Today Emily and I took the kids to a random group of animals in the JC Penney, Belk, and Books A Million parking lot. It was fun, but so strange! They say they have a wildlife preserve in Florida, but somehow I doubt that. I would think people who are really concerned about the welfare of animals wouldn't put a tiger in a 5x8 cage with one ball and a bowl of water to live his life, but whatever. The carnies, I mean Zoo Crew (I'd say the average # of teeth per mouth was 15), were very nice and they did let you take pictures of all the animals with your own camera and general admission was free. Emily and I were cracking up b/c we felt like we were at the fair. If you've ever been the to Cullman County Fair, that is saying a lot! I wanted to dress John Henry in a safari themed outfit, but I thought that might be taking it a little too far for the Belk Parking lot. They had a baby tiger, baby lion, baby kangaroo, lemurs, goats, some kind of strange mini-cow, llamas, camel, ponies, donkeys passed off as a ponies, a black leopard, and a white tiger.
The first thing we did was have the kids take a picture with a baby tiger. It was really cute! It cost $12, but b/c Emily and I are so thrify, I brought the pic home to scan and print so we only had to pay once. John Henry and Ava really weren't about the tiger. John Henry just thought it
was a cat. I'll scan the real pic later. It is funny!
Here is the big tiger. We were only like 3 ft away from it. His teeth were huge! The cage seemed secure, but it was a little to close for comfort for me. I was mentally planning my escape route to my car in case it got out.
I got a picture of Ava riding the pony. John Weston was across from her. His pony was a donkey, but the kids didn't know that! :)
We did pay $1 per person to go in the back (a tent with flap that came to the floor) and see the "rare white tiger and majestic black leopard." They stunk, literally.
John Henry, Ava, and John Weston in front of the white tiger. I am pretty sure that is tiger pee that John Henry is standing in. The kids were more impressed with the big fan. :)
This picture cracks me up. Look at that camel in front of those stores! His name was Scooter. We got to watch some kids ride Scooter. John Weston and Ava really wanted ride it, but Emily decided it would be best to wait on Patrick to ride with them. That camel is pretty tall! The workers cleaned up after all the animals as soon as they used the bathroom, so it was a pretty clean place.
Sissy hugging John Henry!
After the safari, we went to Sweet Peppers Deli to eat. We saw lots of students we taught and our kids acted like nuts while we talked to everyone! It was really fun though, and it's not everyday you get to see a kangaroo in Cullman!
