z o o

Saturday June 13.
It was a perfect day for a trip to the zoo.
The sky was gorgeous... perfect!



CC and I went to the Toronto Zoo for the first time
Yes..
I've never been to Toronto Zoo.
As far as I remember, last time I went to the zoo was when I was about 5.

With a great excitement and hope to see lots and lots and lots of animals, we arrived at the zoo around 2:30.



Maybe I was just too excited and expected much out of it, but when I actually got there, it didn't seem all that exciting. Lot of the animals were kept alone in their 'homes'. I heard the rhino keeper saying they prefer to be alone as they do in the wild. But what about the other animals?

The time we arrived must have been a nap time for all, or most of the zoo families. They don't seem very active and were all sleeping. Wonder what they are dreaming about...?



The thing about zoo is..
People may see it as a cruel way to keep animals, cage them as they become showcases. But as long as animals are kept well, taken care of, well fed, mostly importantly, loved, it provides a great opportunity for children and adults to learn about animals, especially that are foreign to the country. Personally, I feel bad for the animals, especially seeing them all tired and alone. It just seems unnatural.

I wish Toronto would have an aquarium.
Probably difficult to manage, since Toronto isn't quite near the ocean, but I'd love to see giant turtles swimming above my head... for sure!!!!



CC especially wanted to see elephants. He seemed so eager about it...
but...........!!!
There was a sign that read 'elephants are not on display today'
I thought maybe they are doing some makeover in their habitat, as many were temporarily not available that day. arg!!!

Couple days later, CC told me the reason elephants were 'not on display' (I don't really like the sound of 'not on display' makes them seem more like a show). Turns out, the elephants were in mourning. This case show how greed can ruin your life, or end it.


"Tessa, the 40-year-old elephant who lived at the zoo since its opening in 1974, lived with four other elephants in the five-acre enclosure. On Saturday afternoon, the elephants were outside being fed when Tessa fell to the ground and couldn’t stand up again." -National Post-
more at National Post


This is so sad..
The zoo staff members must have been enormously heartbroken by this.. I can only imagine.
Losing someone is always hard. It makes you think how precious life is and that you should try best to live to the fullest. I don't want to think of how it would be like when someone I love passes away. It hasn't happened yet and definitely not looking forward to hearing any sad news.

Despite the absence of elephants, I got to ride an elephant that day.



Well... not quite the real elephant, but close enough.... lol


So.....
The trip to the zoo was.... good!
I don't know if I want to go back anytime soon. Maybe when I have kids, I will bring them to teach them about animals. Until then, I hope the animals at the zoo don't have to face another tragedy as Tessa did.