You Belong in the Zoo

Today I took my family on a daytrip to the Philadelphia Zoo.  We have a membership there, so we try to go there on the off-chance we have a free weekend day.  Now that the weather is finally nice, we are trying to make a conscious effort to take some time to enjoy the zoo.

We seem to head in the same direction each time we visit the zoo.  We walk in, bear right, visit the Rare Animal Conservation Center, and make our way over to the primates and big cats.  Low and behold, at the end of our visit, we're always whizzing past the giraffes, zebras, bears and other animals on our way out the door, wondering why we NEVER get to see them.  So, today we set off on a new direction.  We didn't know where we were headed, but we knew we were going to see some animals that we don't usually see on our zoo visits.

I'll have to admit that I don't remember ever seeing the giraffes and zebras today, but we saw animals that we've never seen at the Philadelphia Zoo.  We've had a membership there for two years, and we had never seen otters there before.  The exhibit is somewhat hidden, but I'm glad we decided to take that path today.  My kids were so excited that the zoo had "new animals" this time, and my 7 year old was snap-happy with my camera trying to take photos of every one of them.

We also made a visit to the Small Mammal House.  Although we have been to that exhibit before, it's been so long that it was new to my kids.  Here, there is a nocturnal mammal area.  My kids loved watching "porcupines" walking around in the "night".  And, although they thought it was "stinky", they also enjoyed watching the meerkats skatter around their exhibit.

The zoo usually has some type of temporary exhibit each year to keep things new and fresh.  This year, they have a program called X-tink-shun, a wild puppet x-perience. X-tink-shun is an organization of endangered (and one extinct) animals that have come together to teach zoo visitors about the importance of  animal conservation.  It's taken me more than one zoo visit to fully understand what X-tink-shun is, so let me make it easier for you. 





Igor the Tiger performs in X-tink-shun


• There are 7 animals in the X-tink-shun cast.  They "perform" at various stages set up throughout the zoo.  Each performance lasts about 15 minutes and repeats throughout the day.  Each animal (puppet) teaches kids (and, adults, too!) about where they live (or lived), why they are endangered and what we can do to help animal conservation.  The kids can interact with the animals and are free to ask questions. 
• The X-tink-shun parade performs daily.  Check for showtimes when you arrive because I think they vary depending on the day of the week.  During this small parade, visitors are invited to march around Bird Lake, carrying self-made paper bag hand puppets and signs promoting your efforts in animal conservation.  You can make the puppets and signs at a table set up near the lake.  I marched around the lake with my 3 kids carrying signs that read "Extinction Stinks" and "Hail the Creatures".  Although the kids had fun marching and chanting "Extinction Stinks", this is not the kind of parade you line up to watch like you would in a theme park.  It's more of a participatory activity for the kids.  It was quick, it was something new to do, and it's only at the zoo for a limited time.
• In addition to these performances, there is a new X-tink-shun 3-minute movie in the Big Cat Falls theater.
• The X-tink-shun exhibits will be ongoing at the zoo through October 31st.

Even though we took a different route today, we made an effort to make some of our more regular stops as well.  We watched gorillas chase each other around the Primate Preserve, we took a ride on the Amazon Rainforest Carousel, and we made a visit to the Children's Zoo.  We had a fun time in the Children's Zoo petting goats, riding ponies and looking at just-hatched chicks.  But, we are very much looking forward to the brand NEW Children's Zoo that is currently under construction.  Although we love our zoo and all that it has to offer, it's nice to be surprised to find new things from time to time.



Brushing goats and sheep in the Children's Zoo