Tag: zoo

Going to the Zoo

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Most zoos are underwhelming and disappointing. You bake in the heat, walking around a heat-baked, concrete zoo, only to see a handful of animals who look about as miserable and overheated as you do.

The Singapore Zoo is not such a zoo. The animals are actually on display, front and center, feeling close enough for you to touch them. 

At some point, everyone goes to the zoo

Unlike all of the zoos I’d been to in the past, there often was little to no barrier between the animals and the zoo patrons. This is as cool as it is terrifying. The animals are right in front of you, not hidden behind glass or cage bars. 

The tigers and lions roamed around their enclosures. The elephants sat around, their ears slapping the sides of their bodies.

I felt like a little kid again, thinking about what kind of animal I would be if I had to choose, and always picking one of the more exotic ones, like an elephant, giraffe, or a cheetah. 

You could see every type of monkey swinging in its enclosure.

Amusingly, the zoo has monkeys that are not part of the exhibits. Because the zoo backs up to a wooded area, monkeys from the jungle, but not the zoo, hang around. 

The people who work at the zoo handle this by shooing away the monkeys with the same energy that New Yorkers shoo away rats or pigeons. 

My aunt got into a fight with one such monkey who had gotten hold of a plastic bag that had been left behind by a tourist and my aunt was trying to pry it from its hands. It is hard to convey to a monkey that you are acting in its best interest by not letting it play with a torn plastic bag that it is wrapping around its head. 

Overall, we had a fun time going to the zoo. The Singapore Zoo is considered to be one of the more ethical zoos in the world due to its focus on conservation and restoration. All throughout the zoo are signs outlining the status of the animals as endangered animals on the brink of extinction and where they can be found– if they can be found– in the wild. 

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my previous blog post about the Singapore Botanic Garden

A Day At The Zoo

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At the end of the summer, Valentina and I went to the Bronx Zoo for a last hurrah.  

Hot take: zoos are not strictly for children, as animals are universal. 

And yet there were children everywhere. 

Valentina and I made our way through the crowds of strollers in scorching hot weather, feeling very superior to the toddler who kicked its shoes into the gazelle pen, and losing our minds over the beautiful elephants, same as any sane person would.

This led to many great discussions, such as “what animal would you want to be reincarnated as?” and “do you want kids?”

The Bronx Zoo claims that all of the animals they have in captivity are the result of being rescued from the wild and rehabilitated, which was justification enough for Valentina and me to enjoy ourselves. 

I pspspsped the giraffes and they did the same thing that my cat does when I do it to her: not come towards me. 

I kept my Harry Potter references to a minimum when in the reptile room, staring at the boa constrictors behind glass. 

I used the limited amount of animal knowledge that I could recall from childhood to keep the conversation going.

How many bones do giraffes have in their neck? 

7, the same as humans. They’re just longer.

Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes? 

It depends on the zebra. You can shave them and have your answer.

What animal rules the animal kingdom?

My house cat thinks it’s her. 

Valentina and I spent the afternoon reclaiming zoos for adults. We did not see any Capybaras or Ocelots, the respective favorite animals of Valentina and myself. We missed the penguins, which were the main reason that we went, but we can always take another trip to the zoo in the coming year. 

We were able to see lions, elephants, giraffes, and every other majestic type of animal from the Animal Kingdom. I desperately want to go on a safari but due to my on-going fear that I will accidentally cause my own death one day, I’m thinking about maybe sitting that one out. 

My recommendation would be for everyone to go to the Bronx Zoo and experience it for themselves, so that you might stare at the penguins and succeed where Valentina and I failed.

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel