Mommy's wonderful friend Ashley in Oklahoma gave Mommy, Daddy, and Parker a membership to the Smithsonian Zoo for a parting gift. The zoo is free, but the membership gives us free parking (saving $22 every time we go!) and so we can go anytime we want for a few hours to enjoy the animals and good weather. Our first visit definitely didn't disappoint. Mommy has been to lots of zoos, but this might be the best ever!
Our first stop was to the lions. There was one male and three female lions. We were early in the morning so the animals were very active. Have you ever really witnessed a male lion roar? We hadn't, but this lion didn't let us down!
Roar!
Parker loves turtles. And this one (a snake-neck turtle) seemed equally interested in him! What do turtles say? "Snap! Snap!"
At the Smithsonian Zoo the Orangutans have the run of the zoo! Bonnie, the female oldest Orangutan is often found touring the zoo high above on the "ropes" suspended high in the air. They are basically allowed to go wherever they want in the zoo. I have never seen anything like it!
Watch out for Bonnie though! Rumor has it that if she doesn't think you are paying attention to her she will spit on you from above!
Parker LOVES elephants! They are definitely his favorite animal. Whenever we talk about the zoo he talks about the elephants. The elephants at the Smithsonian Zoo are having a new habitat built for them, but you can still visit them in their current home.
Parker pays close attention to the elephants so he doesn't miss a thing!
We had a really great day at the zoo and I can tell this will be a regular outing for the family! It is only about 15 minutes from the house and such a great place!
