You have to love the mammoth when he tries to help, except for the amount of cleaning up afterwards which far surpasses the help given!
Woolly says – Some people are so ungrateful, it wasn’t my fault that I had slipped in the butter and that the knife wouldn’t cut the cheese into anything other than rocks and I’m blaming the mice for the state of the bread! As I sat licking the mayonnaise off my paws Jo finished our picnic lunch and collected the many things that we seem to need on a day to day basis. A little cloudy overhead but warm, well actually very warm and rather muggy but that didn’t put me off our trip for the day. Having completed our bus and tram route which we all seem to know by heart now we alighted several stops before the city centre, I sped down the road and shot through the turnstile……
He will get caught one of these days!
Woolly says – ….. and into Zagreb Zoo. Opened in 1925 I had thought it would make a pleasant change from looking buildings! It was in fact the third zoo we had considered on our trip to date, the first in Tirana had been listed as the 6th worst in the world and had closed down and the second in Zadar which had been number one on the worst list and was also now thankfully closed. Reports had been good on today’s venue so I wanted to check it out. As I stood staring into the first enclosure the girls paid for our tickets at a price which meant there would be lots left over for pistachios, the anteater seemed to have left for the day, next door however was there and as I tried to attract the hippo’s attention I didn’t appear to be making much progress…..
I moved him on before he threw the stick he had found at the poor sleeping animal. The small hippo looked most relaxed by the side of his pool and only needed a sun lounger and cocktail to really portray the holiday feel!
Woolly says – when your navigating through the jungle sticks are useful! As I led my intrepid explorers onwards we entered a dark wooded area surrounded by creatures, I could hear the bird cries and the screeches of monkey’s. The area seemed to be surrounded by pools with deadly snakes slithering through the undergrowth, as I glanced up a chameleon winked at me from it’s branch as a toucan watched me from up high. Jo told me the story she always tells when confronted by a toucan…..go on you know you want to!
Not really a story but my Dad had dealings with the Toucan that was used in the Guinness television adverts many years ago and had to find insurance to cover it for rust, pestilence, mould, tornado’s, hurricanes and a variety of other random things.
Woolly says – Yes even I know that Toucans can’t rust! As we crept further into the darkness of the forest I saw the tiny elephant shrews scuttling away into the leaves with there cute little trunks waving at me as the passed. It got darker and darker, we could see bats flying through the night sky and hanging around on the branches. Daylight seemed to find us as we almost fell over the previously missing anteater who brushed past the bush in front of me in his search for more morsels to enjoy. Turning a corner I nearly fell into the pool in front of me and the waiting jaws of the huge crocodile that lay in waiting, I could almost hear him considering the idea of mammoth for lunch!
One of these days he will be eaten if he continues to lean to close to dangerous animals.
Woolly says – as we entered a clearing I saw monkey’s swinging from tree to tree with small cute tapirs playing below, curiously there was a cage with the words ‘Homo sapiens’ printed above it, I looked at Jo and Zoe and considered my options…….
We weren’t quite sure what to make of the cage whether it was there for amusement or as we hoped there to give humans an idea of what the penned animals feel like being watched all day!
Woolly says – …….realising that attempting to cage them both at once might prove tricky I walked onto the plains stopping to admire the scruffy moulting bison and giving a nod to the camels, there seemed to be a small African village with brightly painted huts for adventurers to rest for the night….we passed on. The Alpaca’s seemed to be enjoying their lunch or rolling in the dust to keep cool in the bright sunlight. As mile followed mile I kept a constant look out to keep my group safe from danger, who knows what might be lurking behind the next tree. Coming across a cave entrance I signalled for my trekkers to stay back as I went to investigate and check if it was safe, the large male lion inside gave me a beady stare as I retreated slowly and quickly back to the others. As we got our machetes out the bamboo grass grew thicker and thicker I kept my eyes peeled for red pandas but none were to be seen.
They were probably being sensible and keeping in the shade!
Woolly says – scaling the mountain wasn’t easy and as I crept past the large sleeping brown bear I could hear my heart beat thudding in fear, one slip and I could be gone! I led my weary companions back onto the plains once more and we paused to watch the zebras huddled together under what appeared to be a large umbrella, strange the things you find on safari! A slow African speared tortoise passed us as we watched the capybara’s and hyrax playing in the dust bowls of their landscape, great entertainment for picnic eating. With my thirst slaked and my hunger satisfied it was time to get my charges back to civilisation safely, leading them slowly through the brush and dense vegetation I found the pathway out.
Woolly Attenborough seemed to have enjoyed himself and although some of the pens and enclosures were a little on the small side the zoo was in the process of building new and much bigger areas, it would be interesting to come back in a year or so and see what they have achieved.
Woolly says – aiming to keep us in the shade I suggested a walk through the park. Maksimir Park was founded in 1787 and was the first large public park in South-Eastern Europe, it is still the biggest park in Croatia. It was lovely with lakes and weeping willows swishing though the water and lots of trees to provide shade, we happily walked admiring the informal feel of the place and wondering at the use for the huge building known as the Kiosk. The boating lake had a lack of boats and was one of five on the massive site, but with all of us flagging from the humidity we could leave those for another day. I sat and watched as Zoe ran up some steps to the eagle statue that commemorates the thousandth anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom and was placed there in 1925 after 155 places from around the country donated soil for the impressive mound, watching her was more than enough and as I looked at Jo there was only one thing for it…..ice cream!