Our day in Chapultepec Park continued with a visit to Zoológico de Chapultepec (est. 1923).
A day at the zoo is always relaxing...and yet incredibly stressful. Relaxing because you don't have to actually do anything. You just walk around and look at the pretty (or pretty ugly) animals. Eat a hot dog. Drink a Coke. Nothing to it, right?
Wrong.
Because, you see, I am a shutterbug. I take pictures of everything. And I don't want to just take any old picture. I want the perfect picture. And do you know how hard it can be to take that perfect picture at the zoo? Half the time the animals are hiding/sleeping in a secluded area. And the rest of the time they are sleeping out in the open with their butts pointed straight at you.
Chapultepec Zoo really is no exception. We left Chapultepec Castle walking at a brisk pace (and by "we" I mean TJ. I was busy taking pictures of water and trees and trash cans or something. We (TJ) knew that the zoo would be closing in just a couple of very short hours and we (TJ) had to cram as much into those hours as possible.
We spent the majority of those hours walking up to cages/dens/areas of captivity, looking at the empty surroundings, reading the nearby sign post, and walking away at least knowing what we SHOULD have seen.
You see, there are two types of zoos. There is the kind that puts the animals first, meaning that they have lots of space to eat, frollick, and sleep, thus greatly reducing your chances of seeing them. And then there is the kind that locks the animals in teeny, tiny cages where they are miserable but you can see them readily. I suppose this zoo falls into the former category. Good for the critters, bad for the visitors.* But hey, it was free.
Why is it that the camels always pose so well?
This half-blind bird stalked a squirrel and entertained us for 10 mintues.
(The squirrel survived)
I got a great shot of a real rhino...but this is my fave.
This is the face that matches the butt posted above...
Things weren't all bad, though, and we were able to snap a few pretty pictures. And by "we" I mean me. TJ was too busy walking briskly.
Though I suppose one could make the argument that it was totally my fault that the zoo closed before we finished our walkthrough...
*Before anybody gets uppity, I do not now, nor have I ever, condoned the unethical treatment of animals. I love animals. They're delicious.**
**Before anybody else gets uppity, I sincerely believe that animals should be allowed to live out their lives with the utmost peace and dignity. I am an omnivore, so yes I eat certain types of animals...but I firmly believe that they should all be treated with respect while living their short lives, and even more so when those lives are taken. Except snakes. Snakes suck and should die horribly.***
***Before anybody gets uppity about snakes, I...well. No, I got nothing. I really, truly, deeply hate snakes.
But I LOVE squirrels! Look at this little guy! He's eating ice cream!
Awww. I hope he's not lactose intolerant...
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