Something Tells Me It's All Happening at the Zoo

After seeing a disturbing video of a raft of otters drowning a single monkey in an indoor exhibit at the Bronx Zoo back in 2007, I felt compelled to check on the animals post isolation.  The day was cold and drizzly but the park was empty so we basically had it to ourselves.  This provided some eerie as well as magical moments.  The animals tend to be more lively on brisk days.  The park itself is somewhat spooky in October, and what with the weather, the Pandemic and 2020, it was downright eerie.  I felt disoriented, as if I found myself in the middle of a dream, walking down empty paths, lost at times but the exhibits seemed to just appear out of the fog of wet greenery.  The old abandoned Lion and Monkey Houses although beautiful, give off a haunted vibe.  They're no longer used, so you walk past them to see the seals who are all by themselves at the end.   

Lots of the animals just do their thing but some seem like they're dying to interact.  The birds were super vocal.  The reptile house was so dark and abandoned that I imagined some crazy person hiding in the corners, so I rushed through.  There was a disturbed young girl in the primate enclosure talking to the monkeys right out of Central Casting.  She was pressed up to the glass showing them her lipstick and announcing each item in her purse by brand and color as she emptied it out, never stopping to take a breath.  She had a very unsettling vibe to her, so even though the monkeys are my favorite, we moved right along.  

At one point it began drizzling rain and we were rushing to find the Dancing Crane Cafe when we stumbled back upon the lions.  With no one around, a male was pacing and he began roaring to our delight.  He had this look for a second like he contemplated jumping that small trench that separated us.  

Unfortunately, the Leopard had that same look, frantically pacing back on forth on this high log.  I'm sure it's super irritating being taunted by a bunch of snot-nosed kids but I hope the animals aren't more stressed with minimal visitors around.  

The giraffes I've learned are super curious.  They like to come and take a look at you, which really takes you by surprise. They were outside busy hanging with the ostrich's but one did walk across the way to stand directly in front of us.  I took the moment in instead of snapping a pic.

There was this whole shakeup with the gorillas.  The big silverback came out of the blue and pushed and punched one submissive guy in the arm. The big gorilla seemed very upset.  Then the ape held and rubbed his arm as if showing the group he was hurt.  The whole pack retreated to a cave before coming back all at once in a line from the other side of the exhibit.  They stood in a circle as if they were having a meeting or there was to be some big decision made. 

Veggie Panini and a Double Cheeseburger 

The Bronx River runs through the park.  You'd never know you were right in the midst of this giant metropolis. 

The Rhino's are masked

Any Kind of Fool Could See, I Was Wrong

Pork Chops in Pan Gravy

Simple yet comforting. Gravy made from pan fond.  I soaked the chops in salted water for 15 minutes beforehand which made them so tender, melt in your mouth.   

I am almost a professional late night You-Tuber at this point, tailoring my feed and dialing in just the right shorties to take me into slumber before ending with great philosophy lectures.  Animals usually round out the night with touching stories of rescue dogs or footage of bears being released into the wild.  I'm particularly interested in caged animals.  I came across a disturbing incident of monkey's killing a group member by drowning, all joining in on this brutal, ultra violent attack.  This was in a Bronx zoo exhibit mind you, a man-made enclosure with onlookers.  I was barely awake hearing the screams of the children and chaos of the monkeys either cheering or panicking at their tribe's brutal decision.

I woke up still fascinated and told P about the video, how ominous it was.  That we must plan a trip to the zoo immediately so that I can witness this enclosure firsthand.  He asked me if it was common and I said that indeed monkey's will kill their own but I had never heard of it happening in a captured settling with most likely zoo-born animals.  He was very upset by the mental imagery and kept asking me why it happened.  You could see he was visibly shaken hearing this news before his coffee kicked in.  I went on conjecturing how it could possibly be due to being isolated post COVID.  How the monkeys may be stressed with the drastic changes to their everyday lives. Even though you would think it would be a relief, the lack of visitors may have made them more anxious.  He couldn't quite unpack the news as they say and continued to ask why they would do this as a group.  Clearly he was perplexed by the action that may have caused the whole tribe to put to death this lone individual.

