Morgane and I are lucky when it comes to seeing the pandas. The first time we went to see the baby, there was no line-up and he was sleeping in a tree. When we got there he woke up and did all sorts of cute things.
This time he wasn’t in the same enclosure. We went looking and found out that it was his first day in a new spot. There was no line-up because the mother and baby were both sleeping.
As we were watching the older sister, a voice announced that we should come over very quietly. The mother was awake and eating bamboo stalks. Shortly thereafter, the baby woke up and came out, too. Then he climbed all the way up the big tree for the very first time.
The panda keeper told us that the baby panda might fall but that we must keep quiet and not gasp. She said that pandas can fall from sixty feet and be okay. Luckily, he didn’t fall while we were there.
We saw a lot more of the zoo and it was much less busy than on the weekend. We saw a jaguar, a snow leopard, and koala bears.
We dropped in on a monkey who was throwing a tantrum and was being separated from some smaller monkeys. Morgane said, REALLY LOUDLY, “I can throw a much bigger tantrum than that!” Finally the monkey-keeper left him alone and after throwing himself at the walls a bit, he put himself in a time-out in his hammack. Morgane stayed and watched him for a long time. He peeked out of his hammack now and then.
We also saw an excellent bird show that began with an owl who wouldn’t fly. He was supposed to fly up to a pole and get his treat, but he just kept making a peeping kind of noise. Finally, he did fly for us. Morgane thought it was hysterical when the host said the hawks kept all the mice away. Behind him, several mice came out of a little hole and ran across the stage.
The finale was a parrot who did animal noises and sang the song, Old McDonald Had a Farm. Very impressive. At the end of the show was a very convincing environmental pep-talk and then nobody could resist donating money to the birds’ cause because of the talented crow who collected the bills.
As usual, we paid 25 cents to use the foot massaging machines. It really makes Morgane laugh.
Amazing photos of the pandas and koalas! SanDiego looks wonderful and I’d be interested to find out the best area to stay for visiting the zoo(s); this might be a fantastic destination to take our youngest granddaughter next year.
Hi Nancy!
We are staying in Del Mar which is right between the Zoo and the Animal Wilderness Park. They are about 30 miles apart. However, San Diego is a very nice city and if you stayed downtown, you would have access to a lot of cool destinations. Things not to be missed: Children Museum, Coronado Island, Balboa Park (don’t be fool, it is more than a park: it’s like having access to the private grounds of a Spanish castle. It is filled with museums, galleries and gardens), the Zoo, La Jolla Cove and shores (and you have to go eat at George’s on the Cove and visit the Peter Lik Gallery), Torrey Pines Reserve and beach, the Animals Wilderness Park; among other things… A week would be tight. Two is better.
Very cool, thanks for the info and we will definitely put it on our “must visit” list.