animals

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The Columbus Zoo

We have been to Zoo’s all over the country, but my all- time favorite is the Columbus Zoo which I grew up with. The Columbus Zoo objectively is in the top five in the country, but for sheer size and variety for me it’s the best. So, when we moved back to town it was high on our list but got bumped to the top when Lee learned they had a Red Panda Experience. Neither one of us knew what to expect from that but we knew the Zoo was a sure thing so we headed out bright and early on a Sunday and got there when it opened. Oh I should also mention that Jack Hanna ran this Zoo for many years. His contribution to putting the Zoo on the map is unparalleled and he is a local hero for what he managed to do. I’ve met him a few times and he is exactly like he is on TV !!

For those of you who don’t go to Zoo’s often I think morning is the best time. Sometimes you catch the feedings, and the animals are more active with the cooler weather. Turns out we had an absolutely gorgeous day with temps reaching 68 degrees, bright sunshine and a slight breeze.

WE had some time until the Red Panda experience, so we started walking the Zoo. By the end of the day we had over 10,000 steps and didn’t even cover it all. It’s a BIG place. First up was Africa and the lions were in fine form. One male in particular was super vocal and we watched him for a long time.

Next was Asia with awesome Asian elephants and a super chill sun bear.

They have multiple buildings also for different biomes which I enjoy particularly because for the nocturnal animals they keep them in the dark which is cool. They also had an area where you could go in and feed parrots which was super cool.

One of my favorites is a GIANT manatee tank which the Zoo uses to help rehabilitate manatees that are hurt in Florida. It was a giant project to build and funded by local businesses (many of the exhibits are) which to my mind is a great collaboration between the zoo and businesses.

Look at that smiley face

Two of my other favorite exhibits bring me back to my childhood. The giant tortoises have been there since I was small child and the first Gorilla born in captivity was born at the Columbus Zoo and I spent many visits in the gorilla area which was fantastically innovative. Now almost all Gorilla habitats are like this but at the time it was revolutionary and privately funded by a local woman who loved gorillas.

By far though the highlight of the day was the Red Panda experience. Our guide explained to us that during Covid the staff was trying to figure out a way to raise extra money and the experience was born. By design it was a very small group of 4 people, our volunteer guide, and the handler. We received a short orientation and then were taken into their habitat!! That was totally unexpected, and it was cool how fast they came over to us. That’s because we were each given a small number of treats to feed them and wow was that special. We weren’t allowed to pet them perse but when feeding them they brushed against our hands and were super soft. Lee was like a little kid with joy, and I am so glad we did this. Amazing!

We were allowed to ask any question we wanted to and we learned that Red Pandas can overheat in temps higher than 68 degrees. These guys actually have dens with ac units they can go into on hot days and few zoos in the south have them. Everyone was really nice and it truly was a once in a lifetime experience. They have more experiences available and next time I think I would like to wash an elephant!!

This picture says it all

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

  • You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
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First Time at Santa Barbara Zoo

About a year ago Lee became absolutely obsessed with Red Pandas. I think it started with You Tube videos, but whatever the reason he talks about Red Pandas all the time and is constantly sending me videos of them.

Not our photo, but a pretty good representation of how adorable they are. When they feel afraid or threatened, they stand up and put their paws up high to try to be larger, and intimidating and scary. They’re not.

So because I try to be a good wife I started looking for a zoo where we could see one in person and it turned out the Santa Barbara Zoo has one. We had also heard about this zoo from our friend Georgia so it was on our list and once the 100 degree weather broke we headed out to see the zoo.

I really wanted to get there right when they opened on Sunday and I am so glad we did. Not only were all of the animals very activem, but we also got to see quite a lot of them being fed which led to increased enjoyment. It’s a smaller zoo but absolutely beautiful and they had their Halloween displays up which was an extra treat.

Our first stop was the Red Panda and wow was that great. It was being fed and was super active and man are they super cute. I think Lee could have stayed there all day but eventually I got him to move on.

They really make the most of the space that they have and the zoo has a large events field and even a daycare on the premises which is pretty neat. The signage is good as well with lots of interesting kid friendly facts.

The daycare / camp area is fenced in
Don’t worry there was glass here. IT was really clean which was nice

Lee’s second favorite stop was the gorillas. He spent a ton of time there but as the sign above says it was a little smelly and I wandered off to look at the California condors. This was the closest I have seen them and their sheer size is really impressive. I couldn’t get any good pictures of them but I watched them for a long time.

Had to do it !!

The two disappointing areas were the poor lions who had a relatively small space and the Australian walkabout. It’s a neat idea getting to walk inside the kangaroo pen but they just laid there and it was pretty boring.

I did like how close we could get

The giraffe area was VERY nice and they even had a feeding opportunity for kids for an additional cost.

Feeding platform

There were lots of really good small areas, like the turtles and the penguins, It only takes a couple of hours to go through the park but it was fun because we got to see so many animals eating.

My absolute favorite though was the otters. They had a large play area with a platform that was high on one side and then a glassed in swimming area. I stayed there for a long time because they were so fun to watch.

Seriously how stinking cute

We made a stop at the gift store (buying some Red Panda tote bags of course) and then headed home. It was a lovely drive and a great walk and I am really glad we came. Can’t stress enough though it’s worth getting there right when they open because that really added to the fun.

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

  • You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
  • You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes