Cincinnati Zoo

Penguins

I didn't get to see any penguins. There was a special march of the emperor penguins at 11am but I was there around 3pm. Parking was pretty easy and I walked up some stairs and across a bridge into the zoo. My first stop would have been for dippin dots but it was closed. Instead, I followed the signs to the cats.

I found a building labelled, night creatures, or something like that. It was pitch dark at first before I adjusted to the low red lights of the animal enclosures. All of the animals were behind plexiglass. I wasn't allowed to take flash photos and my Nikon casts a small light to check for lighting before taking a photo in low light so I decided to only use my phone. I took my time, admiring the different cats and bats in the dark rooms. I did so as best I could. A few times missed out on some good views because of how close people had to be to the glass and take up the whole place. I tried to stay ahead of the group that kept being in the way at the perfect time. I noticed the fennec fox running around in the circles, nonstop, and realized how sad it must be for them to have such little room to live in. I tell myself that they are most likely rescued or have something else keeping them from being able to survive in the wild, but are they happy being alive here? Are they loved?

Outside in the light, there is a cougar. It looks like you expect a cougar to look. The habitat is full of large rocks and dirt. It is just hanging out. The temperature is slightly warmer than usual, but in the shadows, you can still feel the cold February air. I follow the signs to Africa.

I spot another big cat, a cheetah, in an open environment where we are above its enclosure, looking out at the feline as it trots back and forth on the far edge of the habitat. Is it nervous? Is it anxious? is it stressed out? It is a beautiful animal and it's sad to know how few are left in the wild. I admire the lean and sleek body of the perfectly designed speed machine before moving deeper into Africa.

There's a weird looking goat/gazelle thing, like an Ibex, standing in the middle of huge open plains habitat. It is facing away from me. There are numerous other animals scattered about, but I don't recall them. I travel upwards to find a lion, facing away, but off towards the Ibex thing. The lion is on a big ledge with plexiglass between us. I move opposite the lion to try and take a frontal photo of it basking in the sun. This is a strange place, an imagined plain. 

I find a seperate enclosure next to the plains with a group of Painted Dogs hanging out. I take some photos of them and as I do, there's a strange noise far off behind me, back towards the lion. The lion is making strange sounds, the dogs were acting excitedly. I think nothing of it. I find a large gathering of people nearby, all looking at a huge tank, like you see with otters, walruses, or other semi-aquatic animals. This one has hippopotamuses. I didn't even think about them before then, but they were definitely, the stars of the zoo. A big, lively family. It was growing late, I hadn't been able to find any of the penguins, so I headed towards the exit gate.

I stepped into the gift shop with about twenty minutes to look around. I noticed all the hippo merchandise right up front, which was, alluring, given just getting to see them for myself. The hippos each had names, Fiona, being one of them. I was drawn to a lot of the merchandise because I just love animals, but I tried to think what animal I saw today spoke the most to me. I ended up with a sticker of a hippo for my car. There was a section with pelicans, but I hadn't actually seen any today. The penguins were also not something I got to see. The red panda was hiding indoors as well. I found a mug with a really cool cheetah design on it and remembered I had a Denver Zoo mug with a tiger on it, so I thought it would be perfect for myself. I drank out of it earlier this morning before I started writing any of this, it's a nice mug. 

After leaving the zoo, I had just enough time to get to a mall in Indiana, if I recall correctly.