Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbia, SC

“Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.”

Lovelle Drachman

     Today was an overcast day and looking like it was going to storm. The weather says there may be thunder storms. Jeannine said, “This is the perfect day to go to the zoo as it will be less crowded and a little cooler than usual.” We agreed right away as we really love this zoo. We packed up our umbrellas and loaded up the car and drove to Columbia, SC which is only 77 miles from home and an easy drive on the interstate. When we arrived, there were a couple of large groups of preschool children coming with their teachers for a field trip. They were all very excited about coming to see this zoo. That brought back memories of how excited I used to get as a child getting to see all the animals at the Philadelphia Zoo. I had a couple of birthday parties there when I was a child and have great memories of running from exhibit to exhibit with my friends and my poor mother running to catch up with us. What a trooper she was. There was a lot of people going to the zoo even with the weather being iffy but it was still easy to get up close and personal to see all the animals.

     We went in and started our adventure with seeing bears. We always enjoy this exhibit as they are always up against the glass so you can really see them up close. Today one of bears was in the water and stepped out just after we got there.

     The lions den exhibit was great as the momma lion, Thabisa had give birth to three baby female cubs in April and they had just named all three. They are Amara, Asha, and Zari. Amara is a Nigerian word for Grace, Asha is Swahili for life, and Zari is Swahili for golden. They were huddled together in a group with mom, Thabisa and dad, Zuri close by. A female lion is pregnant for around 108 days and can have 2 to 6 cubs. Momma did a great and is taking care of her young like a champ. All are doing well.

     The park is so beautiful with all the flowers, trees, and plants that make it so appealing to the eye and is laid out in a fashion that is so easy to get around. The park has 170 acres and opened their doors on April 25, 1974. It is one of South Carolina's largest gated attractions and brings in plenty of visitors. They have events throughout the year here. They show movies some nights here at the park and one of our most special events we like to see is when they light up the park in December with Christmas lights. That is a special time to see the park and how thrilled the children are to see all the lights. The Saluda River borders the zoo and if you want to bring a picnic lunch, there is a nice, shaded picnic area with a path

that you can walk near the river. The park has the zoo section and aquarium    The park is so beautiful with all the flowers, trees, and plants that make it so appealing to the eye and is laid out in a fashion that is so easy to get around. The park has 170 acres and opened their doors on April 25, 1974. It is one of South Carolina's largest gated attractions and brings in plenty of visitors. They have events throughout the year here. They show movies some nights here at the park and one of our most special events we like to see is when they light up the park in December with Christmas lights. That is a special time to see the park and how thrilled the children are to see all the lights. The Saluda River borders the zoo and if you want to bring a picnic lunch, there is a nice, shaded picnic area with a path and on the other side of the river is the botanical garden and splash park for the children. If you pay a little more, the children can do pony riding, a train ride, feed the birds, rock wall for climbing, and go on the merry go round. For the older children, there is a zip line and a challenge area called Conquer the Shy-High Safari. They keep this whole park very clean and rely on a bunch of volunteers and paid workers to run this little paradise. The workers are all very knowledgeable and very nice.

     We all loved the giraffe exhibit where they let you feed them and watch there long tongues come out and eat up the greens given to you as you go up to see them. One little girl, held out her food and the giraffes tongue was long enough to circle her hand. There was lots of squealing with delight. We were thrilled to see a three month old giraffe there standing near her momma. Amelia, was born on April 2, 2018 and at birth was 5' 7” tall and weighed 93 pounds. We were told that giraffes carry their babies for 15 months. She was named in honor of a local 8 year old girl named Amelia who battled brain cancer and passed away in 2014. Amelia is such a beautiful, cute animal and I'm sure the 8 year old Amelia would have loved her.

     There was a baby gorilla that was born in June to Kazi, the mom and Cenzoo, the dad but we didn't get to see the baby or momma today. Kazi carried the baby 8.5 months and we are told a gorilla can have one baby every four years. We are told the family is doing well and mom is taking good care of her baby. We saw the dad but he was laying down resting. He was probably trying to catch up on some sleep that he has been deprived of since the new baby arrived.

     The Komodo Dragons are amazing to watch as of their size. They are the largest and heaviest lizards in the world and can weigh about 154 pounds and one of the only with a venomous bite. They live in only a few Indonesian islands, thankfully and they rely on their sense of smell to find food and use their forked tongue to test the air. They can run up to 13 mph and will wait for hours to get a large meal and attack with deadly force. They will eat things as small as a rodent and as large as a water buffalo. These dragons are very deadly and that is why they are in a very protected area. Scary little buggers, I'd say. They were quite active when we saw them today.

     Now to something a little sweeter. The Koalas are always nice to watch as well as the prairie dogs, and monkeys. I love the penguin display which is fun watching them dive and play in the water having such a grand time. The children loved seeing the pink flamingos standing on one foot near the water. They just giggled as it looked so funny to them. There legs look so fragile. We also saw a huge old tortoise come right up to the wall today to check out the observers. They are so prehistoric looking.

     There are over 2000 animals here so to describe each would take days. Just know it is an outstanding zoo and if you get the chance to go, please do. It is so worth it. There is so much to learn and see here. There are also places to eat while there, gift shops and even a place to grab a beer or a wine and sit and relax for awhile. We will go back again and again. There is always something new to see every time we go. Today was a great day at the zoo.