Where's Willow? - Pennsylvania (Day 5)

Today we got up early and headed down to Philadelphia.  It's about a half hour by car with no traffic.

We went to the zoo!

The Philadelphia Zoo is America's first zoo.  (Even if you didn't know that, it's printed everywhere so you know by the time you leave).

There are peacocks all over the place!

First we hit the Rare Animal Conservation Center.  Look - we found the rare, exotic Willow!

We really wanted to see the Douc Langer because he's the only one in North America but he didn't want to be seen so I took a picture with his picture.

Then there was this great family of titi monkeys - they definitely wanted to be a picture!

Next to them were some blue eyed black lemurs. The sign says they are SO rare and elusive that up until 1983, they were thought to be a myth! (They come from Madagascar).

We popped into the Small Mammal House next and snagged this cool photo with Timone's cousins.

Next we hit Big Cat Falls.  It is AMAZING!  Not only do they have huge exhibit spaces, the cats can climb above you (don't worry, they take turns so they don't fight - these are pumas, I think). This mama lioness just had four cubs. She is so proud.  (Get it, a group of lions is a pride and she's proud - ha, ha, ha!)

The Primate Reserve is next door.  It's really cool.  Nonna told me that a few years ago, something very sad happened.  There was a fire and all of the primates died.  Everyone was so sad that they didn't know what to do so they decided the best way to remember their friends was to bring new friends in and this amazing habitat was created for them.  There's a whole family of gorillas!  Here are some of them playing around.

Most of the other primates simply wouldn't get in the pictures with me.  Oh, well.

If you look above my head here, you will see two bald eagles.  They aren't locked up.  They can't fly because they got hurt so the zoo cares for them here.

Next up...giraffes!  (Get it, up - ha!)

Nonna made me take this pic which is ok because Susie and Laura are pretty cool (they're the zebras) but you see this big tree behind me?  It's not real!  It's a copy of a baobab tree that was placed in this exhibit to look like a real tree from the savannah.  Good job, huh?  A real baobab tree would die in Pennsylvania because it's too cold, but this fake one has lasted a long time.

The not so elusive polar bear...

Lastly, we went to see the Okapi .  Sadly, the only picture that came out is me looking at the sign.  They are really cool though.  They are the only living relative to the giraffe - even though they look like they're half zebra/half horse!

P.S. On the way out of the zoo, a daddy asked if I was a Travel Doll and where I was from and how many places I had been.  Clever Daddy.