Last weekend, my wife and I took our boys to a local zoo. Local being a relative term… We travelled three hours to get there. but I digress. The point is that with some of the extreme heat we’ve been having in recent weeks, spending long periods of time outdoors has been difficult, given that everyone in our household is fair-skinned and burn like Canadian bacon. So we grabbed the opportunity on a day when the temperatures were a bit cooler.
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about zoos. On the one hand, I’m not a believer of caging any living thing against its will. Although most domestic animals like dogs and cats have it way better than they probably realize, certain animals like birds, bears and large cats don’t belong in a pen, cut off from their natural habitats and relegated to a life of captivity. As a child, I never visited a zoo as my father very much shares those same beliefs. Now that I’m a father myself, I have to admit that there’s a certain benefit to showing all these different animals to my children in a relatively safe environment.
We left Regina early enough o reach Saskatoon around the time the zoo would begin to. Open to the public. Our thinking was to hit it up on a weekday so as to avoid some of the larger, weekend crowds. The boys were actually very quiet and composed on the way up. My wife and I had our coffees and breakfast sandwiches; the boys had their drinks and snack foods. It was a clear sunny day and we even enjoyed the entirety of the ride without music. Many would think that doesn’t sound great but it was nice to actually enjoy a quiet ride where there was no ambient noise.
When we arrived at the location, we were greeted at an entry gate where we were told there was a parking fee. This was curious, as one would think that an admission fee should usually include parking. But we were here and it wasn’t a hill to die on. I paid the parking fee. The parking lot was already quite packed but we managed to find a parking spot before making our way to the entrance kiosk. $40 later and we were in. After a long drive, we used a restroom inside a terrarium-style building, where the boys got to see fish, frogs, lizards and snakes. The day had begun quite nicely.
As were walking towards the inner paths of the zoo, I explained to the boys that there was a lot to see and experience and that they should take it all in and enjoy what they were seeing. As I was explaining this, I noticed a play park structure located in the middle of the zoo. I got a pit in my stomach as I realized that if my boys saw this park, all they’d want to do was go play in it. Why they would build one in the middle of a zoo, where the intention was to see animals, was beyond me. I strategically placed myself between the play structure and the boys and ushered them in a different direction.
I thin the boys enjoyed seeing the animals, for the most part. Everyone enjoyed the butterfly house the best, especially since some butterflies would actually land on people. We were less than an hour in when Alexander start pining to go home. I tried explaining that we still had plenty left to see and that we had just gotten there but he was adamant he wanted t leave. He changed his tune when we rounded the corner and walked right into the play structure. Fuck. Of course, now he wanted to go play…
I took Nathan to see a few more of the enclosures but as one can’t control the behaviour of animals, getting them out and visible isn’t exactly a possibility. But we did get to see two grizzly bears frolicking in the water, which was entertaining. We made our way back to the vehicle when we realized we had two hungry, cranky boys on our hands. We made our way back onto the highway for Regina, after handing everyone their respective sandwiches and snacks for lunch.
All in all, it was a good trip and a great experience for the family. Considering they could have gotten fresh air and played at a park at home, I probably could have done without using a full tank of gas and paying money just to have them to do it inside a zoo but at least they got to see some animals. The experience was there, and that’s a what mattered. Naps and a cool basement were certainly enjoyed, after a long day out in the sun. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 