ZOO STORY - THE JOHANNESBURG DIARIES - #BLOGCHATTERA2Z2023

Africa is known for its parks, sanctuaries and zoos. Kruger Park and the myriad safaris are examples of the way animals are nurtured in this continent.

It was time to take the little ones to a zoo. So, we decided to visit the Lory Park Zoo, Midrand, which is smaller than the Johannesburg Zoo, mainly because it was a nice hot day, and we thought that it would be better to go to the former before going for lunch to the Mall of Africa, which is one of the biggest malls around, maybe even in the whole of Africa.

The Lory Park Zoo is located between Johannesburg and Pretoria and is home to more than a hundred species of various animals. It was started by Edward Philippus Van Eck in April 2002, who was an avid animal lover. He started it as a bird park, but later, it grew into an sanctuary for many kinds of animal species as well. When Midrand turned into a residential area, people began to drop off wounded or captured animals to Lory Park Zoo.

Edward Philippus also wanted to educate visitors about the need for animal conservation. To this end, the zoo not only showcases its animals, but holds training sessions and tours for interested folks. There are both guided and unguided tours, and even school tours for children too.

The Lory Park Zoo is open seven days a week from ten to four thirty every day. As we walked in, we could see various enclosures which were designed to look environmentally friendly, with swinging branches, little moats, enclosures for the various animals, each with its own placard outside giving out information about the creatures housed within. Some of the notice boards were rather amusing.

 

We walked around the various enclosures, but since it was almost noon, many of the animals were on their siesta. We kept peering into them, trying to locate the inmates… the first lot of enclosures housed all kinds of birds like the kookaburra, (which reminded me of the old classic – Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree…!), owls, parrots, parakeets, vultures.

                                                           The Harry Potter Touch!

Z’s favourite animal is the rabbit, and no one was more thrilled than she was when she caught sight of a ‘Rabbits and Guinea Pigs Petting Area’. We spent quite a bit of time trying to feed the rabbits with carrots and greens, many of whom were shy of being petted.

The reptile section was a fast forward trip as those poor creatures were not everybody’s cup of tea. We quickly peered into each of the enclosures where the creepy-crawlies lay cosily ensconced in dark corners.

The next section was that of the big cats, some of the most beautiful and majestic creatures ever. Right from the regal lion, the Bengal tiger, the sleek cheetahs, the spotted leopards and an energetic jaguar which paced continually up and down, to the Eurasian lynx and the caracal, the ocelot and the serval, some of which we had never heard of before, we were entranced. 

The monkeys and the chimpanzees were all over their cages, making it difficult to take pictures of them. In general, taking pictures was no easy task basically because of the iron grills, the darkness inside and the fact that it was too hot for the animals to pose. 

There was a café and a gift shop for those who wanted to indulge themselves. Walking around all the enclosures does make one rather hungry after all. What made me feel good was the fact that not only were the animals taken good care of, but that there was a green notice of respect that spoke of how people should gain a better understanding and respect for animals, and also how adherence to time was absolutely essential, especially when it came to the feeding times of the animals. 

As we moved out of the zoo, hungry but happy, it was with a sense of contentment for we had all enjoyed the day. The weather gods had been on our side as it was not as hot we had through it would be.

Picture credits: Priyanka Menon and Deepti Menon

 This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z2023.

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