Zoo Tales: I Like Big Butts

It has been years since I last went to the zoo. Although, admididly, I have been more as an adult than I ever did as a child.

This visit took place on an overcast and muggy day. The animals were obviously uncomfortable in the humidity too, because upon review of my photographs I found that I'd taken a load of pics of what I can only describe as unimpressed butts. Yup, butts of tigers, bums of elephants, rears of zebras, and the derriere of one tortoise who I'm pretty sure was posing for the camera.Over the shoulder, over the shoulder!

I really wanted to see the gorilla, but he was unavailable, remodelling his enclosure apparently. 

The butterflies were also high on my list of 'must sees'. Melbourne Zoo has a Butterfly House, and I have a distinct memory of visiting it many, many years ago with my grandmother. It's a memory that's not entirely clear, but I recall the happiness bringing me to share that experience brought her.

It's warm in the Butterfly House, but despite the rivers of sweat running down my back I could have spent hours in there. There's something calming about having to stand still enough for a butterfly to land on your head, shoulder or hand. They're fascinating creatures and beautiful to watch as they float around effortlessly.

The concentration on sustainability was unexpected as I hadn't read ahead on the Melbourne Zoo website. Ocean litter, particularly discarded fishing lines, is the focus of the seal show, and the display on the impact of unsustainable palm oil on the habitats of orangutans is quite affecting.

And so it was here that I had an unanticipated reaction. I was shocked by the emotion I felt as I stood and watched the orangutan family in their enclosure. I spent a lot of time watching them - the dad, the mum and the youngster. I was struck by how absolutely human they were. In fact, I'm still unsure of whether we were watching them or if they were watching us. While dad wasn't having a bar of it, mum very deliberately peered back at me through the window into the enclosure, while the young fella knowingly put on a show for his audience.

It reminded me of something one of the keepers had said earlier in the day, at the meerkat enclosure. Apparently the behaviour of meerkats doesn't change too much when in captivity. The opposite was something we observed of just about every other mammal we visited, most of which appeared painfully aware of being on show and of where the food came from. I guess this is something that comes with the territory when you're visiting the zoo.

A visit to the zoo is a great educational experience and a wonderful day out. It's perfect for kids big and small, and if you can stretch that little bit further I'd say the 'up-close' experiences will give you something extra to take away - it's definitely the way I'd do it next time. Most major cities have a zoo, with a number of regional and rural locations having their own smaller sanctuaries too.

-Stevie O'C