Breakfast with the Elephants

This morning a bunch of us WCA-ers and members of the men's auxillary met at the zoo. Sunday morning is a great time at the zoo. Everybody's up and moving around. David and I met Holly, Marilyn, and Knox at the Giant Panda exhibit. The pandas munched on bamboo and lounged about just like I do on Sunday mornings. Okay, not bamboo ...I prefer bagels and coffee!

Do you know how many animals eat bamboo? Neither do I, but it's a lot!













After we left the pandas, we walked down the hill and had a nice visit with Happy, the hippo. He was inside this morning, because the outside pool was chilly. Most of the time, he just stared at us, face mostly under water, eyes roaming around, ears twirling. I guess we weren't much fun to watch. He started playing with his big red ball, trying to fit it in his mouth. He has a really big mouth!











The elephants were outside and their trainers were putting them through their paces. They marched around holding each other's tail. They dragged logs. One of them even picked up the trainer's keys with the tip of its trunk.






My favorite part was the elephant yoga when they balanced ever so gracefully on two feet. I was reminded of yoga class with Tootje, my yoga instructor. She is always having us work on balance. I have a long way to go before I'm as stable as an elephant. Who knew I would ever aspire to be elephantine?




Then it was off to the reptile house where I was completely intrigued by the pig-nosed turtle. Who would ever think to put a pig's snout on a turtle? How interesting that certain patterns show up throughout nature, in seemingly unrelated sectors.

We concluded our morning with the BIG CATS! Wow, can they roar! Lions and tigers (no bears, obviously). Oh my! The tiger was particularly eager to get back inside the house and kept banging on the door. "Let me in," he roared. I could almost hear the trainers answer, "Not by the hair of your chinny, chin, chin." Since the tiger is not a wolf, he was stuck roaring, pacing and waiting. Perhaps he's still outside, trying to get in.
The lions were totally amazing. The male lion with his full mane was on the prowl, calling to his ladies. Then we turned the corner, and the lionesses were responding to the calls of the male.


My David is quite a lion himself, being a Leo. He had to join the conversation. So he began to growl. The lionesses stopped in their tracks and looked around. David growled again. And again. One of the lionesses heard something she liked, and came to hear more. She settled herself down to talk with David. He growled and she snarled. He snarled and she growled. A match made in heaven. Eventually I roared too, just to remind everyone that in the end, David is MY big cat!