The Bronx Zoo

I knew there was a zoo in the Bronx kind of like I know there is a yoga studio by my house. I know it exists, but I don’t really plan to go.

When I came back from my Italian school trip to the Bronx loaded with stories of the marvelous treats scattered along Arthur Avenue, my friend, Amy, mentioned the zoo, then demanded to be included in on my next trip to the Bronx.

The zoo is literally a stone’s throw from freshly made mozzarella, ravioli, pastas, pastries; all the things which quicken my step and make me grin like the Grinch preparing to steal Christmas.

Little did I know just how much of a fan Amy was of the zoo.

When she told me the Bronx Zoo was the location of Animal Planet’s show The Zoo, I considered the show to be one of those Saturday morning guilty pleasures, watched during that unsettled morning hour when a person refuses to change out of their pajamas and opts to lounge on the couch in hope that sleep might return.

No.

Amy is like, a fan. A fan of the animals. Like, she knows their names.

And this is yet another item on the long list of reasons why we are still friends after over twenty years*.

*It’s longer than that, but I didn’t want to do the math and make myself feel even older. Especially when I refuse to admit I am a day over 25.

We arrived moments after the zoo opened and stayed until it closed, covering nearly every square inch of the grounds*.

*If we’d had one more hour, we might have seen it all!

It was fantastic.

We opted for the Total Experience tickets which were just a little more expensive than the General Admission tickets, and I would highly recommend them. With Total Experience, you have access to the Bug Carousel, Butterfly Garden, Children’s Zoo, Congo Gorilla Forest, JungleWorld, Nature Trek, Wild Asia Monorail, and the Zoo Shuttle. With General Admission, each of these* costs an extra $6.

*And yes, we did them all. Okay, almost all. I cannot see a need to ever visit a Bug Carousel.

We started at the Children’s Zoo, mostly because it was the first thing at the Southern Boulevard Gate entrance*, but also because a lot of the animals there are celebrities from the show.

*There are three main entrances to the zoo. Parking is limited and a little pricey. We chose to park a few blocks away from the zoo, near Arthur Avenue.

The Children’s Zoo experience was equal to some small zoos I have experienced. When we exited, I couldn’t believe this was only one small facet of the Bronx Zoo.

There were flamingos.

There was an anteater.

PS. How cute is he holding his nose while sleeping?

There were porcupines.

And it was there I learned that porcupines climb trees. I’m not sure why this came as a surprise.

Amy with her new alpaca friend.

Once we ventured away from the Children’s Zoo, we saw all the typical animals one might expect at a zoo, and so many more unique ones along the way.

While I haven’t been to a zoo in a while, Hubby and I visit a different aquarium at least once a year. That being said, I’m used to animals confined to a water environment. Animals who cannot slip away from their exhibits*.

*Alright, I realize octopuses have been known to do this. But there is a big difference between an octopus and a snake to me.

It didn’t help that the hallways of JungleWorld were dark and dimly lit in order to highlight the animal exhibits. I suddenly had flashbacks to the one and only time Amy and I went camping together. When night fell, I kept flinching in fear of a creature attacking my feet.

Did you know that out of 100 robin’s eggs, only 74 will become hatchlings, 52 hatchlings will live to become robin fledglings, and only 10 fledglings will survive to become adult robins?

That there is some knowledge for you, courtesy of the World of Birds.

I tried to get a picture of one of the bats for my brother, Joel. He is deathly afraid of bats and it is my duty as his sister to continuously remind him of their existence.

This guy was not thrilled with the people who were pressing up against the glass to take his picture. He let them know by pounding on the glass a few times before assuming this pouty position.

While I only have a handful of zoo experiences to compare this one with, I would put the Bronx Zoo up at the top of my newly created list: Zoos Worth Visiting*.

*It also helps that there is an abundance of Italian restaurants nearby for a delicious end to the trip.