JPG Magazine: Stories: Photo Essay: A Day At The Zoo

A Day At The Zoo

By Winston D. Munnings

11 May 2008

I am absolutely fascinated about visiting a Zoo.

I have visited more Zoos throughout the United States and abroad than any friend of mine has ever done or ever will do. And, if you're a close friend of mine, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Visiting a Zoo is like taking a stroll inside an Encyclopedia where you are immediately transformed into a world traveler (of sorts) as you make your way through the exhibits stopping 'here and there' soaking up 'this and that' about animals you've never seen before or (perhaps) may not have even heard about. Of course, everyone has seen a Lion, Tiger, Elephant or even a Giraffe, but have you ever seen an Okapi or a Defassa Waterbuck? You haven't? What about a Colobus Monkey or a Guanaco Rhea? No? Boy, are you in for a treat!

If you're in Miami, Florida or plan to visit South Florida soon, visit the Miami MetroZoo where you will get to see an Okapi, a Defassa Waterbuck, a colobus Monkey, a Guanaco Rhea and so much more. In fact, at the MetroZoo here in Miami, there are more than 1,000 animals in residence representing some 400 species. However, you will need a soft pair of shoes, as a complete walk around the Zoo is approximately three miles and its going to take you several hours to complete.

When my wife was traveling last Saturday, I treated myself and spent almost seven hours at Miami's MetroZoo. What a treat that was. At the end of the day I was tired as heck, but I walked away with almost 300 (marketable) images of some of the most fascinating wild life memories you'd never find anywhere in one book.

I should say something, however, about Miami MetroZoo. Simply, it is one of the better Zoos I've ever visited in the United States. The Zoo at San Diego (California) is my favorite, but Miami's Zoo is a very close second. When I lived in Washington DC., in the 70's my family and I often went to the National Zoo which, at the time, was awesome considering we visited the Zoo at least twice a month. I went back again in the 90's and was very disappointed. Indeed, I was shock. "Is this the National Zoo?" I said to my wife.

However, it is not all about exotic animals. That is the obvious drawing ticket. The Zoo is where you can take your kids (or visiting relatives for example) and simply let them run wild. In fact, when visiting the Zoo (any Zoo) you can spend upwards to 5 – 7 hours easy but, you'll have an experience worthy of conversation (especially with the kids) for many days to come.

In addition, Flowers are all over the place. If you're into Gardening and Flower Photogoraphy as I am, hold on to your hat because you'll flip at the amount of photo opportunities for recording beautiful images you can post on your website and send as Print Gifts to your friends and love ones.

Indeed, at the MetroZoo, there are literally thousands of Orchids in trees as you stroll in and out of the animal exhibits. These, I am told, are cared for and are maintained by the Eastern Airlines Orchid Society.

In addition, if you are into People Photography, visiting the Zoo is one of the best places for getting some once in a lifetime shots.

All said, I should leave you with some vital information about visiting Zoos. Every Zoo I have visited over the years (and the Miami MetroZoo is no different) is jam packed at the worse times. Depending on certain dietary conditions etc., feeding time is relatively early. If you are planning to visit the Zoo arrive as early as possible....say about 9 am. The animals are up and around and, most importantly, they've active. Feeding is going on in many instances but guess what? The animals will take a nap after their early feedings. So, take your lunch between 12 noon and 2 pm. Why? More than likely it is hot as heck and even the animals are smart enough to understnd that. So guess what, they are going to take a nap.

Get ready, however, for a very active afternoon as many animals are up, rearing to go between 2 – 3pm. This is when the animals are up on all fours, and you can really have a good time visiting and, in some instances, feeding the animals during this time. This is also a great time for picture taking as the sun is no longer directly overhead and you have (at least) 3 – 5 hours of perfect picture taking conditions.

Begin packing you family up around 5 pm, because most Zoos will begin kicking you out between 5:30pm – 6pm.

Finally, when visiting the Miami MetroZoo, you should really see all three major exhibits: African, Asian and Australian but if you can only see one, see it thoroughly.