Lowry Park Zoo

Yesterday, Kari and I went to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. She went a week ago with her visiting sister and family, but I was not able to attend. So Kari bought the Annual Zoo Pass so we could go back all year - just 2-3 hour trips at a time, without the pressure of having to see everything all in one day. And it is a good thing she did because yesterday I spent our whole 2.5 hours in the Primate World!

My favorite were the Siamang Gibbons, a type of ape (which I learned is different from a monkey because it does not have a real tail). There was a mom, dad, and their 17-month old baby.



These apes are amazing tree climbers and swingers. They were so active: swinging around their island by their arms, balancing across ropes 30 feet in the air, and leaping from trees to poles.








We were also privileged to hear them "duet." The Siamangs are monogamous for life, and when they find their mate, they form a unique song that they sing together. One of the keepers said that before the baby was born, they would duet everyday at 10:00, like clockwork. But since having the baby, they sing more sporadically. We were lucky to be there for the whole duet, which lasted about 30 minutes.



You could hear their song across the entire zoo, which drew quite an audience. My favorite part was at the end of the song where they gave a loud call that sounded just like "Yaaaahoooo!"




On a side note, before they started singing, we were watching one Siamang make lap after lap in the air, swinging and jumping. The baby was in a palm tree, trying to get to an adjacent tree. And the third was sitting in the grass watching. A mom with a 3-4 year old girl next to us asked her daughter, "Which do you think is the mom and which is the dad?" She said, "Oh, that's the mom!" pointing to the one in the grass. "Why?" "Because she's just sitting around doing nothing." The mom turned to those around her, "Do you hear that? All day long I'm cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry... but the mom has to be the one doing nothing!" (Stay strong, Stay-at-Home-Moms - they will know what you do one day.)

I was also fascinated by the Orangutans. They are also excellent climbers and like to play with human clothing, boxes, spoons, and whatever else they get. It was Didi's 31st birthday, so we got to be there for her party as all the orangutans received boxes to unwrap - I think filled with peanuts. And Didi got a special spoon.

They also seemed to be more aware of the crowd than some of the other primates and would sit on a perch near us to interact or pose. Orangutans are 97% genetically the same as humans, so they give them the same medicine as us. But as Kari said, "That's an important 3%!"



I can't wait to go back and see more of the zoo! Although, Kari thinks I will have a hard time not going back to see the primates again. She might be right.