I said it was all so vague because I was tired and could barely keep my eyes open, how I needed to research the story.  That I would go back and do just that but I'd show him the video in the meantime.

Turns out it, I was wrong.   The actual event was not cool either but what I had read last night as Monkey killed by Others was actually, Monkey killed by Otters!  And it was an old video, from 2007.  

Let's face it, I have become Emily Litella

Smiles Awake You When You Rise

Ms Hope and I visited the Bronx Zoo this morning, a magical haven that exists just a 45 minute subway ride away. We often find ourselves out in the city wandering in the cold or rain, seeking a place to sit and have a chat.  I thought what an amazing backdrop to just leisurely walk and lay out our thoughts.  I've wanted to go for some time, even felt a yearning to see these animals, smell them and look them in the eye.

The most bizarre zoo creature award goes to this pheasant that you can barely see.  His tale was almost that of a fish and went straight back behind his body about 3 feet.  

It was that but also different and much more than imagined.  The animals seemed very receptive to the visit and many times were just as curious of us as we of them.  The structures are surprisingly beautiful and there is enough empty space in between that you feel like an explorer.  Sure, it's not that at all but it worked for me.  It's a little sad, but in the end, having the animals on display serves educationally and not just for kids.  They may be just as baffled by their circumstances as we are of ours but getting the chance to view them is wildly exciting and special.  If you want the peace of walking through Central Park but more of an intimate experience, I would highly recommend the zoo in the winter.  There were some groups of kids and on one hand you're happy that a family can share in the experience for free each week but I do wish there was more training on how to respect the space.  I think young children could easily be taught how to visit the animals properly.  How taunting or yelling in their presence could truly stress them out day after day if confined to a small cage.  It's easy to imagine.  It could also teach them how to live in the moment, to really stop thoughts and be observant of another amazing life form.  And to spend the entire day doing this with hundreds of species could change a child, or an adult.

The Brown Bears chose to face away from everyone.  We could totally understand that behavior.  I would most likely be in that cave all day.  We did see the big one on top walk across that bluff and you could imagine seeing him in the wild all majestic and glorious. 

Seeing a lion poop is a first especially since he was looking at me.  I'm pretty sure this was life-changing but trying to figure out how. 

Giraffes are under-rated.  They are certainly incredible, unbelievable specimens.  I've always had the eeriest feeling seeing them with the painting behind of the vast Sahara but this time, it felt very peaceful.

My personal favorite is the African Wild Dog. They follow the leader all day in some heavenly, oblivious bliss

A grilled vegetable panini and fries from the Dancing Crane Cafe.  I loved it, just the right amount of cheese, sauce, freshness.  This is a well thought out sandwich.  The fries were the good kind, crunchy on the outside, well salted, hot and flavorful.  

The tiger walking right towards Hope.  Seemed all the animals gave us a little personal touch of love that day. 

Best moment!  When the lion stood facing us and acknowledged our presence. 

Seal feeding time.  Circus-like which could be sad, but they seemed to enjoy it and what else have they got to do anyway.  They probably invite the interaction. 

The Rhinos in this Cathedral like room, quite and gigantic. I suppressed my inner 14 year old by not sharing the enormous morning wood on display as well. 

Seconds after this peaceful setting of monkeys quietly foraging for food, this giant caped Baboon comes running over the hill as if in slow motion, complete with full long-hair coat and performs the fastest rape on record.  Before we can get out all our jokes about him being the asshole, we see him getting banged by another smaller monkey by force moments later.  Confused, we moved on.

The indoor exhibits were very special as well, finding all the hidden creatures tiny and not so tiny.  

At home 8 hours later reflecting on the day, I enjoyed a huge plate of linguine with meat sauce.