Be A Kid, Visit a Zoo
I’ve always had a special love of bears. If I’m honest, bear is also a family nickname. I used to carry my teddy bear absolutely everywhere as a child and the name just stuck like glue. Now, the poor bear’s arms are pretty floppy. She’s barely survived all those years of dangling from my hands, being carted around family holidays and outings. But she is a pretty well travelled bear having crossed Europe, the UK and the USA.
This love of stuffed bears naturally expanded to a love of the real thing, the animals. A few years ago I made a special trip to honour this love. I was living in the Netherlands at the time and a local zoo had two new arrivals, young ijsberen (polar bears) born earlier that year. Aside from the draw of little polar bears the zoo hosts a special ‘berenbos’ or bear forest. Now usually I’d feel like a bit of a cheat visiting a zoo in a new town, new country. I feel like zoo’s can’t be that different around the world (but please correct me if I’m wrong in the comments below). But sometimes I think there can be an exception. Sometimes we should get to be kids again right? This was just that time.
Tucked away in the small town of Rhenen, the Netherlands, a short walk from the station takes you to the quiet entrance to Ouwehands Dierenpark. Usually I’d be quite methodical in my exploration of something like a zoo. I’d take my time to follow the map past tigers, giraffes, zebras, meerkats, warthogs and orangutans swinging around. But the main attraction won out and I skipped ahead to the ‘Bear Forest Expedition’ — a two-hectare area home to brown bears and wolves.
These brown bears escaped from former lives of mistreatment along with the help of Alertis — a fund for bear and nature conservation. This area of the zoo is designed to mimic the bears typical habitat and bursts with waterfalls, logs, tree trunks and caves for a little shut eye. The idea is to encourage natural behaviour while maintaining a seasonal diet, rich in the types of food available in the wild.
The visitors path is suspended above a lower level where the bears and wolves could roam. This vantage point lets you spot bears nibbling some lunch, lazing round or padding along the forest floor — not a bad life is it?
Next I went to meet the young polar bear cubs. It was feeding time so they were hiding behind their nursing mother. With full tummies they slid into the water for post-dinner playtime. The zoo’s viewing area gave visitors the up close and personal view of playtime. Even at a young age they swam elegantly through the water showing off their power and grace (after a few wild splashes and twisting limbs). It was mesmorising to watch them play and to watch their bodies glide through the water. With only the glass between me and them I was close enough to see the strands of fur on their bodies as it moved through the water. This is one advantage a zoo has over the real world — you get to see things you wouldn’t ordinarily see.
Whether I think it’s cheating visiting a zoo or that they might be similar in different locations there are good reasons to visit zoos. Usually I’m not a huge fan of keeping animals cooped up but zoos are an important education and conservation tool. They raise awareness and allow everyone access to beautiful creatures from all over the world. They give us chance to see why we should be fighting for our world and our environment. And even if you’re not thinking about sustainability, if you’ve got a special reason to visit one they can be a great family day out. Or they can let you be a kid again.
Originally posted on Sage Adventures travel & wellness lifestyle blog: www.sageadventres.co.uk.
