The Honolulu Zoo

Nearly every morning of my stay in Honolulu this past August I was woken up by a loud screech. My neighbors thought it was birds. I knew better. Our hotel was across the street from the Honolulu Zoo and the source of that screech was none other than the gibbon, a loud swinging primate with a flair for attracting attention.

I was on a weeks vacation without my children. Literally steps away from the beach with no kids to keep in mind while planning my daily activities. What did I choose to do that first day in paradise? I went to the zoo. Yes, I am a zoo freak. What can I say, I love spending time with the animals. It was across the street from my hotel and the gibbons were calling me. The beach could wait a couple hours. 

There are over 2000 miles separating the Honolulu Zoo from the next zoological establishment. These islands are isolated and there are no mammals native to the chain. The zoo is a great place for tourists and locals to go for a view of animals that live across the seemingly endless span of blue water.

I arrived at the elephant enclosure just as bath time began. No, we aren’t talking suds and water. We are talking dust, lots and lots of dust. The elephants seemed to be having a gay old time grabbing trunkfuls of dirt and leisurely tossing them on top of their heads.  I have to admit it was quite nice to just sit on a bench a enjoy the show without having a child pester me the entire time.

 

While at the zoo I experienced something I have never experienced before: tortoise intercourse. Yep. You read that right. I saw two tortoises getting it on. It was…..ummm….educational.

Oh yes, I am going there. I am giving you a collage of tortoises engaging in intercourse. Enjoy!

Note the male tortoise collapsed and apparently passed out post coitus. True to the male gender from species to species it seems…

I also spent some quality time with an African wild dog. It was just me and the dog for a good 10 minutes. At first he hung out towards the back of his enclosure but after some gentle coaxing from yours truly, I managed to get him to come hang out against the plate glass window with me.I know he is a wild animal but he reminded me alot of my own pooches back home. He was nice enough to listen to me whine about how I missed my kids and act only slightly indifferent to my very presence.

I know in the past I have said that if I were a zoo giraffe I would want to live in the Santa Barbara Zoo with their massive ocean view enclosure. I think Honolulu runs a close second.  I really liked how they put the giraffes, zebras, and rhinos in the same enclosure. It gave the exhibit a more authentic savanna feel.

If you are in Waikiki, take a couple hours and check out the Honolulu Zoo. Its right across the street from the beach so you can explore the zoo and than take a dip in the ocean. There is a great children’s zoo on site and plenty of fantastic animals to see. If you would like more information click here.

Family Travel Tips
Honolulu