Calgary Zoo

Pandas, Penguins and Dinosaurs

The Pandas came to Calgary Zoo and I knew we had to go to see them.  I knew my kids would love seeing them and they would have so many questions about them so we made a day of it and took a trip down to Calgary. 

I've had a zoo membership before as have Leigham and Chandler, Theo didn't have one per se but he was registered because the year he was born we went to the zoo a lot that summer and winter.  So I renewed our memberships and we spent the day at the zoo.

 Pandas are my favourite type of bear, I just love them! I am sure they are just as dangerous as the bears in Canada but they look so much cuddlier and they seem to be more at my speed! Not always go go go, but take they time enjoy life and eat all the food!

 Teddy was the only one who would pose with the Panda because my other two children are scared of mascots.  I don't get it, but there you go! This was a lot of walking for Teddy so we rented a wagon and he was tuckered out by the first exhibit!

Chandler brought his girlfriend Brooke along on the trip, they collected a lot of free gifts and helped my by taking the boys to see the penguins.  (because of the wagon someone had to stay outside with it) I stopped in to visit the penguins on my out of the zoo!

It is tradition that we find this lion statue and have Leigham pose on it every time we go to the zoo. He's been posing on it sine he was 4 years old, usually with his friend Summer, but she wasn't with us this trip! They also moved the statue so we almost didn't get the picture.  I can't wait until he is 16 and straddling the lion statue for a picture. HAHAHAHA

Our last stop of the day was the Dinosaur trails. All of my boys were/are obsessed with Dinosaurs! They love them and so we walked through the Dinosaur park and grabbed a few photos.  It was the end of the day and Teddy was especially tired but Leigham was getting tuckered out as well. 

I know that Zoos can cause this reaction in people that we are going against the natural order of things, and putting animals in cages, but I don't see it that way.  Zoos are not circus or theme parks, they are not training the animals to put on a show, they are working to educate people on the various animals on our planet and hoping that education will stop the trophy hunting, the ivory hunting and needless extinction that is happening. I also believe Zoos are the last safe place for animals that are on the endangered/ near extinction list.  But this is solely my opinion and I welcome others to have their own.