CO: Day Three of Denver, Zooing It.

So, on day three in Denver, we decided to hit up the Denver Zoo. I love zoos-- everywhere we go, checking out the zoo is generally at the top of my to do list. Denver was no exception. 

We saw tons of animals! Starting with these red river hogs, which are actually considered pests in Africa.  They ruin farmer's crops by digging them up and eating them. I think it'd be funny to see someone from Africa come see the exhibit. They're protecting *that* species?! We're trying to get *rid* of them!!

The Denver Zoo really focuses on endangered species; it was interesting to see which species were at risk..

N and I with the silverback gorilla. He was so cool. 

Of course, N liked the statue more.

A better picture of our furry friend.

Freddy and Nathan by the indoor gorilla habitat. {Side note: I really hate seeing animals in tiny little cages-- or "habitats" that are nothing like what their natural environment would look like.  Granted, space is limited, but I felt like the Denver Zoo did a great job at having space for their animals-- both outdoor and indoor.}

Best. picture. ever. {Go Freddy.} This is the little baby orangutan- one of the few new babies at the zoo.
He was so, so adorable.

Flamingos-- or "Bingos" as I used to call them when I was little. I always have to get a picture of them. :)
They were all sitting on this rock, protecting their eggs.

Two very similar pictures here- one in black and one in brown. The bears were eating lunch when we saw them.  This one was some sort of endangered Asian bear of some sort, I think.

And this one was the brown bear, or grizzly bear, or maybe that's the same thing-- I can't remember. But they were pretty funny.  There was a girl bear and a boy bear-- and the girl had stolen the boy's bone/meat.  So he stole them back-- and took both of them.  We got to see her try to sneak one back.. It was pretty comical.

Us with the mountain goats. 

Watching the animal show for kids-- fun! And afterward, Nathan got to pet a turtle. Cool.

So our first stop, when we got to the zoo, was to make it allll the wayyyy across the park for the presentation about the red river hogs. I like presentations. But we soon realized that Nathan doesn't walk as fast as I'd like him to. That's right, it was wagon time. He still talks about his green wagon at the zoo, and how next time he'd like to get red. You got it, kiddo.

Elephants: best. part. ever! The Denver Zoo had just opened their brand new Elephant Passage-- a huge elephant habitat.  But before we went in their, we got to see this little guy ;) go for a little swim. {Side note: We needed to have reserved spots in the Elephant Passage exhibit-- since it's so new, you still have to have reservations, at least a day in advance.  Well, we didn't know we were going to the zoo a day in advance. BUT! Luckily their computer system shut down, so they weren't requiring tickets for that day. Awwwesome!}

Did you know that an elephant's trunk can lift and move up to 1,000 lbs, but it can also pick up a chicken egg, without crushing it? Coooool.


So glad I don't really have elephant ears.

Grandma and Grandpa, taking a little break-- we got a few little snackies from the little cart-- popcorn and shaved ice.  The perfect little treat before moving right along. 

It had been a long day, a long day without a nap.  Let's just say this was pretty expected. Zoos have a way of wearing you out, especially when you're only two.

This picture is actually as we're leaving the park-- and it's totally raining.  The weather had been near perfect all day, considering it had been pretty warm. But rain, we weren't exactly planning on. So we zipped right though the last couple animals, since we were just about done zooing, anyway, and called it a day.

Hooray for the zoo! Nathan loved it! {As did I..} The day couldn't have gone more perfectly!