Zoos Around the World

April 08, 2011

Zoos are wonderful to see anywhere you go. I've seen the St. Louis Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, part of the Omaha Zoo, and of course our own Kansas City Zoo.

Not all zoos are alike, but that's what makes them interesting. I don't remember too much about the St. Louis Zoo, but what stuck out to me were the black bears. They were wonderful. Kansas City has our own "Nikita" the white polar bear who loves to keep you entertained being a big showoff.

I love to watch the meerkats sit up on their back feet, look around, and scamper off to the other side. Or, try to hide from something that they see. Let's not forget that one of the meerkats got stolen awhile back. Ever watch Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet?

We also have a singing dog in our zoo. It sounds weird, but we do. He reminds you of a regular dog and a dingo (the ones that live in Australia).

The Omaha Zoo was interesting, although we didn't get to see all of it. What I do remember was walking into a cave, looking through the glass, and watching the fish swim everywhere. You look up and you could see a shark swimming above you. Another glass had jellyfish swimming around. I kind of felt like I was in the ocean, just not getting wet. In another part of the zoo, we watched some armadillos. Also, there was a baby one running around in circles, it was quite funny. I am hoping I can get back to the Omaha Zoo one of these days because I know that there was a lot we didn't see.

Also, most zoos have snakes and lizards (which aren't my favorite), giraffes, monkeys, elephants, tigers, etc. My all-time favorite, which I don't think all of the zoos have them, are the kangaroos hopping around. I could watch them forever. My dream would be to go to Australia and watch them there. (Nice Dream).
 
Mid-Continent has books and videos on zoos and wild animals. One of our books that I know we have in our system is America's Best Zoos: A Travel Guide For Fans and Families by Allen W. Nyhuis.

Kathy S.
Raytown Branch