The Memphis Zoo

I love to visit zoos during cooler times. When the weather is in the 50's, animals that typically don't seem to do anything but nap are up and active. It was just this type of weather when last I visited.

The Memphis Zoo is good one. They have 2 Pandas, mountain lions, jaguars, lions, a male lowland gorilla, chimps, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hippos, and a slew of other animals. We also get 50% off the entrance because we are members at the Nashville zoo, and that never hurts, right?

Upon entering the park we went immediately to the cats area, because the male and female lion were calling too each other. The male emitted a low rumble, like a whooo whooo. It carried easily across the distance from their cage to the entrance. I felt as if there was a speaker right above my head. The female makes a stranger noise that's a little higher pitched, like heh heh. They just go back and forth whooo heh whooo heh every so often for no apparent reason.

We saw a serval which was pacing its cage, and 3 young male mountain lions that were chasing each other around their enclosure. We also saw 2 black jaguars which were fighting over a rock. They were trying to lift if with their paws onto a rock ledge. They could have just picked it up with their mouths, but they didn't even try. I don't believe I've ever seen a jaguar elsewhere, or certanly not as close. I learned from the experience that they are actually marked like their spotted brethren, and when the light hits their fur just right, you can clearly see the spotted markings, though the fur is all black. The cheetahs were also very active, pacing the front edge of their exhibit and staring at the people looking at them, as if they were very hungry.

The zoo also has a lot of primates, most of which were active. The orangutan was eating grass, The mother chimp was holding her little baby, and the very large gorilla was carrying around his special piece of cardboard.

There is also a nocturnal animal exhibit, with a wide range of animals I've not seen elsewhere, like sugar gliders, anteaters, and kinkajous. We were a little upset that at the time we were too early to see the new exhibit with brown and polar bears, and also the seal show was off for that day because they were cleaning the pool.

This zoo is easily the best one in the state of TN, of the 3 that I have visited, with Nashville, Knoxville being the other 2. It is definitely worth a weekend trip, and perhaps a little further if there is not another zoo closer which has pandas. They are adorable, and of the 2 that they have, you are almost garunteed that at least 1 will be up and eating. They do seem to eat a lot.