The Zoo Experience
Planes and cars and trains oh my! When you think of travel is it normally to a place far away that you have to use mechanical transportation to get there? My first thought was yes, and actually struggled to think what would be a good travel experience since I only travel back and forth to work, or school which wouldn’t be long enough to actually enjoy writing about. It was about that point that I started to pace and realized that my feet have taken me farther than any car, plane, or train have, so why not go for a walk. The bigger question was where would I walk around, or too and that’s when it came to me, the zoo!
Small children running about, geese, peacocks and red pandas within arm’s reach, careful steps to avoid anything on the ground that could get stuck on your shoe. That’s what you look forward too when you go to the Norfolk zoo. It was a careful walk, always having to look where you were going so you don’t run into people or step too close to a bird, peacocks and Canadian geese roamed right next to you behind no fence, if you dared you could reach out and touch one, though a bite might come your way. Monkey’s hung from trees and swung behind the glass, ranging from orangutans to squirrel monkeys. A squirrel monkey that seemed especially photogenic swung from the branches down to the ledge right by the glass to give a few poses before running off. In another exhibit a young baby monkey only born in November clung to his mother’s breast while she swung down to her food.
There was even a walkway that lead under a few low hanging, sturdy, branches that red pandas walked across. One panda paced back and forth across the branches, crawling into his little hut and coming right back out, while another slumbered higher in the tree. One branch hung rather low and the red panda came to the edge and peered down at me before turning and continuing his pacing. It was a bit curious though since there were two red panda exhibits, though the second was on the ground with limited to crawl on, two more red pandas were placed in there. One actually stayed in its little hut with only its head peeking out of the flap.
Have you ever wondered about how clean they kept the animals enclosures, or even how well they treated their creatures? Norfolk zoo seemed to take quite great care of their animals, enclosures and all. The only thing you don’t want to see is a sad animal with a messy cage, or a mistreated animal, none of that
appeared in this zoo. In fact, quite a few enclosures were closed due to cleaning, reconstruction, or renovations, which meant that animal couldn’t be seen for the time but it was good to know they were being taken care of. Though it was a bit sad for me since my favorite animal happens to be a tiger and it wasn’t able to come out since its enclosure was being cleaned. It was the same way for the fennec foxes, prairie dogs and elephants, though there was glass windows so you can see the elephants inside by their art works while you could see the cleaning to their enclosure outside. Though even with a few animals M.I.A (missing in action), there were quite a few more to enjoy.
Giraffes lounged about not far from the zebras and rhinos, while a single meerkat stood guard just around the corner. Lions laid about in the sun, making sure their fur warmed even with the bit of chill in the air. The bears did the same, walking around without a care in the world as people pressed their faces against the glass for a better look. Even the large python slept without its tongue flickering for a scent of nearby people. Lions and tigers and bears,oh my!
It was almost sad to go back to where we started. Though we even had a wonderful surprise walking back to the car, a group of storm troopers, bounty hunters, and a Boba Fett or two stood out front of the zoo with signs for a blood drive being held in the parking lot. It was time well spent and a path well-traveled making it a bitter sweet moment. Bitter to leave the excitement and the animals behind, sweet to nurture my aching feet with some rest and relaxation. How else would I get to the next place I was going if my favorite form of transportation wasn’t up to standards?
