Zoos Can Be Fun?

Visiting the zoo has never been one of my favorite past times. You see, I grew up on a farm, surrounded by animals, all of which left me with fits of itching, sneezing and wheezing.  Therefore--even as an adult who has outgrown most of those childhood allergies--I tend to associate furry critters with unpleasant reactions.

Two weeks ago, my husband and I were able to spend a rare day with three of our grandsons who live some five hundred miles away. Where did they want to take us? To the zoo, of course. While this Nana was thrilled to hang out with her grandsons, she had to take a deep breath and put on her best I-can-do-this face before proceeding through the gate of New York's Seneca Zoo.

While we enjoyed a picnic lunch, I tried to ignore the orangatan cage located next to our table. I found myself wondering why anyone would want to eat near a smelly primate habitat?  Soon there were two giant orangatans foraging for lettuce leaves and swinging from vine to vine. Of course, the boys found this scene most entertaining and had to be encouraged to return to their sandwiches multiple times throughout the meal. Then, I heard one of them exclaim, "Look! A baby!" I turned to see that a most adorable baby orangatan had entered the wire enclosure.  It was climbing, swinging, rolling in the bedding and playing with total abandon, all while dragging a security blanket. Yup, it had a blue, satin trimmed "blanky," not unlike the one that had accompanied each of my grandsons (and their dad) throughout toddlerhood. Like them, he would place it over his head and peek through a tiny opening. He would hug it to his chest and suck his thumb. If he needed his arms for climbing and swinging, he would carry it with his feet. It went with him everywhere. Now, that was a sight I couldn't resist. To tell the truth, I could have remained in that one spot all day watching the antics of this precious little guy.

As we continued our tour, we observed elephants flinging mud on their backs to stay cool and a female lion spraying a very fragrant "perfume" to mark her territory. Then, there was the hilarious family of baboons who argued and hugged and chattered much like human families interact.

Because it was a particularly warm, sunny day, many of the animals chose to remain indoors, trying to stay cool, but we did glimpse a fluffy white snow owl and a regal bald eagle. While the polar bears failed to greet us, the sea lions seemed happy to demonstrate their amazing water aerobics.  Posted at each section of this wonderful zoo, were friendly, well-informed young people who gladly regaled us with interesting facts and answered any questions we could pose. I found myself having fun at the zoo. Imagine that! It seems even this old dog (pun intended) can learn a new trick.