One Last Adventure Before Italy

The time has come! After four months (originally meant to be only two), we're finally heading back to Italy. This is the last post from state-side--stay tuned for updates from across the pond. 

Before leaving, RC invited us to join them at the zoo one last time. How could we say no?

Flamingo Lagoon

We found a great parking spot and made our way inside, texting RC while we waited by the Flamingo Lagoon.

The San Diego Zoo has always greeted guests with a pool. It started in the 1920s with the Mirror Pool, which housed everything from swans to penguins to sea lions. In the 1950s, a remodel transformed the entrance and created one of the zoo's most iconic sights: the Flamingo Lagoon.

Opened in July 1954, it has been home to a flamboyance of the bright pink flamingos ever since. Flamboyance is the specific collective noun for a group of flamingos. Now you know. Over the years it's changed shape and added features, but it remains one of those classic spots where visitors flock (pun intended).

Flamingo Lagoon

Wildlife Wonders

Kai had a long nap that delayed their arrival, and once they reached the parking lot, he was hungry. So Ira and I decided to head to the Wegeforth Bowl to catch the Wildlife Wonders show while RC, Sara, and Kai got settled.

The show opened with Elvis, a dog who grew up alongside Ilanga, a cheetah. Elvis served as both mother and father figure--a heartwarming story of unlikely friendship.

Elvis and Ilanga

Ilanga

The zoo has worked for over 40 years to protect cheetahs through breeding programs aimed at preventing extinction.

Next up was the opossum--North America's only marsupial. Like kangaroos, They carry their young in a pouch like kangaroos. Opossums are environmental superheroes, eating up to 5,000 ticks per year and helping prevent tick-borne diseases from harming pets like Kobayashi!

Fun fact: the phrase "playing possum" comes from their involuntary reflex to appear dead to scare off predators.

Opossum

Then came Cashew, a two-toed sloth born in February 2025. His long, curved claws are perfectly designed for hanging upside down--where sloths eat, sleep and even give birth. Cashew came out of the starting gate like great guns, but then fell asleep. When he finally got going again, I thought, it was at a pretty good clip, for a sloth.

 

Cashew, the two-toed sloth

Next was a beaver--whose name, I'm sorry to say, we've forgotten. But as a Canadian, I can't help but feel an affinity for the beaver! Their fur has two layers: an outer coat of coarse guard hairs and a dense underfur that keeps them warm through frigid Canadian winters.

Beaver, official symbol of Canada

By the time the show ended, RC, Sara, and Kai had arrived. We made our way to see Cashew again--though his handler was still trying to coax him back off-stage.

Cashew, might have fallen asleep, again

Spineless Marvels

From there, we wandered into the Spineless Marvels building. Most of the critters were tricky to photograph, but I did manage a shot of this colorful Oblong-winged Katydid. While most katydids are green, pink ones like this are rare--scientists still don't fully understand what causes their unusual color.

Oblong-winged Katydid

RC, ever the insect enthusiast (he once had an ant farm in his bedroom window!), was quick to point out the Ant Nest Castings. These intricate metal molds are created by pouring molten metal into underground ant colonies to study their architecture. 

From left to right: Big-headed ants, Florida harvester ants, and carpenter ants.

Ant Nest Castings

Cool Critters and Kai's Favorites

After marveling at the insects, we made our way to the Cool Critters area, where we spotted these long-snouted reptiles. I assumed they were crocodiles or alligators, but RC corrected me--they're actually Gharials, native to the rivers of  India and Nepal. Well these deserved a second look, I've never even heard of them before!

Gharials

Kai wasn't too impressed with the slower animals--the amphibians and tortoises couldn't hold his attention. We tried camels next, but even those didn't do the trick.

Dromedary one-humped camel

The koalas, adorable as ever, were sound asleep--not exactly thrilling for a toddler, but Kai didn't seem to mind. 

Koala bear doing what they do best

Kai at the Zoo

The elephants were moving, but not quite enough to capture Kai's focus. However, when we reached the giraffes, his face lit up! They were tall, active, and mesmerizing--the perfect finale to our zoo adventure.

Mission accomplished. Time to head home and finish packing.

A dopo!