Wednesday, March 5, 2014

National Zoological Gardens

With last Thursday being an official holiday in Sri Lanka, we had the whole day to spend with our friends and their children. 
I love animals but often wonder why we feel the need to cage them, put them on display and stare at them. Despite that (and the humidity) we had a very nice time wandering the grounds of the Zoological Gardens of Colombo.
Our friends were under the impression that their zoo would not compare to anything we have here in Kuwait. How wrong they are!   The zoo here is small and a very sad place to be.  I had to take field trips there with my kindergarten classes years ago and vowed never to go again.
 Do they look sad?  Or is it just me feeling sad for them?
 
 
  Everyone was mesmerized by this guy and he was cool as a cucumber.  I'm sure he was thinking "what the heck are all these people staring at?"
 
A map led us down winding paths through 60 exhibits and beautiful grounds.
 
 
 The sweetest thing was seeing a little boy who was doing his schoolwork as he went to each exhibit.  Drawing the animals and writing about them.
 
 At the end we had a nice little picnic lunch provided by Rizwana.  She made spicy potato sandwiches just for me.
A nice couple of hours with friends enjoying nature truly is a wonderful thing.
Have a great day!

18 comments:

Linda said...

Looks like a wonderful way to spend the day. :) I've never felt sad for the animals at the zoos that I've been to, because to me, it looks like a plush life, having food delivered and being cared for daily, as opposed to how it would be in the wild. I think about that when I think of our indoor-cats, they have it made. ;) Looks like a nice zoo there.
I'm just thinking of how nice it would be to feel warm.... the best we're getting here is maybe 30s by the end of the week, which is considered a big warm up. There is snow again today as well.
Have a nice remainder of the week!
Linda

vintage grey said...

Looks like a lovely and fun day!! And yummy sandwiches! Have a wonderful week! xo Heather

Betsy said...

Good Morning! I have been to some zoos that have made me feel terrible for even visiting and giving my money to such horrible places. However Henry Doorly Zoo in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska is an absolutely wonderful place with huge habitats for the animals and I've always enjoyed visiting there when we go home.
Spicy potato sandwiches? I've never heard of them. Would you share the recipe?
Blessings my friend,
Betsy

Tanya said...

So glad you had a good day and hopefully, the zoo was a little better now than before. I am always amazed when I see signs from my blogging friends in exotic countries, and they are in English...I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, but it always catches me off guard. Something winging it's way to you - the one sent to England and Spain have made it there, so hopefully within the next few days! XOXO Tanya

Sherry said...

I looked back through your last few posts and want to wish you a late Happy Birthday. I too have mixed feelings when visiting zoos. I love to be able to see so many types of animals but their faces often look sad. That got me to thinking though, our dog Emmy always appears to have a sad face and eyes, I hope that isn't how she really feels. Spicy potato sandwiches do sound pretty yummy.

Teresa Kasner said...

I'm with you on zoos.. but the one thing they accomplish is that children see them and then relate to them and love them and save them the rest of their life. It looks very lush and tropical there. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Jennifer Hays said...

I feel the same way about zoos, but I agree with what Teresa said too. My hope is that zoos are doing a good job caring for their animals and that we can enjoy them without too much worry for their well-being. This looks like a wonderful place to visit, very clean and well-kept. I loved seeing that little boy's work, he's a good artist and his handwriting is beautiful! I hope you're having a good week, Tammy. :)

Sam I Am...... said...

I love to armchair travel with my blogging buddies! I would never see these places otherwise. Beautiful and wonderful! But you do have my curiosity up about the potato sandwiches. They look yummy!

Yarni Gras! said...

I too am torn about zoos and such but I always enjoy going.....so now I have to ask, how do you make a spicy potato sandwich?

Anonymous said...

What is a Potato Sandwich??????

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Tammy,
Yes, to me those animals in your top photos did look very sad... One wonders what they think about?
Getting food is one thing but they are so restricted in their minimal space versus their natural habitat.
Glad you enjoyed it and had the spicy potato sandwiches as a finale.
Hugs to you,
Mariette

Diane said...

Great shots of your visit to the zoo, Tammy. I'm like you - my heart aches for the animals in so many different situations (the Iditarod, zoos, circuses, horse racing, the list goes on). It sounds like you had a lovely day with your friends picnic at the end of your day.

Helen Philipps said...

Dear Tammy I am just catching up with your wonderful posts....such amazing photos of Sri Lanka!They are wonderful pictures, and it looks like such a great trip. Wishing you a very Happy belated Birthday and a wonderful year ahead. (And how delicious those spicy potato sandwiches look!)
Helen xox

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Hello Tammy, I have never heard of a potato sandwich. hmmmmmmmmmmm.. It goods though. I think if animals have been injured and No longer can survive in the wild and a Zoo can take good care of them and love them they are ok with me. Hugs Judy

Vicki Boster said...

Absolute bliss-- who doesn't love a day at the zoo!! It looks like such a lovely place-- I'm sure you had a wonderful day with your friends. I love the child's homework papers:)
Vicki

Lorrie said...

I'm not really a fan of zoos, either, but your day at the zoological gardens looks like you had a great time. Potato sandwiches - do explain!

kathyinozarks said...

Looks like pretty grounds for the zoo-I have mixed feelings about zoos too- tell me more about the potato sandwiches-how were they made

Serena Lewis said...

As you know, I'm very passionate about animal welfare and I'm not a fan of zoos at all for that very reason, Tammy. Animals belong in the wild where they can live naturally, not caged up like prisoners. It breaks my heart. I've seen some horrific zoo environments via images on Facebook and it outrages me to see those poor animals so sad and neglected to the point of being skin and bone. Some European zoos kill healthy animals too. I think a lot of zoos are more about making money than genuinely caring about the animals. I think open range wildlife parks/sanctuaries would be the better option where the wildlife at least have room to roam.

OH, those spicy potato sandwiches sound divine!

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