After many weeks, the boys and I had another visit to the Buenos Aires Zoo. Since the zoo is just a short bus or subway ride away from our apartment (one could even walk, really), it's been a favourite outing of ours from the start.
This time, we spent quite a while with the seals -- as Simon explained to me, these were different from the seals we'd seen in Punta Nimfas, as one could tell by the proboscis.
This time, we spent quite a while with the seals -- as Simon explained to me, these were different from the seals we'd seen in Punta Nimfas, as one could tell by the proboscis.
Who knew?! Anyway, we fed the seals (you can buy some disgusting, slimey fish for a few pesos), then headed off to see the toucans and the Orangutan, for whom we had brought a banana, and who motioned to us with her left hand to throw that sucker over into the enclosure.
The hairy beast greatly enjoyed this treat, carefully unwrapping the delicacy from its skin before devouring it. In the end, she ate the wrapper, too! We lamented the fact that there was only one Orangutan in the enclosure... she seemed bored. Why not have several? There appears to be a lot of building restoration going on in this old zoo, but little focus on animal welfare and mental health. That alone would be a reason to improve ones Spanish, so that one could find out more, and write letters advocating for the animals there. |
Next it was off to see the elephant, who was being fed by a zookeeper. The show was part of a birthday party taking place at the zoo -- children and adults were invited to throw peices of what looked to be yam or squash to the elephant. The large creature used trunk to catch, suck up, and move the morsels to her mouth before shuffling off to another part of the enclosure. She, too, was alone. Strange, given than elephants are social animals.
(click to enlarge)
There are many things I love about the BsAs zoo -- it's a haven of greenery in the midst of an often overwhelmingly concrete city; it's a smallish, accessible zoo that brings humans and animals in close proximity; I love how close visitors can get to the animals, it's a real experience. And the crumbling buildings on site offer a glimpse into the city's rich historical architecture and the evolution of zoos in particular.
But increasingly, I wonder about the health of the animals, and where on the Zoo's (and the city's) list of priorities that lies.
There are many things I love about the BsAs zoo -- it's a haven of greenery in the midst of an often overwhelmingly concrete city; it's a smallish, accessible zoo that brings humans and animals in close proximity; I love how close visitors can get to the animals, it's a real experience. And the crumbling buildings on site offer a glimpse into the city's rich historical architecture and the evolution of zoos in particular.
But increasingly, I wonder about the health of the animals, and where on the Zoo's (and the city's) list of priorities that lies.