Zoo

We renewed our membership to the zoo today.  We received a 15% discount to renew a month early.  I had been thinking about our pass expiring in April.  When it came right down to it, there was no choice but to renew.  I am so NOT done with the zoo yet!  I love it there!

Today we went to the pandas first, then to Australasia, then lunch, and then to Africa.  Walking around in the warm, humid (albeit stinky) pavilions, I felt like I was on a tropical vacation.  I did.  Call me crazy, but I did.  A fun, warm, slightly stinky holiday!

 The bird - a Blue Crowned Pigeon, came out from behind the bushes, and poor Fiona lost her mind.

Taking this picture...

...made me think of this picture, pregnant with Fi - in March 2013.

Today we learned about the gorillas.  Charles is the silver back of the group.  A group can only have one silver back.  Charles is 43 and is mellowing in old age.  The oldest gorilla is 48, a female named Josephine.  Johari, daughter of Charles and Josephine, carries around a stuffy - she was hand raised, she's 14.  Ngozi, 17,  is mother to two of the gorillas currently at the zoo - Nassir 5 1/2 and Nneka 18 months.  And last is Sadiki 10.  At some point Sadiki, who is also Charles' son, will have to be separated out from the rest of the group because he will become a silver back and he will fight his Dad.  The keeper explained that after a certain age, males leave their groups and form bachelor groups until they are old enough and tough enough to start a group of their own.  When Sadiki is about 18 he'll be introduced to a new zoo to be a silver back there.

We also learned about the pygmy hippo - his name is Henry and he's 21.  There used to be a female at the zoo, but she died.

I love the zoo!