The Buenos Aires Zoo is only three of blocks away from my apartment, a good excuse to spend a couple of hours in the Urban Jungle. Entrance -without Reptile, Aquarium and 3D movie - $4.50 Can, kids gratis.
First thing one sees is an artificial lake with fountains, Greek temple, flamingoes and hundreds of birds and muscrats running free all over the place.
Check in the non-essentials at a large locker building.
Buy Animal Food!!! This must be one of the few zoos, that allows feeding of animals, except for the ones that bite - such as lions, leopards, bears and tigers. All else is accessible and adults and kids feed these creatures, which appear to be well nourished, act tame and do not seem at all bored with easy life at the zoo.
The architecture of this Zoo is an attraction in itself. Some of the animal buildings look like a setting for A Thousand and One Night or for a Royal Court from the Baroque era.
Tango at the Zoo. One can tell by the 'gancho' (kick) he is executing...there must be something in the air!
This falcon is patiently awaiting his command to fly, whilst his keeper provides a comfortable perch.
One of the many beautifully designed bird houses...
Of coursed, any self-respecting zoo has to have pony rides...
Scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours!
These rodents are native to the South American Continent. They used to provide food for the indigenous people. The last time I met one of these was in French Guyana, site of 'Papillon' the movie, and site of an actual French Penal Colony (no defunct)
Memories of home...
The white Lioness was nursing three cubs, who , just like any bunch of domestic kittens, played and chased and gave mother a hard time.
Another native rodent, almost as large as a domestic pig. Again, they used to be (and still are in remote Amazon regions) a food staple for native inhabitants.
Memories of Manitoba....this guy is waiting for tidbits from visitors. Note the 'shute'. The animals are out of reach, but the shute provides a venue for approved 'animal food' to be slithered down to the animals. They, in turn, know the score and cram the shutes to get their share. Needless to say, none of the animals looks as if it is suffering from starvation. They are all shiny, round and seem to be healthy.
Soaring Condor enclosure with rocks and caves on the bottom - and a view of surrounding Palermo apartments in the background.
This is about as close as I will ever get to one of these magnificient birds, the Andean Condor. They stand at least a meter high and have an immense wing span. Bald Headed Eagles would seem like midgets compared to these avian giants.
Muskrats - or whatever they are - are everwhere, and either munch grass (in contrast to being allowed to approach the fauna, you are not allowed to walk on the flora) or gorge themselves on animal food pellets, hand fed to them by hordes of children - and adults.
Urban Giraffes herding sheep
African Rhinos taking a Buenos Aires siesta
Another local rodent, something between a hare, a kangaroo and a rat...running free about the grounds as well.
Oops, gotta get that tidbit out of the ditch!
The Palace of the Elephants...
like something imported from India
Closer to home - the Llama house
Corner of the palace that houses a "tropical rainforest"
Flamingoes (Flamencos) populating the far side of one of the artificial lakes inside the zoo.
Keep the Lions in their place, I'll drink to that!
But - cell phone reception may have entered a 'dead zoo'
Stone bridges spanning the ponds and lakes...
Not one, but two old fashioned carousels give kids rides at either end of the zoo.
Another example of bird house architecture.
Picnic spots are created wherever there is room to sit and spread out food and drink - and children.
Note the 'feeding shutes' and the eagerness of both, feeder and fed.
Bridging the gap...
Family outing to the City from the Campo
The animals know where food is in the offing and all troup over to wherever families are with their little buckets of approved 'comida' for animals.
A picnic area, where chunks of tree trunks provide seats and tables for comfort and convenience.
Those 'ratones', hares or whatever are so plentiful here, they could feed a hungry nation...
Even African antilope are tame enough to be fed by hand.
Refuelling for the next exhibit
with a good draft of pop.
There are cafes and open air restaurants sprinkled throughout the zoo.
Memorial to a beneficiary of the zoo. He is surrounded by plaster animals, and carries a plaster bird on his shoulder.
Incredible Guided Tours available...
Kids and Zoos - how could there be more fun??
