Growing up near New York City, school field trips to the Bronx Zoo were a regular thing; I don’t think a year went by in elementary school when we didn’t go to the zoo. Additionally, with grandparents who were members, there were a lot of non-school trips there as well.
The Bronx Zoo is a place I remember fondly, and consequently, on a recent trip back to the area, I went with my wife (who also grew up going there on a regular basis) and my two-year-old daughter, who had never been. The day started out well enough, with my daughter going through the Children’s Zoo, examining all the various birds and ducks and wallabies. Though she was a little young to read about all the animals, she had no trouble trying to 
perform the same six-foot standing jump a bullfrog can achieve (she was unsuccessful). And, while they may have been a mite scary, feeding the goats and sheep proved just as fun to her as I remember it being.
Then, with newly arrived grandparents in tow, we marched off to the Bronx Zoo’s brand-new (as of this past June) Madagascar! exhibit. Housed in the zoo’s famous Lion House which was constructed in 1903, the exhibit focuses on the animals, wildlife, and dangers facing the third largest island on the planet. This last bit the exhibit manages to convey in a sensible way, explaining the issues and using some visuals, but without ever making the future seem unremittingly bleak.
Organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society which manages the Bronx Zoo, Madagascar! features, among other things, many varieties of lemur, some of which are easier to spot than others; some truly outstandingly colorful tomato frogs; 100,000 Madagascar hissing cockroaches; and a crocodile pool. In this fantastic pool there are two massive crocodiles and a variety of fish. Though the pool is large – it holds 17,000 gallons of water – the crocodiles seemed as though they were close enough to touch and, when they started moving, many of the kids in a passing school group were noticeably startled. Looking at the crocs looking at us, one never felt unsafe (the glass is two inches thick), but still got the impression that they would snack on us if they could. Read more..
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