Sunset Zoo

There is nothing like watching chimpanzees. They are so much like humans that I am absolutely fascinated by them. But then, there was so much more than the chimps. In the petting zoo my husband and I both became like kids, loving every minute of the one-on-one contact with the animals.

Quick Tips:

Take a good portion of the day to leisurely stroll through this well-designed and hilly zoo.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walk, and make sure you wear your best walking shoes.

What could be more thrilling than a couple of little meerkats so close that, but for the glass, you could reach out and touch them? What captured my fancy even more was the way they placed their little hands up on the glass as if wanting to touch me as much as I wanted to touch them.

The coatimundi were also quite entertaining. They seemed to be extremely interested in reaching through their fence to pick the flowers growing outside. Isn't that the way it always is -- grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

The animals at this zoo seemed very well attended to. They had ample space to move about and live their lives. And even though the zoo is designed for people to view the wildlife, it is moreso designed to meet the needs of the wildlife. This meant that in some instances it was not always easy to spot all of the animals. They had the opportunity to move off into private quarters as they desired.

Sunset Zoo had both tigers and leopards. I don't recall seeing any lions, but that doesn't mean that they aren't there.

The tigers were in a very large enclosure at the bottom of a fairly steep hill. There was much vegetation in their area, which caused some difficulty in viewing the animals. However, if I were a tiger in captivity, I suppose I would appreciate the cover.

My niece, Dawn, explaied that what we saw hanging from one of the trees was actually some of the tigers' food. The zoo personnel believe in having the tigers do a little work for their food as they would in the wild.

This was the most difficult area of the zoo to traverse on foot. By the time we reached this area we were a little worn out from walking, and the rather steep incline was a chore to get back up.

There was no difficulty in spotting the snow leopard. It lay directly in front of the glass viewing station. I think we lucked out in this, as there were areas of the leopard enclosure that could have served as secluded resting for this magnificent cat.

I know the petting zoo area is supposed to be for kids, but what the heck, we're all kids at heart. One of the most interesting animals in this part of the zoo was the pot-bellied pig. They have so much extra skin and this one had some really interesting teeth, too. I wasn't brave enough to pet it though.

The goats were fun too. I had to ward one off that tried to eat my skirt.

This area was well kept, as were all parts of the zoo. There was no foul odor (or fowl odor either for that matter), and the animals were fairly well mannered -- just right for the little kids and big ones, too.

There was quite a variety of birds throughout the zoo. Some of the species were native birds that had been injured and could not be returned to the wild. Others were in recovery. And then there were the standard zoo birds such as ostrich and cranes. There were some beautifully plummed white owls and some species from South America, such as the African Gray Parrot.

The birds were, for the most part, quite easily viewed. The cages were large and roomy.

Some of the monkey viewing was inside. These enclosures were clean and well lit. We got a kick out of watching the little creatures scamper around the branches.

The Tortoises were located just outside the petting zoo area. It must have been mating season for them. We watched them for about 20 minutes and the whole time there was a large male right on the tail of a female as the two of them walked around the perimeter of their area.

And then there were the llamas. My husband almost got kissed by one.

Overall, the zoo was well kept and the animals well tended to. We proceeded through at a rather brisk pace, but for best enjoyment one should plan for a more leisurely walk-thru.

The zoo grounds were hilly, so wear tennis shoes.