July 11, 1998
Overall Impression
You know how sometimes you seem to just see or do something that you are
sure no one else will experience. Our visit to the "Artis" in Amsterdam
was one of those experiences. Rest assured that this review is heavily
biased. I absolutely loved this zoo. Unless you; see a Gazelle being born,
almost get trampled by a European Bison and see Polar Bears do back flips
into the water, then maybe, just maybe you will get out of the Amsterdam
Zoo what we did.
Highlights
I'm not sure if the animals were just feeling frisky or what, but all the
animals seemed very alert and rambunctious. Usually the animals just lookup
at you with that "yeah yeah another human..." kind of look but these animals
were different. First of all, when we arrived a Gazelle had just given
birth and the baby was on the ground all wet and gooey with the mother
trembling beside it. The afterbirth was still hanging out of her vagina
and she acted as though she was in shock. No zoo keepers were around to
assist, not that she needed it, nature just took its course. What and incredible
moment. The baby would try and stand and the crowd's reaction would build,
"aaahhhhh" and then the baby would fall back to its' knees and the crowd
would hush with an "ooooohhhhhhh" We stayed and watched for at least an
hour but the little calf couldn't stand. We didn't want to leave this part
of the zoo but we needed to adventure on...
A rare Andean Condor gave us quite a show. (It's strange that such a
creature is in Amsterdam. When I was in Merida, Venezuela we saw two mamed
condors in cages in a sanctuary on a mountain near Pico Agular. These birds
were there because rebels in the mountains shoot these beautiful birds
claiming that if they can't be "free" then neither should the condors.
Therefore they shoot them. Go figure.) |
