that they were just sleeping made me feel like they were depressed.

All that being said, we did have a great time at the Zoo.

I would like to leave you with this. A while back Jamie and I went camping and a few people were camping with us that we didn't know (they were friends of someone else that was with us). One of the guys had been a lion tamer (or something) and had worked with animals and the planet his whole life. Jamie asked him about the inhumane and cruelty factor that is usually associated with zoos and circuses. He made a good point. He said to us that while these animals are captured from the wild and put in captivity a lot of them may not survive in the wild. Some are born in captivity and never know the difference. But animals in zoos and circuses (the humane ones) are so well taken care of, they spend almost 24 hours a day with their trainers and handlers. He equated it to having a dog. No one can spend all their time with their dog, but the more time you can spend with your dog the happier the dog is. And knowing that makes me feel that much better about the zoo.

However, I will NEVER go to the circus. Clowns scare the crap out of me.