If you’re a regular reader than you know that we love a good zoo. It needs to be safe and reputable for the animals in its care, but we feel they’re a valuable resource for learning about animals and for animal conservation around the world.
During my recent hometown takeover I went to my local zoo, the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, VA, to spend time with friends and see the improvements that are constantly ongoing to improve the quality of life for their animals.
As I was with small friends (3 year old twins and their mom between their brother’s school hours), we didn’t see the whole zoo this time, but here’s a taste for you and I highly recommend a full visit if you’re in the area.
Some of the great things about the Virginia Zoo is that there’s free parking, a reasonable fee (at the time of writing only $8 per adult) and a huge open courtyard that you come into upon entry. You can snap a picture of the map and make your way around the zoo at a leisurely pace. The day we visited was the perfect mix of cool breezes and warm sunshine, so the animals were out and about in most of the enclosures. We each chose an animal to visit, starting with the tigers.
There are three male tigers at the Virginia Zoo. One male is on his own and the other two are his sons (they’re brothers) are released together but separately from their father. The single male tiger was doing a perimeter check of his enclosure and paced back and forth.
Next to the tiger enclosure were the orangutans and Sofie was out with her mom close to the window. She was very photogenic. EDIT SINCE POSTING: Sadly, Sofie passed away after a serious illness on November 18, 2019.
We made our way towards the lions and found tortoises and meerkats sunning themselves. We were really intrigued by the way all the tortoises were sleeping with all their limbs and heads out of their shells. Because a tortoise is a reptile, they need sun to warm up because their bodies don’t generate their own heat.
The lions were out, but they were off to the side where the viewing wasn’t great without pressing your face to a window. But they seemed to be enjoying their nap in the sunny morning grass – and really, who wouldn’t?
We passed the rhinos between the lions and giraffes. They weren’t on our list but they were all out and active. Up and down, one was scooting around having a little jog. They were beautiful all together in the sun.
The giraffes ended up being a really special experience. We saw a giraffe drinking the urine of another and we thought “ew, gross!” until my friend remembered why this is. The male giraffe hits his head on the female giraffes bladder to make her urinate, then he drinks the urine to check if she’s fertile! One of those cool, but gross, parts of nature that you don’t always get to witness. We don’t know if she was fertile as nothing came of “tea time with Mr. Giraffe” but it was a neat display to see nonetheless.
It was time to make our way to the exit and end our visit to the zoo. My friend and her family have a membership, so they’ll be back to see even more of the amazing animals at the Virginia Zoo soon. I highly recommend making your way to the Virginia Zoo when taking in the Hampton Roads area.
Address
Virginia Zoo, 3500 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23504
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