Thursday January 16 - Sacramento Zoo

Yet another gorgeous day today, this weather has been unbelievable and sure has spoiled me for what is undoubtedly to come later on my trip! Off to the Zoo and working out the timetable, so I could catch the light train so far and then connect with the No 6 bus that stops outside the zoo, was a challenge but I got it all sorted in the end.


Sacramento Zoo is a small zoo so it only takes about an hour and a half to wander round it. In some ways zoos are an anathema to me, seeing animals in small areas, but at least not in cages!! But I understand the need as without these places many animals would simply disappear and we would lose them forever. For example, the Sumatran Tiger, which I happen to love and have seen in other zoos, is being saved from extinction. Most zoos these days have breeding programmes and animals are exchanged between them, so it is not all grim news.


 

I walked by the Vet Hospital and the operating table has a window right behind it so visitors can watch any operations that might be required if they wish to! I think that is a really cool idea. 

There is quite a good variety at the zoo - Lemur, Red Panda, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Tiger, Snow Leopard, Flamingo and White Heron for example. There is also and Australian outback area with Wallaby, Kangaroo and Cuckuboro (and the "Laughing Jackass" was very vocal!) and so on. I also walked through my least favourite area, the Reptile House!! One of the White Herons has only one wing and when I asked about this I was told he had been found in Montana with fishing line wrapped round the wing. He sure gets around OK though! All the birds are collected up once a year for their physicals and today it was the turn of the ducks, lucky them!! All the birds are banded and micro-chipped.

I then made my way back to my hotel and decided to write my blog early as I am meeting an FFRC lurker/donator for dinner and she is picking me up at 5 pm. Tomorrow I head back to San Francisco for a last weekend with family and, sadly, it will be some time before I see them again! Soon they will be back on the other side of the world from me instead of just 12 hours away!!