Upon arriving we took a train ride through the African Savanna and got to see zebras, giraffes and lions up close. They currently have two lion cubs on display. They were so cute and playful with each other.
Carson took an old cellphone with him and filmed and photographed may of the animals.
The kids got to see several apes and monkeys on the way to their most favorite thing. Playing in the splash pad and the adjacent playground area. Stella was fascinated by the rings on the tree trunks. She had to get our friend Sally and show her Stella's discovery. She was so proud :)
Andrew loved the water flowing on the ground and followed it to the drain. He was fascinated by how it dropped through the grate underground. He sat there for quite a while trying to catch the water.
The polar bear and sea lions area was fun to watch also. Carson took a great picture of the sea lion who kept swimming right against the glass for the kids to admire.
The polar bear exhibit made me sad. The poor animal kept pacing back and forth in the heat of the day. I'm not certain why it wasn't getting in the water, but I can imagine how it stayed cool.
All of the animals in Asian Highlands area were placed in their holding areas away from the public after an incident in June when a leopard was spotted by zoo visitors outside its exhibits.
Some how the animal had managed to climb through two different fences and was just resting on a beam a few feet away.
Zoo administration decided to temporarily remove all animals until they can figured out how to prevent it from happening again.
Before leaving, we had to stop at the splash pad again so the kids could cool off one more time before the uphill trek back to the car.
Our car, which had been parked in the sun all day was super hot when we got there. To make matters worse, the air conditioning was blowing really hot air. So, we spent the entire drive home with our windows down trying to cool off in whatever way possible. It was quite an adventure!
