The kids had the day off from school today, so my husband and I surprised them with a visit to the zoo. But this wasn’t a normal kind of visit. We had the opportunity to go behind the scenes in the African Savanna and meet a few friends up close and personal. The kids (okay, all of us) LOVED IT!!! We were taken on our tour by the wonderful Joanne Clemens in the marketing department of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. She escorted us to the giraffe barn where the keeper, Steph, showed us behind the scenes. We learned about the animal’s routines, diets, favorite treats…everything! We met Blackie, the 57 year-old, 3,500 lb hippopotamus that is now retired and lives with the giraffes. (Let’s just say he might be very well behaved, but definitely something I would not want to run into under different circumstances. 😉 We then headed outside and got to meet Jada, Lily, Grace, Bridget, Travis (yes, Travis!), Lindy, Shirley and Jhasim. What beautiful creatures! I can’t tell you who is who, but Travis and Shirley (I think) couldn’t get enough cookies from the kids! Not only are their neck and legs long…those tongues….watch out! This was definitely a day for the books. Thank you again to Jo and Steph for a fun experience!
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and we can’t forget Blackie!!
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SarahAhh! I love that first one! Great captures.
Carriecool! I like that first one. I never knew giraffs had black toungs.
MeganCarrie, their tounges are black so they don’t get sunburned. Seriously!