hot day at the zoo.

After work today, I went to the Nashville Zoo. It was pretty hot outside, like mid- to upper-90s, but the zoo is mostly shaded and there was a little breeze so it wasn't too bad. Work was busy all day and by 3:00 I felt like either going home and crawling in bed or walking it out at the zoo. So I went to the zoo! I figured that was better for me than taking a nap. Weekday afternoons are a good time to go because the zoo isn't crowded at all.

The meerkat exhibit is pretty close to the entrance so it's one of the first things I visit. And this is usually what they're doing, especially on hot days. I think this meerkat is related to Otis because this is how Otis prefers to sleep.

They have a "Goats Only" area in the petting zoo where goats can go when they are sick of people touching them. Most of the goats were there today, except for this kid who was on the fence. I was trying to get a quick picture because I was afraid he was going to eat my phone!

One of the zoo keepers was getting ready to feed the camels, so they were pretty alert. I was wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts like the zoo keepers so maybe this camel thought I was one of them. He came right up to me. I backed up because I figured he might eat me too!

Here is a baby clouded leopard again. There's a video of them playing at the bottom of this post. They were all stretched out sleeping on a rock when I walked up. I know they are cats, but if I were them I would have gotten over my hatred of water and went swimming. It was hot!

It was hard to get a picture of the giraffes because they were so far away, but you can see the mama leaning down on the right and the new baby (born June 10) on the left! That's a big giraffe for being just two weeks old! They were chomping away on some leaves.

Clouded Leopard Cubs at the Nashville Zoo