Phoenix Zoo

[Ensign Steve]

According to the irrefutable and infallible source that is my friend, somebody somewhere declared the Phoenix Zoo to be America's best zoo for kids. After our visit there on New Years Day, I couldn't agree more. I was blown away with how hands-on it is.

Here they are feeding the giraffe:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5204/5337957268_cfa14bc717.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337957268/)
Yum! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337957268/) by ensignsteve (http://www.flickr.com/people/ensignsteve/), on Flickr

We got to go right inside the spider monkey enclosure and the monkeys that were bold enough to get too close to the people (ie: all of them) got sprayed with the water bottle like damn cats in training.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5337336307_8569a08675.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337336307/)
monkeys (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337336307/) by ensignsteve (http://www.flickr.com/people/ensignsteve/), on Flickr

We got to pet and hand-feed the stingrays. Here, have a video of that:

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After all that, the generic farm petting zoo with the goats wasn't much to write home about, but that didn't stop me!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5161/5337942680_3ffae16f9e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337942680/)
Petting zoo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337942680/) by ensignsteve (http://www.flickr.com/people/ensignsteve/), on Flickr

Besides, they had super pretty chickens (no petting, though):

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/5337963172_4aeea17700.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337963172/)
chicken (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337963172/) by ensignsteve (http://www.flickr.com/people/ensignsteve/), on Flickr

The rest of the pics are here: Phoenix Zoo - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/sets/72157625780161706/)

[Ensign Steve]

I couldn't get a very good view on this guy but that's okay because he has a nametag:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5338119728_fef8f3e6b8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5338119728/)
So cute! What is it? (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5338119728/) by ensignsteve (http://www.flickr.com/people/ensignsteve/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5284/5337511785_e6dca23f35.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337511785/)
fennec fox (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ensignsteve/5337511785/) by ensignsteve (http://www.flickr.com/people/ensignsteve/), on Flickr

[BrotherMan]

:sadcheer: No petting the unnameable cute thing.

[beyelzu]

Feeding the stingrays was incredibly fun, it made me feel like a little kid.

The most interesting thing about being up close to the giraffe was just how big its head was. Just huge, that doesn't come through in pictures.

[mulebear]

I wanted to see Giraffe in the wild, but we were too far south of their usual range.

Sonoma Bear has fond memories of staying at a ranch in Tsavo that was only accessible by plane. The ranch owner had to buzz Giraffe off of the airstrip before they could land. When we go back to Africa, I'll have to make sure that a flight over the countryside is part of the trip.

Thanks for the pictures. Y'all look like you had a lot of fun.

[mulebear]

:sadcheer: No petting the unnameable cute thing.

It's a fenn...

Aw fuck it. Never mind.

[ITSOZAZ]

is that the holy spirit shingin down on you and that goat?

[Ensign Steve]

It sure looks like it, and I could feel it, too, judging by the expression on my face. Obviously all the angels in heaven want me to mate with this goat. Or make it my god and do its bidding. It's hard to tell with angels. But who am I to argue?

[freemonkey]

We had a pet spider monkey when I was a kid. Cute and loud and masterbated a lot.

[Sonoma Bear]

We had a pet spider monkey when I was a kid. Cute and loud and masterbated a lot.

Sounds like Doctor X, except for the cute part... :P

[livius drusus]

I love chickens with afros. :headasplode:

[Crumb]

Racist!

[livius drusus]

It's an established fact (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3647) that I am worse than Hitler.

[BrotherMan]

I love chickens with afros. :headasplode:

:unrun:

eta:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/outersanctum/afrochicken.png

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

So cool! You guys are a seriously :^^ couple, as well.

If you're ever in the area, I recommend the Memphis Zoo. It has an Ancient Egypt theme and a huge selection of animals (including pandas!). :)

[Watser?]

I recommend the Memphis Zoo. It has an Ancient Egypt theme

Of course it does, it IS in ancient Egypt.

[Ymir's blood]

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g225/manga_girl84/Costumes/ElvisPharohfromJoseph.jpg

[Qingdai]

When I was a kid (and dinosaurs stalked the earth) you could feed the giraffes at the Portland zoo. I remember that, also those chickens with afros are called polish rock hens.
Some of my neighbors have them and the black people in the neighborhood frequently comment on them.

[Angakuk]

When I was a kid (and single celled organisms stalked the earth) the San Diego Zoo had peanut dispensers at various locations around the zoo (e.g. near the monkey cages and the elephant enclosure). However, in front of the camel enclosure there was one that dispensed RyKrisp crackers that you could feed to the camels. My sister and I, not being familiar with RyKrisps, called them camel crackers. To this day I continue to think of RyKrisps as camel crackers.