Lions, Tigers and Bears...Oh, My!

Today we explored the jungle. Well, sort of. That's what the Magic Mountain Zoo kind of reminded me of. There was every animal and bird conceivable...lions, zebras, bison, owls, an eagle, ostrich, swan, a bear, jaguars, monkeys...and the list goes on. There were even a few animals that were beyond my comprehension of existence. Such as an eland. Which actually is an antelope. I thought that was just a fairy tale thing from the "Home on the Range" song. I guess the antelope really do play on the range. Who knew?

Here were a few of my absolute favorite creatures from the day...

I was utterly delighted to find this stork. I searched high and low in the field, for I was sure he had a baby tucked in a blade of grass just for me. To my disappointment there was none. Turns out it's just a myth that the stork brings babies. Guess I'll have to find out where they come from elsewhere...

These two monkeys were nothing but awesome. While we were wandering the zoo for the first little bit, we were a bit discouraged. All the animals had their backs to us and were sleeping. Even the lions couldn't have been more put off with our presence. (Even after my "here, kitty, kitty" calling.) We walked past these monkeys and watched them for a bit. Hoping...praying for some sort of movement or entertainment. The black one got annoyed with a fly buzzing around him and so we watched in joy as he tried to catch it. And when he did, he immediately popped it in his mouth and chewed. My eyes lit up and I clapped my hands in delight. The animals were real in the zoo! (I had begun to wonder if it was just workers dressed up in animal suits and laying around...) Shortly after we moved on to the next display, we could hear this horrid, loud sound similar to an ambulance siren. It took a few minutes to realize it was these monkeys calling. They would form their little lips into an "O" and the oddest sound would come from them. We were grateful for all their commotion, because they actually woke up most the zoo.

I stood at the jaguar cage quite possibly the longest. These sleek, strong animals fascinate me. They would pace by me and rub their head on the fence just like a kitten. I liked to think that maybe they wanted to be pet and cuddled, but in all reality, they probably just wanted to eat me. Either way, they were amazing.

I laughed the hardest at this peacock. He was just so funny. While we were watching him, he proudly strutted his feathers and every time the females would walk by he vibrated them ferociously. The poor guy...the females just weren't interested. But that didn't deter him. I kept telling him how beautiful he was, but my opinion didn't seem to be the one that mattered. As I left, I promised him that his day would come.

No, this last one isn't a bear, a lion or a monkey. It's just Lexy, showing a complete lack of enthusiasm for the smallest zoo residents...insects. The girl just hates anything that flies. Especially if it's near her head. She goes into complete hysterics as the sight of a horsefly. Or black fly or mosquito, for that matter. I know it's slightly mean that I find this quite amusing. But I do, none the less.

Thus concludes my miniature tour of the zoo. Tomorrow we are on to Ma and Pa In Law's vowel renewal; relaxing and visiting with my non-french Canadian family.