Wednesday, May 4, 2011

cold and damp at the zoo


Yesterday was the last of the few days I had booked off work. Our planned trip to Rhode Island for an Eastern Surfing Association competition fell through when some family stuff came up, so the vacation turned into a "stay-cation". I wasn't very lucky with the weather - damp, cold and rainy - but yesterday we decided to get out and do something out of the ordinary for my last day off. We settled on a trip to the Zoo.

The Toronto Zoo is just up the street from us, but we seldom go because it's very expensive. Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining about the admission price. I can't even begin to imagine what it must cost to feed all those animals, see to their health and well-being, and maintain all those habitats. A few of those massive pavilions were heated and humidified to tropical conditions - that's got to cost!

Because of the weather we spent most of our day in the various pavilions looking at fish, reptiles and bugs. The tigers were outside pacing the edges of their enclosures, but they looked extremely annoyed with the rain and the mud. Most of the other outdoor animals were hanging out in sheltered areas, looking none too happy either.

A couple of months ago Bob Barker was in town, promoting the transfer of the three elephants of the Toronto Zoo to an elephant sanctuary in California. We didn't visit the elephants on our trip to the zoo, nor do I think the absence of elephants would affect my likelihood to visit again, but one thing's for sure: California's got to be a better place for elephants than here. I just hope the board of the Zoo is listening!

3 comments:

Frieda said...

That yellow snake gives me the heeby jeebies ! Where other people might freak out upon seeing a spider , my phobia is snakes .

Delusional Knitter said...

Sounds like a good place to check out. Seems like the animals feel the same way as we do about the rainy days!!

One pair of Hands said...

Zoos have come a long way since the terrible cage days. Elephants are among my favourites, I hope those you mentioned will be comfortable in their new home.