“People forget the good that zoos do if it weren’t for zoos.
We would have so many species that would be extinct today.”
Betty
White
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| Koala |
My
daughter decided to take the children to the zoo on March, Friday
13th since they had been begging to go see the animals and
they had a half day at school. Joe and I loaded up in her 12
passenger van with Jeannine and her nine children, and rode up the
highway to Columbia to see the animals. We figured it would be the
perfect day to go since most kids were in school but it was quite the
opposite. There were loads of school children there. When we
arrived the parking lot, it was about half full and was filling up
fast.
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| Malayan Tapir |
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| Lorikeet |
We
unloaded the excited crew and headed to the entrance. The children
were great and lined up quickly in a row with Joe as the leader,
Jeannine in the middle, and myself, bringing up the rear. That is
the only way to be able to watch all those children as we went
through the zoo. We sure did get looks from many people as we herded
so many children from place to place.
The
first stop was to see the sea lion and seal show. The children
loved it and were fascinated by how smart they were. The trainers
would raise one arm and the seals would raise the same arm. Or the
trainer would do the sign for turning around, or playing dead, or get
back in the water. They succeeded in everything they were taught
and were rewarded with some nice fish. It was a great show and very
entertaining.
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| Western Lowland Gorilla momma and baby |
From
there we headed to our favorite place in the zoo and that was to go
see the Western Lowland Gorillas and their babies. They were all
outside when we went to see them with both moms carrying their babies
on their backs. The babies clung to mom as she walked around.
Later they found a spot to sit and relax with their babies. The
babies are so cute and we love watching the caring behaviors they
have to their young. They are amazing creatures that make us smile.
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| Look at the tongue on that giraffe |
The
giraffes are always a hit with the children since they can get some
greens and feed them. They giggle like crazy when there long tongue
comes out reaching for the food. The giraffes also have a baby and
it is great fun watching the baby walking around with mom.
This
zoo has over 2,000 animals and is laid out in a beautiful design over
the 170 acres that is the zoo. They also have an inspiring and
gorgeous botanical gardens to see that just gets prettier all the
time as the gardens change for all the seasons.
Today
after visiting the animals, we headed across the bridge over the
Saluda River to go to the water sections, playgrounds, and botanical
gardens. We loaded up on the tram and headed up the hill to the play
areas and gardens. For the children, just the tram car is as
exciting as any ride. We were surprised the water section was
already open. The water was chilly, the children had a great time
going through the water. Of course we didn’t want them to get
soaked, but you know it, they sure did. They love that section of
the zoo and had a great time.
Then
we headed to the botanical gardens which was lovely. The garden is
laid out with a water feature in the middle with fountains spraying
up. The water displays are accented the gorgeous gardens. They
have done such a good job with the gardens with so many unusual
trees, flowers, and shrubberies. They have a vegetable garden section
also to see.
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| Grizzly Bear |
The
grizzly bears were fun to see that day as they were so active. One
was walking around and the other was sitting in the deep pool of
water with her head up. She seemed to be really enjoying it as if
she was sitting in a hot tub. It was fun watching them move about.
Lastly before we left, we enjoyed watching the river otters who
were very active swimming around in their pond and jumping off the
rocks.
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| Joe hold a fallen flower |
We
enjoyed everything we saw that day at the zoo. We talked to some of
the workers about Novel Coronavirus. They were glad to be open that
day but didn’t know what would happen in the future. When I went
to get the children popcorn and a drink for myself, they had changed
their system where there was one lady who grab a cup and filled it up
with ice and a drink for me. She was wearing gloves and told me no
one could touch the cups. All the workers wore gloves and there was
no touching people at all. I was glad to see they had taken
precautions. Let me just state, they we brought a jug of hand
sanitizer with us and there were sanitizer stations throughout the
park. Every time on of the children touched anything, we had them
sanitize. Most people were doing the same.
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| Zip Line |
We
had a lovely day at the zoo and were so glad we went. It ended up
that the zoo was to close to the public starting on Monday, March
16th until at least the end of the month. If you go to
their website now: www.riverbanks.org
they states the animals are doing fine. Check there for when the
zoo will reopen. Until then, go on their website and look at all
their magnificent animals to see at the Riverbanks Zoo. What an
amazing place to visit.
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| Bathroom stalls. Love the doors. |
Until
next time. Stay safe and be smart and I pray you will stay healthy.
Bye for now.
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