It’s summer, and you know what that means… it’s time to hit the zoo. Heres a handy zoo locator to get you goin’. Go… shoo… scat…
Fine, keep reading…
I may get a strongly worded letter from PETA for saying so, but I think zoos are good for people and for animals. There is just something different about seeing an animal up close with your own eyes instead of on TV. There is a primal connection that happens deep down when a child sees the immensity of an elephant, or the cold black stare of a boa and this is important when we are teaching our children to be good stewards of the environment.
Oooooo, scary...
Pruned has a great post about an art installation at a Vienna Zoo that is doing just that. Through a series of exhibits, the zoo is making a statement about pollution and its effects on the animals’ habitats. Now, even idyllic zoos aren’t safe from barrels of TOXIC WASTE.
(Photo by Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf.)
When Beth was creating the illustrations for the book ”What Animal Are You“, she insisted on realistic habitats for her animals as part of their educational value. Perhaps we should have had a few more discarded plastic bottles and McDonalds wrappers! Beth is quite handy at animal drawings, and a zoo is one of the best places for your child to hone their budding sketching or photography skills.
Beth Link's Animal Alphabet Book
Of course, I would rather we could all see these fantastic animals in their natural habitats instead of cooped up behind plexiglass and concrete moats, but sometimes, their enclosures can be quite accomodating, unlike some enclosures I know of…
Which brings me to my next topic: PEOPLE WATCHING. I’m an avid people watcher, and have the binoculars to prove it… Actually, it is a lot of fun to plunk yourself down on a park bench, or mall cafeteria and just observe who goes by. If any of you have pets, I’m sure you’ve asked yourself what they must think about all your strange actions. That’s exactly what I wondered about when I saw this little guy at the LINCOLN PARK ZOO:
What’s this little guy thinking??? Take a guess in the comments section and you could WIN BIG!
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