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jag6,
originally uploaded by Zee Grega.

This Sunday I went to the Woodland Park Zoo for the first time in far too long.

We’re really lucky to have such a nice zoo; visit zoos in most other cities that aren’t San Diego and you’ll quickly realize just how well-designed and managed ours is. There are a lot of great exhibits at the zoo which I think do a great job of helping teach visitors about the animals and what life is like for their fellow species-members out in the wild. Getting people to pay attention is the first step to getting them to care, after all.

My favorite animal at WPZ is the jaguar, paws down. Both the male and the female jaguar seem to have an instinct for when I’m going to be there with my camera and that’s when they tend to hide at the back of their enclosure but I managed to sneak up on the enclosure in the afternoon while the male jaguar was sleeping in his favorite spot in the corner. He looks so sweet and plush while napping and I always think I’d love to pet him…well, if I could get that close without getting eaten!

Another favorite exhibit at the zoo for me is the Butterflies and Blooms enclosure; it is always such a pleasant experience to enter the tented garden and be surrounded by lush foliage and beautiful butterflys fluttering by. I am perfectly willing to stand out as being the only adult standing in the Family Farm’s petting area, but I think more grown-ups should take part in this simple pleasure. Another spot to interact with directly with the animals is at the bird feeding station in the Australasia area.

If it’s been a while since you were last at the zoo, you should make plans to visit it soon and if you haven’t ever been, you should visit even sooner.