Gramado Zoo Visit

January 26  Monday



Sneak preview - will go back

Knowing that this was going to be a long day and that some housekeeping needed to be taken care of, I got up early to scrub down the bathroom and mop some hardwood floors.  It's easier to go play for the day if you know you are coming home to a clean house.  We made waffles for breakfast and were ready to go when Copas picked us up at 10:00 a.m.

The plan for the day was to drive to the Tomasini Parque (Mina de pedras preciosas - mine of precious rocks).  We found that the park was closed on Mondays - we saw enough to entice us and hope to go back.

 The plan changed, and we decided to go to the Gramado Zoo.   http://translate.google.com.br/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.gramadocanela.com.br/gramado-zoo/&prev=search
The temperature was still moderate in the morning, so we thought the animals would be out and about.  After entering the building, we were put in a small dark room to watch a short video on the zoo and its purpose, the dos and don'ts, and what to expect.  This zoo  does not have the typical 'zoo' animals (lions, elephants giraffes, etc.).  All animals, birds, and reptiles are native to Brazil - they were not captured from the wild and put in the zoo but were bred for endangered wildlife management. 



As we left the little room, we went through a long dark tunnel that exited into the 'jungle.'  Immediately, exotic birds of all kinds were along the path, flitting about in the trees.  This Toucan was one of the first to be seen - along with several other friends.

Most of the park is open, natural habitat with no apparent enclosures - the animals roam/fly free.  There are some protective barriers to protect them from  visitors.  The heavily forested park along with the loud squawking of the birds made us feel like we were walking through a jungle.  At each corner, we weren't sure what creature might be roaming or crawling around. 

 

   

At the half point of the walk was a large building with the umbrella looking roof.  It was the snack bar/ice cream area.  We were all pretty hot and tired - so we ordered a treat.  Both Merl and I ordered a milk shake and requested them to be extra thick. . .  In the translation, we got milk shakes with more fruit than ice cream.  Mine was maracuja and quite strongly flavored - but good.  Merl had a very berry shake.  Ann had a vanilla cone, and David had a frozen cup of batiá (supposed to have been a citrus flavored root or berry - he said his taster isn't too good, not sure what it was). 

We thoroughly enjoyed the zoo and seeing so many different birds and animals - not room to post all the pictures here.  Someday we will have a nice video and slide show.

We are off to the Gaúcho Parque  (next post).