by Debra Au
Daily Lobo
Times sure have changed.
The last time I was at the zoo was around the same time I was sporting the light-up sneakers, jewelry I made in Girl Scouts and a "101 Dalmatians" backpack with all the Lisa Frank accessories. "Full House" was my favorite TV show, and I had the biggest crush on Zack Morris from "Saved by the Bell." Weren't the 1990s the best time to be a kid?
So when I just revisited the place of many a class field trip, I was surprised to find that the Rio Grande Zoo had matured and expanded during the last decade. You may think the only time it is acceptable to go to the zoo is during kindergarten through 4th grade, but think again. Seeing exotic animals rarely becomes mundane.
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Arriving at the zoo on a cloudy Saturday morning - yep, I broke my weekend ritual of sleeping until noon, the things a poor college student will do for a paycheck - I could still feel the magic of knowing that I was entering a completely different world. Entering the zoo is like leaving everything behind; gone is the dusty, xeriscaped, treeless landscape of Albuquerque as I traveled into this land of strange animal sounds and 4-year-olds.
Being a little under the weather and seeming as though it would begin to rain any second, I decided I should have a plan of action instead of just meandering through the grounds. Visiting 1,000 animals that are categorized into about 250 species over a whopping 64 acres is a daunting task for even the most motivated animal-lover.
Being a fan of all things tropical, the "Tropical America" was first on my list. Here, you can find a whole range of species: parrots, monkeys, flamingos and even turtles. I don't recommend the turtles so much because, well, they're turtles. Not exactly the most fast-paced "ohhhh" and "ahhhh" sort of attraction - for that, you have to walk around the bend and over to the lion section.
They're the staple of every zoo - the polar bears. Hardly any other exhibit can make you say, "How the heck can something from the arctic even survive in New Mexico?" But whatever the answer is, the polar bears are here and they're everyone's favorite gentle giants, especially when they dive into their pools or float on fake pieces of ice.
Having seen "The Lion King" umpteen times and falling in love with the Animal Kingdom exhibit at Walt Disney World as a kid, I had to see what "Adventure Africa" has to offer. Throughout the park, there's a rustic railway that can take you to this jungle. All the best and beautiful of Africa's Serengeti and beyond are encompassed here - the zebras, hippos, cheetahs and warthogs and many more make up this exhibit.
Getting back on the train, I visited the land from down under - the Australia section. The Albuquerque Zoo, with this exhibit, now boasts a prestigious rank - it's one of the few zoos in the country that has koalas. Truthfully, while they're fun to look at, they aren't exactly the most fun animals to watch. At least they're cuter than the turtles.
In all, revisiting the zoo made me feel like a kid again. For one afternoon, I was able to forget that I was in the beginning stages of contracting whatever flu-like disease was circulating through my apartment and remember what it was like be carefree again. The chimps are just as amusing as they were years ago, and the giraffes can humble anyone's height. Seeing the flights of the exotic birds made me reminisce on the time when I was equally free. In elementary school there are no 3,000-word essays to write or scholarships to apply for.
The zoo is just the place to experience midterm catharsis during Spring Break - ditch the homework and laugh with hyenas. Take some time off from work to see the warthogs and leave campus to see a real-life lobo.
