Cowboy and I have been enjoying a little time off this week, and what do we go and do?  If you guessed go visit more animals, then you would be correct.  We just can’t help ourselves, but it seems that a good sanctuary, wildlife center, or zoo always gets our attention.

Today we visited the Fort Worth Zoo, which is one of the top five zoos in the country.  The big news at the zoo right now are the baby elephants, Belle and Bowie.  We made it in time for their viewing, and got to talk to one of the zookeepers where we learned that the elephant herd eats a thousand pounds of hay per day, along with bamboo and other treats!  And let me just tell you, in Texas hay can be like gold, especially in drought prone summers.  And the amount of poo they can generate? Let’s just say I’ll make sure to limit the complaining when scooping out horse stalls each day.

As amazing as a place as the Fort Worth Zoo is with natural habitats for their over 7,000 animals, I can’t help but think about how most of these guys and gals would be the happiest in their natural environment, but due to habitat loss and threats mostly from humans, they are at risk.  Many of the critters at the zoo are part of the AZA’s Species Survival Plan.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that it’s about having a good time with the critters, so I rarely tend toward the serious, rather quite the opposite.  However, I’d just like to remind us all to take care of the critters in this world.  We really can learn so much from them, and it’s our responsibility to care for them.

So from our zoo to yours, give the critters a hug today, lend a helping hand to those who need it, and remember them in your Christmas donations and throughout the year.