Zoo Day Part I

Each year the K4 and K5 classes have a zoo field trip at the end of the year. It's always been my favorite....little faces wide with wonder at God's creation around us. For those of you in more progressive countries, there are parts of our zoo that might disturb you. There's no "Cat Country"...it's a big cage. The advantage is that we can get very, very close to the animals. Unfortunately, recently there was a tear in the chain-link fence separating the lion and tiger. It was not repaired, and the tiger got a swipe at the lion's jugular vein, resulting in his death. (I did keep an eye out for similar holes that might connect the tigers to people!)

The zoo with my little boy was a new experience for me. As soon as we neared the double fence with a grassy area for lions, Big Ben promptly started climbing the fence to get in. I was speechless for a moment. My girls would have NEVER! .... anyway, I explained we could not climb the fence. He said, "Why?" (new word of the week). I said, "Because it is dangerous." "Why?" "Because the lion might eat you." He froze in his tracts, brain wheels turning. From then on, each animal we visited...flamingos, ostriches, zebras..."That eat me, Mama?"

It was a beautiful day with very few guests visiting the zoo. The zookeepers were so friendly and let us enter the giraffe area at feeding time. Here, Sweet Cheeks is pictured with a British-Serbian friend and a friend from Oman.

I actually considered hiring Teyze to keep Big Ben for me at home, so I could be ALL MOM to Sweet Cheeks that day. However, SC was devastated and insisted her little brother come. So, Batman came.

More zoo pics tomorrow!