It’s always fun feeding the giraffes at the zoo. It was even better when the big guy, A. J., showed up for a snack yesterday.
It was the perfect day for a trip to the zoo. My wife and I had two grandsons with us, and we met my daughter with her three girls. We got there early, so it wasn’t hot or crowded. For an extra ten bucks you get unlimited carousel and train rides, 4D movies, and feeding the giraffes at the zoo.
We took the train to the back end of the zoo, where we got to see the two seven-month-old tiger cubs and the Komodo dragon. After that we rode the carousel twice, played on the splash pad, brushed the goats, and ate lunch. Then it was on to the lions, elephants, manatees, and the giraffes.
Feeding the giraffes means a zoo worker gives you a leafy branch and you hold it out so a waiting giraffe can take it from you with her long, blue tongue. Carrying our one-year-old granddaughter, I got in line for her first giraffe experience.
When it was our turn, the male giraffe nudged his way up to the platform. The Jacksonville, FL zoo has a number of females, but only one male. He doesn’t come over for a snack very often, so this was a special occasion.
His name is A. J., and he is sixteen-and-half feet tall. I held out our elm branch, and he only sniffed it at first. The zoo worker said, “He likes to think about it first.” A. J. then licked it, but didn’t take the branch. Finally, he wrapped his foot-long tongue around the stick and crunched it up as my granddaughter pulled back a few inches.
I’ve fed the giraffes before, but never realized how much bigger the males are. I knew they had horns on their head, but never knew that the horns had fur and patches of color just like the rest of his body.
It was cool seeing giraffes in the wild on a safari in Kenya ten years ago. It’s cool to see one up close, too.
Waite for it... 