Wednesday, May 14, 2008

San Diego Zoo

Today was a beautiful, spring day so I decided to go to the San Diego Zoo. I always enjoy driving around the zoo in my chair looking at the animals. I especially like watching the monkeys and apes. The orangutans were very entertaining today. They like to sit at the plexiglass and watch the people on the other side. A young orangutan rolled on the ground alongside the plexiglass almost the entire length of the enclosure. He was putting on a show. An older orangutan lay in the corner covered with a burlap bag like he didn't want to be bothered. As I was leaving the area, I came across a curious sight: a zookeeper walking a meerkat on a leash (I wish I got a picture, but I left my camera at home). Next I wandered through the Monkey Trails exhibit which shows the flora and fauna of the rainforests of Africa and Asia. I especially like the colorful birds and their songs. The monkeys are also interesting to watch. After that, I went to see the giant pandas. It was nice to see the newest panda. He was lounging on a tree branch. The line to see the pandas was not too long. On the way out I passed the different bears (most were sleeping or lounging about) and then saw the meerkats enclosure. One sat in a bush looking at everyone with his beady little eyes. It was as if he was posing for the cameras. I also saw the elephants in their not so spacious enclosure. It is kind of sad to see these large, majestic animals penned up. Next I went to see the koala bears. As usual they were sleeping in their trees. Only one was voraciously eating his eucalyptus leaves. It was a nice afternoon and enjoyable as usual.

No comments: