Put Me In The Zoo

In honor of one of Robert's favorite books, we went to the Bronx Zoo today.
Here is Robert in the parking lot marveling at the price of parking in NYC. Here we are as we entered the zoo. Robert was full of anticipation - there was so much to see!
The first stop was the Monkey House. The Squirrel Monkeys had just been fed, so they were a lot of fun to watch! These may have been Robert's favorite animals of the whole zoo!

We stopped to see the flamingos. Robert was not as interested in them as he was in the ducks that swam next to them. He took one look and yelled "QUACK!"

Chris and Robert checked out the Colobus Monkey. Robbie found it pretty fascinating. Actually, anything remotely monkey-shaped was cool with him.
You can see the monkey there between Chris and Robert's (enormous) heads!

Here are Chris and Robert in the Congo exhibit. This was my favorite part. It's really beautiful, and the animals are cool.
This is the hindquarters of an Okapi, which is a really cool animal. I didn't take a butt shot on purpose - he started to walk away.
The Bronx Zoo is really preoccupied with dung. Here is one of the many educational signs dealing with the topic. Bizarre. "Can dung tell a story?" Yes, but it stinks. :)

Also in the Congo.
Checking out another monkey-shaped animal.
All of the Congo to explore, and Robert zeroes in on the one duck. We spent about ten minutes quacking at it.
The Gorillas are the main attraction in the Congo! Here is a Mom and her baby.
Robert was not interested in the cool 400 pound Gorillas roaming around. He went straight for the brass Turtle and tried with all of his might to pull it off of the bench. What am I doing in this picture? I have no idea.
One of the massive Gorillas was taking a nap right in the window!

Robbie did enjoy weighing himself in comparison to a Gorilla. Robert: 25.6 lbs. Gorilla: 402 lbs.
Robert's favorite part of the Congo was at the end where you can vote on touch screen computers for the animal to "save" via your entrance fee. Robert voted several times for the Mandrill. The kid really likes his primates.
On the way out of the Congo.
Here I am with Ben and Robert. The Giraffes were out and about, but they had moved too far away to get a good look.
The African Wild Dogs were sleeping in the corner and we couldn't see them well. Robert was just as happy with the cardboaard cutout version. Apparently, this doggie is named "DEE-DUT." The Pere David's Deer were apparently interesting.
I guess we didn't get a picture of the Cheetahs. Too bad. They were cool, and Robert loved them.
The adults liked the Lion. Robert was unimpressed.
Here we are after purchasing Robert a Squirrel Monkey at the gift shop.

And here we are checking out another deer.
Here was the choice: The Butterfly House and Bug Carousel or some educational nature exhibits. We went educational. We'll hit the other stuff next time.

Here we are discussing the cruel nature of the natural world.
Chris and Ben checked out the World of Darkness, but it was very dark. So no pics.

In the World of Birds, Robert was very interested in the glass-free exhibits.
Especially when he spotted a tiny Mouse scampering through the display! It was right at his level!
On the way out, we stopped at the Eco-Restroom. Totally strange.
Here is a shot of the signage in the bathroom stalls. Yes, the Bronx Zoo is obsessed with Poop. they were even plugging the book The Truth About Poop. I don't know that I will be reading that any time soon.
Robert (and the rest of us!) had a great time at the zoo!
Who's ready for a nap???