At the Zoo

Somewhere in the dark corners and overlooked crevices of my mind is part of the lyric of "At the Zoo".  But I can't recall any more of it that those three words. I did go to the zoo recently and a great zoo it was.  The Phoenix Zoo opened in 1962 and comprises 125 acres with 1300 animals.  It is also the largest non-profit zoo in the country.  I was fortunate enough to attend with my travel bud, Claudette, and her son Patrick. Patrick, having visited before, was our guide. As usual on our travels time is of a premium and having a guide insured no lost time.

The zoo is laid out according to trails.  There is the Arizona, Africa, Tropical, and Children's Trails. I found the Arizona trail quite interesting because it was the Sonoran desert like the land around the zoo.  The native animals were big horn sheep, pronghorn antelope, javelinas, Mexican gray wolves, Gila monsters, and other animals, reptiles, and birds. After several trips to the southwest I finally saw my first roadrunner without a coyote lurking nearby.

The African Trail had what you would imagine, African animals.  The part of this trail I liked the best was the African plain exhibit.  We sat on a park bench and watched the giraffes, elands, Maasi cattle, and other animals feed in front of us. Patrick kept us informed about the animals we were watching and pointed out those that were less obvious.  I could have sat there for hours watching each animal. Elsewhere in the exhibit were warthogs, elephants, and rhinos.  One thing of note: this zoo was once home to Ruby, the famous painting elephant. Ruby died as the result of childbirth and is no longer the artist-in-residence.

The Tropics Trail had the primates, and if memory serves, the Komodo dragon.  Wow! What a big lizard! There was also a large fenced area which you enter to watch the monkeys play in the trees overhead.  Part of the nationally recognized primate exhibit was closed for renovation.

We also saw the cats big and small, including lions and bobcats.

The Children's Trail includes a petting zoo.  We did not participate.

More information and photographs are at these links as well as directions to the zoo. A word of warning: avoid school field days!

As a closing thought, when in Phoenix visit the Phoenix Zoo. It's a great way to spend a day.