Memorial Day Weekend: The Zoo
On Saturday, after filling up at IHOP, we brought Charlotte to the Turtleback Zoo in West Orange.
To Charlie, the paying customers were just as compelling as the otters and tigers and bears.
From November 2004 until March 2009, the zoo’s park & ride was my bus stop. In all those commutes, I never once wandered inside. That’s a shame, because inside there are some cool animals and bizarre signage:
Perhaps that preventative medicine program could use a treadmill.
Charlotte didn’t know what to make of the carousel, but Ellen loved it.
It was very important to know how Charlotte measured up to the penguins.
She towered over this one.
She’s used to animals being roughly five times her size. Like Bailey.
Speaking of Bailey, this red panda kind of looks like her.
We didn’t pet the petting zoo animals, but Charlotte had a staring contest with a goat.
It ended in a draw.
All in all, it was a great afternoon. We’ll be back in a few weeks to see if that pig ever moved.
Andréa Said,
May 25, 2009 @ 9:52 am
Another great NJ zoo (though I’m not sure how far from you it would be) is Popcorn Park Zoo. They take in any animals that were abused, exploited, abandoned, injured, or that are sick or elderly. When I went years ago, there was an elephant with a hole in its trunk taking care of a family of baby ducks. http://www.ahscares.org/page2.asp?page=popcornpark&style=2