fbhjr

We set off to get to the zoo about the time it opened.

Of course, what the national zoo is known for is its panda bears.

They also have the red pandas. They get a lot less press, but I still think they’re cute. When we first got there, they were sleeping.

But, when the kids got there it was feeding time for them and they were much more active. The zookeepers get in and feed them with the food on a stick. They blow a whistle indicating when they should take the food.

One of them seemed pretty clear on where the food came from. The zookeeper had to keep putting new pieces at the end of the stick to keep the panda from climbing into her pocket.

Sadly they only have Indian elephants because the African ones died. I’m told it was some sort of herpes that passed through the herd. I guess having only three left has given them an interesting social dynamic. The young male approached the older female and she didn’t like it, so she kicked him. Now he always hides behind his mother when the older female is in the yard.

After a bit Al, Constance and the kids caught up with us.

The orangutan have a series of towers and cables that lets them climb from building to building. I’ve been going to that zoo for decades, but I’ve never seen more than one on the towers before. This time there were 4 of them climbing back and forth.

I like the hippos myself.

For reasons not clear to me, they kept the capybaras in the same building with the elephants and hippos. OK, elephants are big mammals and capybaras are the largest rodent. But, other than that?

When you go into the ape building there is a big sign telling you how to behave. The apes are shy, don’t go near the glass, don’t be loud, don’t crowd them.