The zoo in Des Moines is not a super big one, but it is a very nice zoo. Today, we did and saw about everything it had to offer. I got my son an adventure pass...a punch card that enabled him to do all the extras that I am usually too cheap to pay for...I mean, too frugal. His first adventure was feeding the giraffe. He was VERY uncertain about this. I had to push him a little to hand the lettuce over. I guess any animal that can lick the bridge of its own nose is a little intimidating.
On the way out of Africa, we saw a very HAPPY looking ostrich. I guess it was hot, and it was panting through its mouth...but it looked like it was smiling a big, dumb smile...
Now this guy I found in the petting zoo area. He is quite the looker. A face only a mother could love, and maybe not even then. My son absolutely refused to feed this one, and I don't blame him. I put the snacks on the rail and backed away quickly.
The baby goats, however, were another story. My son couldn't resist sharing some treats with this little guy.
The koi are always a favorite. He loves to dump a bunch of food in and get them to pile up in a feeding frenzy. He giggled half the time he was feeding them.
Next stop, the camel ride. These camels were rather soft and nice smelling, for, well, camels. We kept petting the baby that was tied nearby. My son wanted to do it again, but at 5 dollars a pop, I don't think so.
We took time to cool off under the elephant fountain. Motion activated, of course.
However, I think our favorite for the day was the budgie house. Budgies are little parakeets, and they are simply delightful. You walk into a large bird cage, and you are given a stick with suet and seeds on the end. When you hold up the stick, the birds come and land on you, to get their treat. My son had as many as 3 birds on him at one time; I even got 2 or 3 to land on me, and I didn't even have a stick! They were beautiful little things, so delicate and pretty.
One of them had quite the love affair with my bracelet for about 5 minutes, before he decided it wasn't going to go anywhere.
Sorry for the low video quality...this is from my cell phone. Have you had any adventures this summer?
Looks like moma and her boy had a great day! The zoo is always fun!
ReplyDeleteWow, you can ride a camel? That sounds awesome. For a small zoo, seems like there's plenty to do. I bet if Nick went, he'd just eat the animal food himself. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat looks like so much fun. Your son is going to remember these trips for the rest of his life.
ReplyDeleteMelissa - Yeah, that is the advantage of having an older kid...you don't have to worry about them eating the animal food themselves...and I shudder to think what is in it.
ReplyDeleteMrBrownThumb - It was a blast. I hope he remembers this stuff, and forgets all the stuff I screwed up!