Bronx Zoo

Logan has become interested in animals over the last year or so.  Paul bought the Planet Earth series on Blu-Ray when Logan was an infant, not knowing that Logan and I would spend a lot of time watching the DVDs.  When I found out that the Bronx Zoo has a new inhabitant, a snow leopard (like the ones we saw on Planet Earth), I mentioned it to Logan.  He wanted to see it.  So one warm winter afternoon we spontaneously decided to head up to the Bronx.

The zoo was empty.  Fantastic for a kid who doesn't like crowds or large groups of kids.  We quickly found a map and headed toward the bears and Himalayan animals.  We watched the polar bear pace outside. Logan wasn't interested. He wanted to see the snow leopard.  We found the snow leopard area but  there was no sign of Leo (the name I'm going to assume the zoo gave him).  I kept thinking, "there is NO way we are going to leave the zoo without finding the snow leopard.  Logan wanted to see him and we're gonna find him!"  Then we walked around the corner and there was Leo pacing back and forth.  His paws were just as huge as we thought they would be. He walked closer to us, climbed up on a rock and made a sound that we never expected.  Not a roar or a meow. It was truly remarkable and unexpected.  And loud.  Quickly, Logan's interest in Leo waned.  We were out of there!

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at reptiles, amphibians, fish, the rhinoceros and then I was on a quest to find the giraffes.  Now, I know that giraffes are not cold weather animals but I could swear I read on the zoo's website that there was a building where visitors could see the giraffes inside.  I asked around.  Nope, can't see the giraffes until the weather warms up.  Logan was up for a walk over (ok he was really riding in the rental stroller) to the giraffe building and there they were in all their tall-necked spotted glory.  Logan couldn't take his eyes off of them.  We had talked about how tall giraffes are before our trip to the zoo, but really what isn't tall to a 3 year old?  I knew it was the kind of thing that needed to be seen in person to grasp their size.  I'm still amazed at their size!  We got some great pics and watched them for a while.

We wandered around the zoo until it closed.  I think we will be heading up there again in the next couple of months, if only to see the elephants.  Logan really wants us to find out what "that purple" thing in the tank near the rhino ("no mama!  that's a rhinoceros!).