I have to admit that I am completely amazed. Amazed by the Metrozoo. I had a bad impression of the zoo and for very good reasons: 1) It's a million miles away (that means down south near Homestead); 2) I heard it has lots of "land" which, in Miami terms means lots of swampy scruff land with some palms and lots of bushes and telephone wires; 3) I really didn't think Miami had its stuff together enough to actually plan something that made sense and 4) I heard the animals are so over it that they barely look at you when you gaze their way. I was completely wrong - again!
I went on a weekday which is highly recommended (No screaming kids, abnoxious kids taunting the animals - it was perfect). No one was around and it felt like we had the whole zoo to ourselves. The animals were curious wondrous creatures and there were so many species I had never seen before. I was spoiled in New Orleans where I lived a block from the zoo and could wander its beautiful paths anytime I wanted but found the Miami Metrozoo to be just as much fun and beautiful. The experience is like being in an animal park and an aboretum where you can see tropical flowers and vegetation growing like we live on the Equator. One of my favorite exhibits is the Meerkat habitat (it's no Meerkat Manor but it's close): http://www.nbc6.net/news/15033098/detail.html. The keeper feeds them worms and crickets and they dig around for hours looking for their meals. Sometimes, the keeper told me, people think that they are dead because they tire themselves out looking for their tasty morsels.
The Zoo is really a nice place to go. For $2 you can feed the giraffes. And right now there is a 3 month old there trying to figure out how to eat the leaves off the branches that you dangle in front of its face. It's adorable. You really have to go if you haven't gone before. I will upload some photos soon - and am contemplating becoming a member. Please visit the site and if you're in the area try to visit. If no one will go with you, I am always down: http://www.miamimetrozoo.com/.
2 comments:
i love the zoo, i went a few years ago with a friend and we had a total blast!
I know! I was totally amazed with the zoo. I was expecting it to be kind of dirty, grungy and mal-planned (like Miami) and like an African savannah wrapped into one, but, well minus the African savannah part, it isn't! It's beautiful and I want to go all the time.
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