Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Peacocks are loose and flying high! Literally the peacocks at the Milwaukee Zoo were roaming the paths and different enclosures. At one point a peacock flew off of an exhibit, over the path, to a patch of grass near a bench. As he was gliding over the walking path his tail feathers were mere feet from our heads.
All day the males entertaining us chaperones and the girls by fluffing their feathers, cat-calling and competing for the highest location. Even when they were on the same ledge they would try to stretch their heads higher than their competitors. The peacocks were dubbed “The Show-Offs” by the troop.
It was quite interesting to watch how much effort they were putting into their show for the disinterested the peahens were. It appeared to be quite the opposite of what I experienced in college when trying to find a mate. All the ladies were generally dolled up and made lots of noise, yes I was a ‘woo-girl’, trying to get attention from all the gents. Needless to say this handsome fella was ready for his close up.
As we toured the zoo we were able to witness both an Asian and African elephant getting tossed apple slices. It is incredible how dexterous their trunks can be. While looking for the rhinos in their in door enclosure the girls were met with a different animal we didn’t expect to see behind bars. The enclosure had one zoo keeper and about 10 tourists inside (no rhino). This was the perfect opportunity to share with the girls that what they were looking at was in fact the World’s Most Dangerous Animal. Many of them thought I was kidding…but in fact, I was not.
A few penguins were out and about. The animal handlers tried their very best to entertain the waddle, but did not have success. However, they were able to capture the attention of our group of second graders.
By the time we reached the camels I was mentally and physically exhausted. It is amazing what keeping tabs on someone else’s children will do to you; even when they are well-behaved. Upon arriving at this exhibit all I could think was – Wow!! I am looking in the mirror! That is exactly how I feel right now.
I couldn’t help but chuckle and think of the joke from Zootopia, a very funny kids movie. What do you call a three humped camel? – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Pregnant Ha ha ha ha Yup, that never gets old! Especially if you try to say it as slowly as possible.
The good ol American Grizzly helped round out our trip to the zoo. Always impressive in size and character. He had an interesting demeanor on our trip. He was shaking and tossing his head while pacing back and forth on the ledge. It was almost as if he was warning us to stay away; to not trust his captors and save us from danger. Or maybe he was angry for being in captivity and wanted one of the girls as a snack. I guess we will never know.
Thank you for listening!
Savoring Life's Moments 