When was the last time you visited the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton?
As a native Islander, I have visited the Zoo over these many years with my son, niece, nephew, friends and family. However, last summer I was fortunate to visit the Zoo with my grandson and experienced the fascination and wonder through his young eyes.
The Zoo has a spectacular assortment of wild animals, reptiles, birds, bugs, a petting zoo for the young (and the young at heart), exhibits, events (Breakfast with the Beasts, Farm Day-Shear Madness--you get to see horses being shoed and watch sheep shearing and wool spinning, Eggstravagant Breakfast with the Bunny, and ZooFari, to name a few), educational programs and of course, Groundhog Day with the famous Staten Island Chuck.
The Zoo has added to the mix a month-old leaf-tailed gecko, a Chinese crocodile lizard, a six-week old female binturong (bearcat), a kangaroo and an anteater who was born earlier this year.
It is amazing how many animals are in our own Staten Island Zoo. You can walk around for hours inside and out, enjoy lunch or a snack and visit with the animals especially the peacocks who roam the grounds. My grandson wanted to return to see the fish again. I was suprised at how many he could name! The peacocks screech and open their beautiful display of feathers. On the grounds, there are stone replicas of huge snakes and turtles that the kids love to climb on and pose for pictures.
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