DC's National Zoo

"Pink is the new Black" 

This past weekend I checked out DC's downtown National Zoo.  The last time I went to the National Zoo I was seven years old, obsessed with all things panda, and ended up leaving with both panda face paint and matching earrings to boot.  This time, unfortunately, I left face paint free but I still had a wonderful trek checking out the lions, tiger, and zoo bears, oh my!  The best thing about the National Zoo is that it is open to the general public at the cost of FREE and is an activity you can share in for an hour or two over several days or for a very full afternoon with family.

Hey good lookin'!

I recently saw a cartoon that showed the proverbial white-haired God mastering the details of his kingdom's creation.  It showed four white bears going through a massive supernatural printer that was quickly running out of ink: the first one out became a black bear in the west, the second one emerged as a brown bear from the south, the third one was a combo of black and white Rorschach blots--panda of the east, and the last poor guy went through God's printer virtually unscathed--a white polar bear residing in the north.  And that, my friends, is why we have different types of bears--the ink cartridge wasn't working and needed a bit of a reboot.  Cartoons make things so simple...  Anyhow, I was thinking about that image as I stared at the Panda ma and her cub, both playing with plastic rocks meant to make the exhibit appear natural.  The cub was no bigger than the size of a Great Dane, and impressed upon me that pandas will continue into our children's futures.  I've heard that at the zoos in Japan, zookeepers working with the animals dress in panda suits when walking amongst them so as to not disturb the breeding cycle of the notoriously elusive panda.  Pretty incredible.

Single and ready to mingle...

The National Zoo now houses a bridge overhang into the elephant sanctuary; a large pool with variously shaded pink, hot pink, light pink, and white flamingos; the altogether fascinating and deeply expressive gorillas and orangutangs; small varietal monkeys and chimps; a family of lions and a few tigers; zebras and exotic birds; and reptiles and small rodents.

On this visit, my favorite encounters involved the flamingos, gorillas, and lions.  The flamingos were having some sort of turf battle amongst themselves and so begin to squawk, flap their wings about, and nuzzle adjacent flamingo partners within their open nabbing beaks.  Within thirty seconds, I saw more flamingo action than I had seen in several previous flamingo visits elsewhere.  The Columbia Zoo in South Carolina (which is not free), for example, has an open view without fences separating the viewer from the flirty flamingos.  I prefer fence-free, but hey, these DC flamingos were willing to give a show for nada, so not too shabby.

Here Kitty, Kitty!

The tiger was hidden amongst his backdrop but the lions, who are usually sleeping when I walk by, were actively playing, faux-fighting, competing for the top dog (er--cat) position, and generally relaying quite the National Geographic-worthy performance.  There were ten in total visible, all female except for two male juveniles who were yet to grow into giant, Mufasa-style manes. (All the kids around us were quoting lines from The Lion King.)

Zen and the Art of Meditation

It turns out all the action from the lions was due to dinner time, aka raw meat city.  So if you want to check out the lions while their active, come to their place just after 4.  By 4:30, most of the lions are back inside.

The gorillas, well, I am so impressed with the way their eyes and body language connotes compassion, general curiosity, and a sense of humor.  Some gorillas like to play with their food (again and again) and this seems to fascinate the little ones, who scream in delight at the chewed up specimens.  Other gorillas will use epic comic timing to spray water towards its captive audience.  A man to my left, in the viewing room, sat directly at the eye-level of one magnificent gorilla and just sat there while eating an apple.  I noticed the gorillas would follow my own eye movements, perhaps both bewildered and intrigued by the hairless, photo-flashing homo sapiens across the thin layer of glass.

What are YOU lookin' at, huh?!

Looking into the eyes of an old friend.

I am reminded of Frans de Waal's work, The Ape and the Sushi Master, which addresses the (seeming oxymoron) of the anthropological and cultural nature of animal relationships and intelligence.  De Waal talks about how pigeons with a little food encouragement could quickly decipher not only between Picasso and Matisse paintings, but on period-specific artist styles.  Impressive.  Plus, a number of animals (including crows) create tools or manipulate their environments so that they can have better access to food, the ladies/gents of their species, or a comfortable living space.  It was helpful to read about how the preconceptions of the researchers affected what and how they conveyed the cultural relations of animals--basically how our own worldviews shape how we perceive the worldviews and mind frames of others.  Those Bonobo in the DRC really have struck many academics for a loop.  Same with the dolphins and their unerring draw towards non-productive pleasure behavior, er-hum.  I think we often give animals too little credit: elephants mourn, beavers build, birds sing, whales relay messages, and the mating habits of most reflect tact, courage, and long-held (embedded or learned) traditions.  I find animal culture fascinating, and I think that the animals watch us just as much or more than we watch them.     

I've heard that checking out the National Zoo's animals when the weather is cooler means they are more likely to be active.  (Hot = Siesta time).  So maybe it's worth it to put on a hat and sweater.  Plus, from late November through December, a light show with giant fluorescent-bulb pandas, elephants, zebras and the like will greet you in the dark of winter.  Pretty sweet deal for a day or evening, and then if you are up for a bite afterwards, Adams Morgan (at the metro stop) is just a few blocks away.