A Day at the Zoo

Last weekend's heat wave (relatively speaking) warranted a trip to the zoo. It was a spectacular day all around. Much of it was spent comfortably walking without a jacket of any sort!! This is November in Toronto!!

Here we are relaxing over lunch. Zoe is chewing on a piece of Tofurky Jerky. She loves regular Tofurky (luckily this is the season!) and begs for the jerky version in spite of it being tough to chew and a bit spicy.
Hitching a ride on Daddy's shoulders.

Mommy's shoulders got a turn as well.

One of the largest zoos in the world, the Toronto Zoo covers 287 hectares (710 acres) and has over 10 km (6 miles) of walking paths. Without specific plans to meet, the likelihood of running into somebody you know is slim. Imagine our surprise at bumping into one of our CanaKaz (fellow Canadians who have adopted from Kazakhstan) friends! Not only do Zoe and 4-year-old Ali have a general Kazakhstan connection, but they were both born in Almaty and both adopted from Baby House #2. It may be a big zoo, but it sure is a small world!

Zoe learning about monkeys and uncles.

Following are photos from the zoo's recently opened Tundra Trek area featuring Arctic animals.

Female snowy owl.

Arctic wolf.

Polar bears at play.

Polar bear at rest.

Polar bears at feeding time. (Yes, both are polar bears. They love to roll in the mud. One of the questions I am asked frequently when volunteering at the polar bear exhibit with the muddy bears in plain view is "where are the polar bears?")