Animal Crazy and Other Fun at the Zoo

I was surprised when I learned that zoos are categorized as museums.  The animals are not at all stuffed or stationary.  Children love going and are even welcome to run and use loud voices, for the most part.  Yet zoos (and aquariums and arboretums) are museums.  So luckily for us, we get to count our favorite outings as educational museum visits!

I have to admit, however, that as an adult I have not liked zoos at all.  Although I never had a terrible specific experience, I was always left with a distasteful sort of taste in my mouth about the zoo experience.  I don't even know exactly what it was or how to describe it.  Something about all the walking, the smell, the disappointment of never seeing the animals I was most interested in up close, the crowd of people crushed around a little portion of glass to peer at a poor creature.  I would take the children from time to time when the opportunity arose, but I did not seek out zoo experiences. 

Then I met the London Zoo and I found myself won over in only a few visits.  First, it is a good size but not too big.  We are within walking distance and so can visit when we want, never having to exhaust the whole thing to make a trip "worth it."  We can visit during the least crowded times and often have the zoo to ourselves.  The zoo is tidy and doesn't smell at all.

I know this is a fortuitous circumstance most don't have--and we are likely never to have again.  So we'll enjoy every bit while we can.  And start putting together some good ideas of how to best enjoy a zoo.  Meanwhile, here is some highlights of our adventures so far.

 

The Whipsnade Zoo in Regent's Park in London is where Winnie the bear lived.  He was a favorite of children.  Christopher Robin and his father visited him in the zoo often, lending his name to one of the most famous bears of all time.  This statue of Winnie (and the soldier who acquired him in Canada) gets kisses from my kids every time we pass.

 

Zoos are so difficult to photograph, at least for this amateur.  I do love the moments of peeking and discovery, when I'm able to get them.  Getting to see animals close up is one I don't take for granted.  From my children's reaction, they don't either.  It's thrilling to see live animals at arms length, even though glass may divide.  

I think there is enough conversation about ticket prices to museums and membership options for another article another time.  We feel so fortunate now to live within walking distance of the zoo and a membership was a no-brainer.  The cost of membership is often only the price of three or so visits.  We get to the zoo here (and the art museum in Boston) at least three times a month, often once a week.  A membership is well worth the investment in our case.

Tiger nation in the London Zoo is perfectly magical.  The habitat is extensive, with plenty of space for the tigers (including three tiger cubs!) to roam and hide or to play, if they are in the mood.  The story of one tiger is told in parts as you wind through the enclosure.  My boys were enthralled by the "chapters" and insisted we read each one.  They acted several out as well.  Here my three-year-old is pretending to be the frog that the tiger cub was chasing.  (The frog escaped.)

You may not suspect it, but we actually really enjoy seeing the live animals, too.  It's not all climbing bronze statues of animals. 

The places my boys like best are the worst for getting any photographic evidence.  They head first for the dark and mysterious reptile house (the Harry Potter scene at the zoo was filmed at "our" zoo!), then for the bugs, and then for the large cats which like play hide and seek.

Do your children like to visit the zoo?  Do you?  How do you take pictures of your children interacting with live animals at the zoo or do you quickly give up and take pictures with them climbing on statues instead?  Which animals do your children like best?  Do they go for the "eww" factor or the "aww" factor?