A Zoo-per Time

It's been a long time since I last visited the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Probably more than 20 years have passed and it looks great.

There were a lot of familiar exteriors and recognizable attractions on the grounds, but a lot of new features and a lovely landscape.

The day of our visit was practically perfect. Sunny skies and an afternoon high in the mid-70s.

The elephants, Ruth and Brittany, were out and about like many of the animals during the cool morning.

Jaguars at Milwaukee Co  Zoo

A pair of Jaguars with penetrating eyes and beautiful coats were in the Big Cats building. The Tigers, Cheetahs, Snow Leopards, and Lions were mostly enjoying the summer day outside.

I was glad to see many of the old enclosures and cages were replaced with more spacious grounds.

The modern zoo is parts entertainment, education, and Noah's Ark.

The Grizzly Bear brothers put on quite a display of horsing around while we watched.  Whether play or not - it was enough to see how these creatures are near the top of the food chain.

Grizzly Bears at Milwaukee Co. Zoo

 The entertainment captures the hearts and minds of children and their parents.  But the entertainment comes in being up close to such magnificent creatures.

I think for many of us, we develop our love of nature and the animals who live in it when we see them in person.

TV shows and documentary movies can whet our whistle, but in near proximity is where they capture our hearts.

The Noah's Ark piece of the puzzle is where the zoos come into play in preserving species through research and breeding programs in conjunction with other zoos.

This blog isn't going to chime in or attempt to reach a conclusion on the existence of zoos.

My thought is they serve an important purpose of letting us enjoy time among some of the unique creatures with which we share the globe.

Just a couple hours walking the grounds of the Milwaukee Zoo took me back to trips here with mom and dad, and remind me what an amazing world we share.