Woodland Park Zoo!

Yesterday Brad and I went to the Woodland Park Zoo with the free passes we got after running in the 5K a few weekends ago. We got there around 10:30 AM, very bundled up against the cold. It was AMAZING! I was shocked by how many animals we saw in a seemingly small area in the city. Most of them appeared to have decently sized enclosures as well.

Some people may be surprised that I like the zoo, given the fact that it is wild animals in cages. Sure, there are some aspects of the zoo concept that I dislike (like when young people walk right up to the enclosure, snap a pic on their i-phone and then walk on to the next thing, or some of the bigger more intelligent animals being in too small of cages), but overall I am in favor of zoos for the following reasons (I will try to be brief). First, I think zoos play an important role in awareness...they bring endangered animals to the people making them aware of all the diversity that our world has. Secondly, they provide a place for researching these animals to understand their life cycles and habitat needs, which can help with their conservation. Third, they do play a vital role in preserving populations of the most endangered species, helping keep genetics diverse for breeding programs and hopefully reintroduction. Fourth, many of the animals they have are rescued from much worse situations like being kept illegally by a civilian.

That being said, I do understand why some people are against zoos. Even my graduate education didn't help me come up with answers to whether or not we should preserve EVERY species, or whether we should let natural selection play out sometimes. I also feel conflicted when I think of all the poor people who sell gorilla meat or cut down rainforests to grow crops. I don't want their children starving either. But then I remember how many greedy millionaires there are out there and I don't know what to care about: humanity, or the planet. The older I get the more I think we are all doomed basically, but who is to say that that wasn't the only possible outcome?

Anyway, now that I've attempted to justify why I love going to the zoo...here are some highlights:

• A colobus monkey stand up and hug another monkey who was grooming his tail.
• A wallaby with a joey sticking out of its pouch
• Watching sea otter swimming
• Watching river otters fighting/playing
• Raptor flight demonstration (a vulture showed us how to recycle by putting a cup into a recycling bin)
• Delicious vegetarian corn chowder for lunch
• and everything else! I highly recommend the Woodland Park Zoo...

I only took a few photos, but here they are.

Elk! Huge horns!

Brad with elk at far left

Me (can you still see the Elk?) with the hat Brad bought me at the Google Merchandise store on his business trip

Wolves from far away

Wolf up close! I was shocked how close they were to the fence. I think someone had just been giving them food there.

Tried to pose with wolf but he turned around

Brad with lion in background

Daddy lion!

The zoo was a fun day for sure. We saw ALMOST every animal in the whole place except for a few that were sleeping in their dens (most notably the sloth bear!) or that we accidentally skipped. Hope to go back soon, maybe not until spring when there will be babies...