Instead of participating in Superbowl Sunday by attending a party with copious amounts of finger food and bottled beverages, Mr. Wonderful and I went to the zoo to celebrate my friend Alison’s birthday.
We’re much bigger fans of Alison and animals than football, so it was the perfect opportunity. While everyone else huddled around televisions in sports bars or in their homes, we would be enjoying the zoo sans crowds.
As a kid, my mom and I would go to the Point Defiance Zoo very often. So often that, at one point, we were even members. I knew that zoo like my own backyard. Today, I still visit at least once a year.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Woodland Park Zoo. I think the last time I went was on a class field trip. I don’t remember much about it except the gorillas. (Perhaps that’s because they creep me out.)
I was so excited to see the animals at Woodland Park that they don’t have at Point Defiance. When we got to the zoo I grabbed Matt’s hand and started running like a child.
The zoo is an exciting place! It’s got animals! And you can learn about them! And (hopefully) see them up-close!
(See what Matt had to put up with?)
Sunday afternoon was perfect zoo weather: overcast and temperate. There is something about this kind of weather that makes the animals want to move around. (Or at least that’s my theory.) They were extremely active while we were there. As we traversed through the zoo, we got up-close and personal with some of the most fearsome animals.
Have you ever heard a lion roar? Not the stupid MGM lion before the movie starts. An in-person, real live lion. I’m convinced there’s no way to truly capture that sound. Recordings just don’t do justice to the echoing boom a lion can issue from within his deep chest. It’s terrifying.
Perhaps as terrifying as watching a lion stroll right up to you on his massive, heavy paws. Glass or no glass, I identified with the little girl who ran away when the lion started heading toward us. I wondered what thoughts were passing through the lion’s head as he stared at us with his bold yellow eyes. (And they are freakishly yellow.)
Well, he soon made his feelings known.
The lion rubbed his broad cheeks against the glass. You could feel the collective sense of awe shared by the small crowd huddled in the viewing enclosure. But that wasn’t enough for this powerful creature. He needed to make a bigger impression than that. So, with his captive audience staring, he turned and splattered the glass with his spray at eye-level. Then, of course, he sauntered away. Point proven.
Our other animal encounters weren’t quite so…um…humbling. But they did make an impression. I don’t think there was a single animal we wanted to see that we didn’t get a good view of.
And I think I discovered my favorite new animal: the sloth bear. Their cuteness is multiplied by the fact that they carry their young on their backs. Adorable.
All in all, it was a great day running around with Alison and my Mr. Wonderful, acting like little kids and getting excited about animals.
If anyone wants to go again, I’ve got my sack lunch packed.