It's great to have friends who do interesting things. Saturday morning, during my five day quick trip to Miami, my old friend Diane Dickhut invited Paul and me to come to ZooMiami, where she is a tour guide as well as head of the zoo's volunteer association. Sure, you can just walk around the zoo and look at the wonderful animals, but with Diane at the wheel of her golf cart, we got the full treatment, including back-of-the-house tidbits about the animals.
ZooMiami is nothing like the zoo's of my childhood. I remember my Dad taking my sister Fran and me to the Bronx Zoo when we were kids. Today, I realize with sadness that those animals were all in cages, staring out at us literally from behind bars. At ZooMiami, any sign of a cage is long since gone. Animals roam freely, in wide open habitats, separated by deep moats from the visitors, but close enough to be easily seen. The emphasis is on conservation, breeding and the best of care.
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| Barney The Gorilla |
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| Diane at the wheel |
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| Great guide, great friend. |
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| Mom and baby, born at Zoo |
It is an amazing place and I can't thank Diane enough for a marvelous morning.
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