Happy Happy Zoo Zoo

A day out at Whipsnade Zoo today. It was a touch on the pricey side (£42.00 for a family ticket and another £3.00 for parking), and some of the animals were hiding (which was not really surprising given the hot weather) but on the whole we had an excellent time. Whipsnade is a well spread out zoo, with a lot of the animals in large and varied paddocks. You can take your car in, but there is a free bus that runs around the periphery which is probably easier than trying to park at each viewing point. I know that there are good arguments against keeping animals in captivity, but I am happy to support the conservation and research work that the zoos undertake.

Whipsnade is set high up on the downs and at lunch time we had our picnic in a shady spot with a view that stretched uninterupted to the far horizon with nothing but gliders swooping and whirling in the way. Absolutely spectacular.

The highlights of the day were seeing the giraffes - something about them is utterly unlike just about every other animal that I can think of. Not just their extraordinary size but their alien faces and demeanour seem to set them apart. The bald eagle free flying display was spectacular, even more so given the bird's break for a cooler vantage point on top of a nearby chimney. Finally, we saw some newly hatched chameleons that were less than a centimeter long and looked like intricate models until their tiny eyes started swivelling around.