Bronx Zoo

We arrived when the Bronx Zoo opened at 10:00 am, as did the many, many groups of field trippers - ranging from elementary to junior high. Being a famous park, and a weekday, it’s no wonder the place was so popular with the schools. A day at the zoo involved watching many wild creatures running around, begging for food, playing, fighting… and then the children wanted to see the animals, too.

Besides the children, there were, of course, many animals in many sections. I found the butterfly house enchanting and colorful to walk around in. The monkey house was full of squeaky, cuddly, and cute mammals. The birdhouse was big – two stories – full of pretty and exotic flighty friends. There was also a rodent house, which ended up being a little creepy since it was kind of dark and not all rodents are that cute (i.e. the hairless hamster things. Eeek!). And, the reptile room was… skipped because my aunt was a little freaked-out at the idea of being surrounded by green scales and slimy skin. I cannot imagine why.

Although all of the houses were interesting in their own way – beautiful, cute, weird, or creepy – I still enjoyed seeing the larger animals best.

The Congo section of the park contained an interesting assortment of animals. A couple kinds of Gorillas, including the famous silver backs, were entertaining as the younger ones taunted the elderly into playing. Even more animals were to behold when we rode on the Asia mono-rail, which allowed us to ride above the confinements of rhinos, pigs, various deer, and elephants. It was fun because we got a better view of the animals and we were able to give our feet a rest while we did so.

As much fun as it was to leisurely view the animals, my favorite part of the day was going to Tiger Mountain. On first entering the room, the biggest of the tigers was sitting majestically right next to the glass, which was roughly only six feet in front of me! Squeezing past the other spectators in time for a picture proved impossible before the striped beast moved out of my range. I experienced the same moment of opportunity and disappointment in the very next room. I just have horrible luck taking photos when younger creatures of my own kind are running around.

The zoo closes at 5:00pm, but my aunt and I seemed to have speed-walked our way through everything by 3:00pm, so we headed on out of the park and back to the subway.

It may sound like a short visit, but seeing as much as we did made it feel like a long afternoon. It was well worth the visit.