Rolling Ledfords: A Day at the Zoo

It was such a perfect summer type day last Saturday that we decided to take the kids to the Dallas Zoo.

What a wonderfully laid out place with so much to interest the kids! Right down to a selection of animals that are prominent in kid movies and cartoons like a warthog that was so close to the window viewing area that the kids could really enjoy watching it move about and giraffes so close you could feed them lettuce leaves.

It was even set up such that some of the birds that were behind a glass window yet in an aviary, would settle on tree branches very close by for even the littlest ones to enjoy. Here Karsten is saying tweet tweet.

They have a cage within a cage for the cheetahs and set a time when they are encouraged into the smaller area while keepers tell a little about them and trainers play "a game" with them that gives the keepers and opportunity to check them all over to be sure they are all right and the observers a chance to really enjoy watching them in action. I couldn't catch it on film because of the huge number of people but they were actually licking each others faces and seemingly enjoying each others company.

Many other animal "encounters" were offered throughout the day. And while they do capture crowds of people it is set up such that kids can get to the front.

There was a great bird and animal show in a small amphitheater that gave the kids a chance to see a many different species walking, flying, swimming, running across branches, and even taking a dollar bill out of a person's hand to go into a box. This was the means they used to get donations to help in the care and feeding of the wild birds and animals in the show as afterwards, a cockatoo would take a donated bill out of anyones hands who came up close by the box and then put it in the donation box.

The kids also enjoyed a beautiful old carousel...