I, Kim, being the bright-eyed nature lover with a degree in biology, jump at every chance to visit a zoo. When Greg and I's work offered free tickets into Henry Doorly Zoo, I could hardly contain my excitement. We could finally take the family to the zoo, without having to take out a second mortgage. I also think that Noah's going to have my love for animals as he loves to watch nature shows with me. Maybe I'm just a little biased though. So on September 13, Greg, Noah, Harrison, Grandpa Philson, and I headed to Omaha for an adventure. We would meet Uncle John there.
Our first stop would be the aquarium. A brief side note, while I was in college I had the privilege of interning at the Henry Doorly Zoo in the aquarium. Needless to say, I know what happens back stage, and I love to see what has (or hasn't) changed since my brief stint. Noah loves watching penguins on t.v. and he also has a couple books with them, so I knew he would like this exhibit. He did in fact love watching the penguins swimming and eating fish (we showed up just as the keepers were feeding them). He also loved watching the sharks, turtles, and fish swim all around him as we walked through the aquarium's sea tunnel. Although, he did get a little scared, so it's a good thing Grandpa was there to protect him. 
Harrison just loved looking at everything, and was perfectly content just sitting in his stroller.
After one exhibit, it was time for lunch. We found a couple of picnic tables and ate our sack lunch. We also had a nice visit from a local peacock. Everyone enjoyed the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (even the peacock) and then it was off to the next set of animals.
Our next stop was the cat complex. The animals were actually all awake, and one of the tigers was growling and staking it's territory. Pretty impressive as they are usually all asleep. The male lion was pretty funny as he was watching people walk be and staring them down. I want to go to Africa one day, but I'll be sure to keep my distance. There was also a mountain lion (or puma as the zoo calls it. I guess it depends on where you grow up what you call it.) that was in a very playful mood and entertained Noah for quite some time. It was running around its enclosure and chasing its tail. It also was jumping up on the logs, hanging upside down, and batting at its tail. You could definitely tell that this animal was related to the average house cat. Or at least your average playful house cat.There's more to follow about the zoo, but I'll let Greg post the rest. My hands are starting to cramp with all this blogging. Stay tuned!
1 comment:
I am confident Noah will inherit the love of animals, as I once saw him pick a locust shell off of a tree, which would have grossed me out.
He also seemed to know his way around a petting zoo, while I would have probably screamed the whole time. And I almost did when that goat jumped up on the fence next to me.
Harrison will probably like everything, as long as the sun isn't in his face and someone is willing to push the stroller.
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