First trip to Stone zoo

Yesterday was a great day. It was in the 50's all day and most of the snow around our house melted. Maybe the groundhog was right?

Tired of being stuck in the house Alissa and I took Oliver to Stone Zoo where, you get the great deal of $2 off an adult ticket due to the fact that over half of the zoo is closed for seasonal repairs. Oh, well, we were outside for a change and the few animals that were tough enough to brave a 50 degree New England day, seemed excited to see us.



Did you know that there are only 500,000 million coyotes left in the wild? We were truly lucky to catch a rare glimpse of one so close. This one was way closer to us than the one I saw running down the street this summer.

But, now on to the cool animals at the zoo. This Jaguar was about 12 inches and a sheet of 1 inch plexy-glass away from Oliver's face and it looked pissed. It's head looked like the cat version of a pit bull's head. It was a beautiful cat. Hard to believe they are hunted in south America and Mexico because they kill a few stupid goats. Or, maybe they don't I actually didn't read the sign about them, too busy being impressed by it's massive head and spots.



The best part of the whole trip was seeing the snow leopard, For those familiar with Kung Fu Panda the snow leopard looked just like Tai Lung (the bad guy). It's tail and paws were huge it was a truly amazing animal. The zoo placed Tibetan mountain goats directly beside the leopard cage separated by a chain link fence. It would lock eyes on a goat and the goat would poop himself. Or, it just needed to poop. It's hard to tell when you don't wear pants if a poop was fear driven or a natural occurrence. Either way the goat looked uneasy and I don't blame it especially after watching Kung Fu Panda.



Alissa and I enjoyed our trip to the zoo. Oliver was a little indifferent. But he apparently paid more attention to the animals than we thought. While eating Mexican food later that day Oliver waited in my arms until the chip bowl was within arm reach. Then, with lightning quickness he snatched the chip bowl and would not let go. It was like watching a baby boa constrictor attack. He then let out a triumphant yell over his conquest and beat the bowl on the table until it was dead. He sounded like a hyena or a baboon. Either impression was impressive and a little confusing since the zoo didn't have either animal.

All in all it was a great family outing and apparently educational for Oliver.