There's nothing like a trip to the zoo to make you feel like a kid. Kent and I and our friends, Chris and Lou, spent last Saturday at the
Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium. Kent and I had visited there a few years ago, but our friends had never been there. Since that first visit the Zoo has added the aquarium and greatly expanded.
Most of the exhibits are outside since Arizona has such great weather. Cages, except for the obviously dangerous animals, are kept to a minimum. The cute Prairie Dogs were the first residents to greet us.
The big guy in the center kept his back to me for a long time. I know he saw the camera in my hand. But when someone new walked up, his curiosity got the better of him, and I was able to snap this pix.
The zoo has a number of unique animals that I had never viewed before. Singing Dogs. African Wild Dogs. Wart Hogs. I didn't get any pictures of them because even though they're different, they didn't appeal to me. They have a "Dragon" exhibit that we skipped, too. Too reptilian for me.
My favorite exhibit was the petting zoo. I went right in with the kids, both kinds. I love goats and couldn't resist feeding and petting them. They also had deer and llamas. I WISH Kent could have taken a more flattering picture of me--but this was probably the way I looked the entire time I was inside the petting area.
This Zoo is a private one, much smaller than the Phoenix Zoo, but miles closer to where we live. It has Arizona's only public aquarium, complete with sharks, stingrays you can pet, and penguins. The penguins were small ones, not the big Emperor variety, but they were very active when we saw them. I had petted stingrays when they were on temporary exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo a few years ago so I skipped petting them here.
The WWZ has an amazing number of exotic birds. Parrots, macaws, swans, ducks, a giant condor--every kind of bird you can imagine. Many of them are free to roam, like the swans and peacocks, while others are located in aviaries. A huge number of birds are kept near the small primates. Another set of cages is located near the tiger and lion area. Black swans are found in the ponds as well as lounging with the kangaroos in the Australian area. They were all beautiful. But by the time we reached the African Walkthrough Aviary we all agreed we had seen enough birds for one day.
A pair of Blue and Gold Macaws and a different macaw perched over a pond. Macaws are from South American and mate for life.
Desert and savanna animals do well here. This camel was very regal!
The giraffe feeding station was a hit with the two-legged kids.
The Australia outback must be similar to Arizona because the kangaroos and wallabies seem very happy here. They are free to roam, but the people are encouraged to stay on the path.
At the end of the day we went home tired, a little dirty, but very happy. Just like I did as a kid!
