The Virginia Zoo

After moving to Hampton Roads, I realized quickly how much I missed my volunteer work at the National Zoo. I had so much fun talking to all the visitors and telling them about the Giant Panda's, even when it was swealtering hot or freezing outside.


I knew there was a zoo down this way in Norfolk, and when I looked into volunteering the timing wasn't right. Well - sure enough in January I happend to go online and saw that they were holding a new docent training class. So I signed up!


To date, it's all been training in the classroom, learning about the different animals at the zoo and meeting many of them. We got to do the "two finger" touch - petting/touching many of the animals. These animals include snakes, geckos, milipede, fox, rabbits, chickens, meeting an opossum, porcupine, and many others.


Here are some of the animals:The prariedogs are waking up from hibernation a little early as it hasn't been cold for an extended period of time.


This lion is a daddy with two new cubs born over the summer, one girl and one boy.

The sloth bear is just hanging around - checking out what everyone is doing.

This little guy is just "monkeying" around...the keeper was standing right in front of him with a food puzzle. This is a plastic container with small holes so the monkey's have to "work" for their food.

I love the peanut in this guy's mouth after he got it out of his halloween bucket!

I haven't started "handling" any of the animals, but some of the snakes are on the first level that I will have to handle. And no, they are not nasty, slimy, or icky - they are very soft, smooth, and very muscular (that's what freaks me out the most) :o)

So if you live in the Hampton Roads area come visit me at the Zoo! http://www.virginiazoo.org/