Lions, Tigers and Bears... Oh my!

Okay, there were no bears, or tigers, but I did see a very playful group of lions on my trip to the National Zoo! On a very hot day several weeks ago, I decided to go to the zoo with a group of friends. Little did I know, the animals were in no mood to model for the curious tourists.

We searched high and low, but quickly discovered that half of the animals could not stand the heat. Most hid under logs, scurried into dens and lurked from well-shaded trees. However, some animals were willing to appeases us! Of course the pandas were the stars of the show. Chomping on bamboo, the cute (not so little) creatures did not mind the flash of cameras and screams of joy. One of the workers kindly, and jokingly, told us that she has never been able to hold the babies because there is too high of a threat that she will sneak them home as pets.

Yet, it was not all about the pandas. We also caught a glimpse of strange birds whose names I could not pronounce, a cheetah that was in no mood to run, elephants that were surprisingly not in their large pool, and of course the lions! The lions enjoyed the weather. Some relaxed in the shade, a few laid by the pond, others played tug-of-war with an old blanket, and a few others decided to start a wrestling match. I was highly entertained.

The most fascinating fella, however, was the gorilla. To be frank, he was bored. He paced back and forth in his indoor space, sat down and scratched a little, looked at us, and gazed out of the window. His mannerisms were so human-like, it was a little bizarre. Did I mention he was huge?

Overall, I enjoyed my time at the National Zoo. I loved seeing the animals that decided to come out of their hiding places, and especially the lions who were having quite a good time. I do wish the weather was a bit nicer, but that only gives me a reason to go back! Although the zoo was very large and equated to quite the work out, I would have loved to see more space for the animals to roam. The National Zoo is also free. If anyone has time, I would recommend going!

-Aiesha White