A Day at the Zoo

A trip to Cincinnati just would not be complete without a day spent at the Cincinnati zoo!

Towards the entrance there were some beautiful photographs displayed so Xander took the opportunity to enhance them even more.

The Reptile House was first on our list.

The alligators were especially active!

Ugh, snakes!

Chatting with the alligators who were doing a lot of moving and rumbling. I think that one was really hoping one of the kids would get a little closer.

From a bird's nest...

to monkey island.

Keepin' cool on a hot summer's day!

Here come the flamingos!

Creatures of the night.

Following tracks to the big cats.

The three new tiger cubs. They were absolutely adorable!

This one was very curious about all the people but this is the closest he would get. He'd look at us for a few seconds, growl, then rejoin his siblings...and then come back over and repeat the growl. Too cute!

We actually found the snow leopards outside this time.

And we were actually there for feeding time which is something we've never seen. I happened to be standing right in front of the gate when they were ready for the demonstration so I got a very up close and personal view of the feeding.

Time to find us some gorillas!

Looking for lemurs...

and we found them. Unfortunately the mother turned away right when I went to get a picture of the new little baby.

The komodo dragon was definitely looking a little worn out!

Always got to ride the carousel!

Some manatee love.

Giving me their best fish faces.

I found another little fish face!

I love how you'll just be walking along and here come some more animals.

A much needed ice cream break...

before hitting those jungle trails!

Some monkeys tried to hide...

and some really wanted you to know they were there. This little guy is super loud!

The big daddy! The kids refer to him as King Louis.

Inside the kids were enjoying interacting with the orangutan.

Oh, yes, the "snake" that almost gave me a heart attack last year.

Proving we're smarter than the monkeys.

Also practicing our swinging abilities.

Noah has it down!

Watching the polar bear swim the exact same route over and over and over...

Love his snout in the air!

The last spot we hit was Africa!

Noah hung out with me as I headed over to see the baby hippo, Fiona.

I've been following her story on Facebook and was so impressed with the Cincinnati zoo doctors and staff who worked around the clock to make sure she survived after being born prematurely. It was so fun to see her in person even if she was trying to hide behind her mom.

Savannah, Ash, and I took a slight detour so Savannah could see the lions, her favorite!

The last animal of the day was the giraffes.

We never get tired of coming to this fabulous zoo!