We Are Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo.

I borrowed the title from on of my favorite Raffi songs.  I love a good zoo trip!  It has been awhile since my last trip and the difference in the appearance of the zoo is crazy!  I am ready to go back and spend an entire day...when the weather changes!

Breakfast conversation...Rules for our trip.  Never hurts to have a little reminder.  Everybody came up with one rule.  Rori's was the best.  'If you whine we will go home'.

They were so excited!

Anything to climb on was a photo opt.  Glad we went early before all the statues got warmed by the sun.

They learned so much.  The volunteers were so kind a patient with the million and one questions that they ask.  Teachable moments have always been some of my favorite times...Pappy not so much...he wanted to move on.

I had the best shot of the red-tailed panda but by the time I got the phone on the camera app he had turned around so this is what I ended up with.  I decided not to take the 'real' camera because I was already carrying a daypack that weighed bout 20 pounds!  Next trip also two 'real cameras' and a lighter daypack.

The Children's Zoo is always fun!  Today we saw the three surviving cheetahs.  This one wears a shirt to protect it's feeding tube.  They were a litter of 5.  The remaining three are healthy and growing like bad weeds.

Rori had seen too many Disney movies...'Wammy, get a picture of them making a heart.'  This was a close as I could get.

The look on her face says..'are these real?'

Madi carrying on a conversation with the lion cub.

 She did not take her eyes off of it.  And they are starting glisten...sweat!  It was getting hot!

Ms. Renee, these shots are for you!  The giraffes were at the top of everyone's list of must-sees.  We wanted to see the baby...which we did...but from very far away.  And next time I will take some extra giraffe feeding money...$3.00 to feed then a piece of lettuce and get a really, really good close up and personal shot.

The newest exhibit...the hippo enclosure.  These two were smart, hanging out i the shade and standing where the waterfall hit the pool.

Madi's little friend has his finger on the hippo's tail.

Looking for Timon.

So, we are at the bottom of the hill cooling off and the spray fan and I see two animals being lead down the hill toward us.  I tell the girls to come and see.  Rori yells, 'camels!'  The handlers heard her and cracked up.  Then it was a hippo.  And finally in the sorta right category. 'a horse'.  We finally told them that they were donkeys.  This volunteer stopped and let them pet the last one.  He was still answering their questions as he was walking away.

I almost stepped on this peacock.  They have planted a garden that the animals that a free to walk around the zoo can eat from.   thought that was a really cool idea.

He found a bee on one of the flowers.  Caught it and ate it!

The elephants were high on the must-see list also.  Thank heavens there was lots of shade!

"Excuse me, why do the elephants keep throwing dirt on their backs?"  this lady was so kind.  She had already packed up for the day and was heading out.  She stopped and talked to the girls for the longest time.  She put everything into 3-4-year-old language, made eye contact..she must have been a preschool teacher at some time.  I was vert impressed.  Whens he finished talking to them she started tell mark and I about the big male elephant that was just down the path.  She wanted to make sure we had all the info we needed to answer any questions that the yahoos might have.

And there he is...he is huge!

They had to have a shot of them in front of  'Jasmine's castle.'

The flowers all through the zoo are gorgeous!  So many varieties.

There are even some tall metal ones that blow a mist and it feels wonderful!!!

I have no idea what this is.  We think it might be hops or a yellow trumpet bush.  Next time I am at the Cincinnati nature Center I will have to ask.  Or maybe I will send a pic to the zoo.

After lunch we got to stop by my favorites...the gorillas!  I could stand here for hours and just watch and take pics.  But first a sorta funny story.

I don't know if all of you know the tragedy that took place at the Cincinnati Zoo a few months ago.  A young child fell into the gorilla moat.  One of the beloved big males went to the moat and got the boy...end of the story is that it was decided for the safety of the child that the gorilla be put down.  I am sure you can Google it and get the whole story.   So....we are going in and there is an older special needs adult coming out.  He looks straight at me and says...'They aren't there.  They shot and killed them all because they hurt a little boy.'  I was startled and said what?  He repeated it again.  I just shook my head and walked through the gate.

While we were eating lunch this little peacock brushed up against my leg.  A keeper.  It is only about 4 inches long.

The end of a great day.  They were still so excited about the trip they talked about it all the way home.  No one fell asleep in the car.  But the minute we 'camped out' in the cold dark basement, they were out like a light.  Another awesome, super-fun field trip with Pappy.