NC Zoo

We hadn't been to the North Carolina Zoo since Spring Break last year (coincidentally, also on Tuesday), but the kids remembered lots of things there that they wanted to see again. We wandered for five hours, and all three of us were worn out by the end. Here are some highlights of our visit.

It's always fun watching the sea lions swim in their tank. Well, unless your mother makes you stand there forever trying to get a good picture (worse than trying to judge the timing, is trying to get a shot without other people in the way).


The polar bear was having a blast playing with his ball in the water. He kept tossing it into the air, then diving underwater to retrieve it. Lots of fun to watch, but once again hard to judge the timing to get a good picture.


He tired of his game eventually and climbed onto a big rock to lay in the sun. But first, a good shake to dry himself off.


The kids remembered this polar bear cave, and kept clamoring to play in it while I was trying to take pictures. They crawled around pretending to be polar bears, and took turns curling up in a "bed" inside.


Yes, I had to crawl inside the cave to take this picture.


I don't think the kids have been to the aviary before, certainly not on our last visit. Boo was fascinated by the flamingos outside, especially how they stand on one leg and tuck their head under their wing. And the display of pecking order enthralled them both -- the birds establish their dominance between one another, just like Cooper and Snowy.


One of Boo's Marilyn moments. She loved the air grates inside the aviary.


I think this is a Scarlet Ibis. They were one of the prettiest birds wandering around, as were the Victoria Crowned Pigeons.


There were lots of sights up in the trees as well, including a couple of parrots and this birds nest. You need good eyes in the aviary.


Like the flamingos, the chimpanzees put on a display of pecking order for us. This male chased another around making lots of noise before climbing high and making even more noise.


I can't remember if this was the same chimp or not, but one of the chimpanzees sat down in front of the window for a while. All the kids clustered around, and he observed them just as intently as they observed him.


He fooled around a bit, pulling faces. Just look at those teeth! Why would anyone want to keep one of these as a pet?


I'm pretty sure this is the same chimp after he wandered down the window a bit, but it may be another. They were quite active, perhaps due to the warm, sunny weather.


We saw lots more animals, though none of the others put on as good a show. The kids also climbed on everything possible: the Cattail Gate, Zoological Egg Rest, Garden Friends Playground, Elephant-tracking Helicopter, and the Elephant, Dung Beetles, Chimpanzee Troupe, and Lioness and Cub statues.