If there is one place in D.C. I do not take enough advantage of, it’s the National Zoo hands down. They have a wonderful variety of animals, so many different and new exhibits to see and of course, it’s free to the public! Somehow, though, I never seem to make it a point to visit the zoo. Well, my family came to town to visit this weekend and my mother wanted to go to the zoo, she used to live in D.C. and would go on runs through the zoo frequently. While I don’t seem to have inherited this habit from my mother, I did want to pay all the animals a visit!
It was an absolutely gorgeous Saturday in D.C. and the sun was shining brightly as we perused the zoo and enjoyed our time. I even managed to get a little sun burn on my face!
We started off visiting the pandas, the zoo’s most famous residents. Unfortunately, the pandas were not in best form on Saturday so the only panda out & about was this big guy:
From the pandas we wandered to the elephants:
The baby elephant, Kabula, kept pacing around and around until the zoo keeper opened the gate so she could go on her walk!
After Kabula entertained my mother & I for awhile, we decided to check out the conveniently located gift shop. I discovered this little gem, which I didn’t purchase:
Last but certainly not least, we visited my absolute favorite animal: the flamingo!! In case you didn’t know (hint hint look at my blog & Twitter background!), I absolutely love flamingos! When I was a little girl, my parents & I would spend every vacation in Florida and my earliest memories are of the Gulf of Mexico. Now, I don’t recall this instance but according to my parents, this led to my love of flamingos.
My parents & I went on a nature reserve tour and I was the only child in attendance. The tour guide begins to explain how flamingos turn pink because of the fish they eat. In all my three year old wisdom, I stood up and announced to the group that flamingos were just like my Barbie doll! I proceeded to explain to the entire tour group how my Barbie doll’s blonde hair turned pink when I used a special hairspray. Ever since then, I have received numerous gifts of flamingo items and my love of flamingos grew. Here are my favorite pictures of the flamingos at the zoo! Sadly, the pictures of me next to the flamingos did not turn out well.
What’s your favorite zoo animal? Have you ever been to the National Zoo?