A field day at the Bronx Zoo, that's what I had today. Thanks to the generous invitation of my former co-workers, I was included in their company family outing. Complete with complimentary admission, a boxed lunch, food vouchers and surprise gifts, which I won, it was a fun day. We couldn't have gone on a better day, cool and dry and all the animals were very friendly. Some of them even put on their own show.The largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, the Bronx Zoo comprises 265 acres of parklands and naturalistic habitats -- home to over 4,000 animals, many of which are endangered or threatened species. The Zoo contains a number of unique habitats -- areas designed to replicate the homes of their inhabitants as closely as possible. Jungle World, for instance, is an indoor rain forest where monkeys, tropical birds, tapirs, and many other rare species live among equally rare and beautiful plants and trees.
Aboard the Bengali Express monorail one can see antelopes, elephants, tiger and a variety of animals roaming about freely in the open meadows; the 2-mile trip was a learning experience. It is awesome seeing some of these species for the first time. How rich nature is and what blessings from God we could all enjoy.
It's also amazing how the Zoo was designed with acres of shady forest, streams and pools, bamboo thickets, all home to a wonderful collection of animals. My favorite is the World of Birds which houses over 100 species of birds, among them the white-throated colorful beefeater, the tucans with their large bony beaks.
The rain forest is equally impressive and the most recent exhibit Madagascar is a must see. My picks are the fossa and the colorful lemurs, one golden and the other ring-tailed. The tomato frog which has the color of cooked crab shells is a fun creature to watch. The brown-colored tree kangaroo perched nicely on a driftwood as if striking a pose is adorable.
It's also amazing how the Zoo was designed with acres of shady forest, streams and pools, bamboo thickets, all home to a wonderful collection of animals. My favorite is the World of Birds which houses over 100 species of birds, among them the white-throated colorful beefeater, the tucans with their large bony beaks.
The rain forest is equally impressive and the most recent exhibit Madagascar is a must see. My picks are the fossa and the colorful lemurs, one golden and the other ring-tailed. The tomato frog which has the color of cooked crab shells is a fun creature to watch. The brown-colored tree kangaroo perched nicely on a driftwood as if striking a pose is adorable.
What strikes me the most is the eco-friendly restrooms near the entrance to the Zoo. Water used for washing is recycled and used for watering the plants; rain water from the drain spout gets deposited into barrels for use in watering the garden. What better way to conserve resources, although the concept is not new. We used to collect rain water in drums when I was home in the Philippines and use it for household purposes including bathing. Believe me you'll get your hair squeaky clean after shampooing with that soft rain water.
"In the end
we will conserve only what we love,
we will love only what we understand,
we will understand
only what we are taught."we will conserve only what we love,
we will love only what we understand,
we will understand
- Babai Dioum
