Despite some misgivings after last year’s debacle, I brought my grandchildren to this year’s Halloween exhibit, and I couldn’t have been more impressed. Watching what some of these animals can do was as amazing as it was terrifying. My daughter tells me the kids still haven’t been able to sleep through the night since seeing the real life monsters on display. In short, you hit it out of the park this year, and renewed my confidence in the zoo. Great job!
5 years ago, the announcement that the city had approved a zoo was met with plenty of skepticism. The idea of a zoo nowadays is not a popular one. With all the nature shows available, and so many worried about threatened species, asking people to support keeping wild animals in enclosures was an uphill battle. However, for those of us who remembered the joy of visiting the zoo, it offered an opportunity to relive cherished memories.
While the animals and exhibits that first year weren’t very remarkable, the nostalgia it provided was just what some of us in the older crowd needed. It was a place I could walk with the family to appreciate the brilliant colors and remarkable creatures nature created. I happily donated my time and money to further the cause. When you announced your plans for the future, and your first Halloween program the following year, I was not disappointed.
The “Monsters of the Mainland” exhibit was amazing. Most residents had never seen a jaguar or an alligator in real life before. The speed of the big cats was eye opening. The thought of being caught inside the gaping mouth of the giant reptiles was terrible, but it was the size and power of the bears that scared me the most. The idea that our friends and relatives who lived on the mainland might actually run into one of these animals was scary. The exhibit, along with your announcement about animal exchange and breeding programs, made the zoo the talk of the town. Interest reached an all time high. Residents who were initially against the zoo wanted to know how they could help. That wave of enthusiasm lasted a whole year before it came crashing down with your next Halloween exhibit.
I think it is fair to say that the “Natural Oddities” displays were a disaster. Instead of the thrilling experience of watching unfamiliar and potentially deadly animals up close and personal, the program was something like an old-time side-show. It was childish and lackluster to say the least. Imagine my grandkids disappointment when “The World’s Biggest Pony” turned out to be a slightly undersized adult horse. “The Legless Dog” was just grossly overweight, and “The Winged Cat” was simply suffering with a terribly matted coat. I will acknowledge that some of the reptiles on display had some stunningly unusual color patterns, but it hardly mattered. “The Bird Savant” was just a crow trained to play tic-tac-toe.
You could hear the eyes roll when this year’s Halloween exhibit, “The World’s Worst” was announced. Almost immediately the jokes began, and I thought to myself that no matter how bad it was this time, at least nobody could accuse the zoo of false advertising. I’m happy to report that we couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only were there more dangerous exotic animals this year, but the demonstrations were incredible.
The grandkids got to watch a Siberian tiger effortlessly leap as high their upstairs bedroom window to grab a 50 pound goat. They watched a full grown pig disappear inside the giant coils of an 18’ anaconda. My grandson let out a scream when we heard the bones crack. There was a collection of poisonous beasties with venom so toxic that survival was measured in minutes, not hours. A gallery of real-life animal vampires made my skin crawl, but it was the hyenas that scared the kids the most. After learning of the animal’s habit of devouring their prey alive, I could feel them start to shake against me. When the keeper told them that if the hyenas escaped they would probably eat their legs first, so they couldn’t run away, the little ones lost it.
I’m not sure that I’m going to win any grandfather of the year awards for bringing the kids, and I’m not sure how long it will be before my daughter forgives me, but this year’s Halloween exhibit was terrifying. Great work! It was worth every penny.
