Jungle Island 2016
23 May 2016
Last year, I took the kids to Miami's Jungle Island near Miami Beach. Rob wasn't able to go, having had appointments at the VA all day. We bought annual passes for the five of us at the time, but due to various illnesses and scheduling conflicts, we had not been able to go since. On Saturday night, I found our passes and realized we only had ONE more day left to use them! Pneumonia or no, I wasn't going to waste the opportunity for another fun day at an amazing venue.
Since we had all already been, I didn't take a ton of pictures of the critters. Instead, I tried to focus my lens on the fam and take interesting pictures of other stuff.
This is a Florida gator, but have you heard the news that the Nile crocodile is here in our state? Not. Good. News.
We didn't spot on an any actual "sausages" on the tree in front of us, but all of us found the idea of this tree trés amusing.
Rob loved that the parrots and other birds were right up close and touchable in their environment here.
We attempted to feed the large koi in the ponds, but they seemed not to be terribly hungry.
Being a Miami Hurricane, I have a special place in my heart for our mascot, the ibis.
The dorsal sides of my four favorite people in the world
We crossed paths with quite a few large iguanas.
Sophia loves birds and declares frequently that she wants to keep a parrot when she's older. My friend Cyndi has promised her an African Gray at some point!
I could just watch my children all day. I suspect many mothers feel this way about their babies.
Reptiles doing what reptiles will: basking in the sunlight
The highlight of our last visit, certainly, was something few people will ever experience in their lives: hands-on action with rare Black and White, and Red-Ruffed, Lemurs from Madagascar. We had one more ticket for Robert to go into their habitat, which is why I felt it was imperative not to waste our season passes!
Rob sitting, waiting for the lemurs to come out of their cage, reminded me of when we'd be sleeping and the Littles would wake up early in the morning. Especially on Christmas. Holy cow.
Rob seemed to love the lemur experience as much as the rest of is did. Also, he kept talking about how he was scent-marked by one for the rest of the day.
The rare, exotic jungle bunny
A rare, exotic smile from Jack
We also thoroughly enjoyed the bird show at Jungle Island, so we made sure to take Daddy to see that yesterday, also.
This little guy was hoisting the American flag, to thunderous applause.
A few of the birds who visited us at the show in the Parrot Bowl
My friend, here, came right up close to me in his cage and let me take about a dozen pictures, mere inches from his red head.
Just like last time we visited, the 'roos were pretty hot and lethargic, doing not much more than lying around in the shade. I didn't blame them, as I was starting to overheat, myself.
I was able to get a few close-ups with this kangaroo before we left, however, and I wish we'd had the opportunity to see some boxing. No one volunteered to be a target, surprisingly!
Languid large leopard, and a liger
As we exited the park, before I passed out from heat exhaustion, we were greeted by this beautiful flamingo-filled scene.
If you're an animal lover like all of Team Odette are, Jungle Island in Miami is a must-see. It's an experience you won't soon forget.
Fin.