Monday At The Zoo

My sister Susan and I went to the Denver Zoo this past Monday to see the new baby lion, which has recently been allowed to go outside in what one zoo volunteer referred to as the "maternity den." We arrived just after noon and found a long line to get a look at the cub.  This line, as well as the zoo in general, was packed with mothers pushing baby strollers, school groups, senior citizens, as well as other assorted zoo visitors.  When we finally got to the glass window looking into the compound, the baby was sleeping behind it's mother, completely out of sight.  It did poke his head up a couple of times, but my sister was not able to see it due to sun glare.  However, the cub's father, Tobias, was very visible indeed, sitting in front of the glass watching the long line of visitors pass by, as seen in the photograph on the left.

We finally gave up and decided to check out the rest of the zoo, but since it was a fairly warm day, many of the animals, such as the tigers and bears, were either inside, enjoying the air conditioning, or else outside, sleeping in the shade, backs turned to zoo guests. How inconsiderate.  In any case, after making a tour of the zoo, we returned to the lion compound, saw no line whatsoever, and found that the baby lion was up and about and exploring it's surroundings.  I was able to snap the photograph on the right of it sitting by the gate, although the glare from the sun made it very hard to get a good shot.  If the zoo would only allow us to go into it's compound, we would be able to take photos from the opposite direction, and maybe even get a chance to pet Tobias, the 2 female lions quartered there, and the baby.  Now wouldn't that be a much more interactive experience for zoo visitors?

After visiting the lions for the second time, we also stopped by the leopard cage, where I took the photograph on the left.  The lions and tigers both have a fairly large area in which to roam, but this poor leopard is stuck inside a small cage, which I think is kind of cruel.  I really believe they should find a much larger space for this creature, and if they can't, send it to another zoo where it can roam and run around like it was meant to do.  Of course, they could just let it run free around the zoo grounds, but I know those stuffed shirts that run the place would shoot down that idea.  Those damn SOBs.