An Evening Out At The Zoo

Twice a year, the Detroit Zoo opens it's doors after hours for a little zoomance, from 6-9 pm. The event is 21 years old and up, and it is the perfect time go to the zoo. The animals are all awake and up, having shaken off their daytime sleepiness, and are ready to show you their stuff. This peacock was definitely posing for the camera!

The Detroit Zoo has a long walk from the entrance to the rest of the zoo. As this is a date night for me and my Mr., I like to get dressed up - not very practical when walking around the zoo, but then again, this isn't a race to see it all. It is a leisurely paced event, taking your time with the exhibits, walking around with your drinks, and listening to the band play. 

The zebras are my favorite! Well, the zebras, the arctic fox, the baby camel, and the kangaroos, that is. My husband loves the arctic ring of life, which dominates the zoo with its huge "tundra" for the two polar bears, surrounded by water for them to swim in. One of the best parts of the Detroit Zoomance is that zoo volunteers are on hand to talk about the animals. I noticed most of the people ignored these volunteers, but we talked to them all! They are so knowledgeable and have some cute stories!

The kangaroo exhibit is one that you can walk around in, right with the kangaroos. You are not allowed to leave the path or touch the animals however. Which is good, because they just had a new addition, a small baby joey! He was being a little rebellious while we were there, and was wandering kind of far from his mother, who was watching him closely. 

One thing that the Detroit Zoo does not have is an elephant, due to how rough a zoo environment is on these animals, who seem so sensitive and gentle. Our zoo also has a lion that was being used to guard a junkyard in Kansas, if you can imagine! She now has a giant enclosure made to look like an African Savannah., and her name is Erin, which is a great choice in names if I do say so myself. Our zoo actually has many rescue animals - three grizzly bears who were abandoned as cubs by their mother in Alaska, and the NPS asked the Detroit Zoo to take them; two rescued race horses that now live in the American grasslands area of the zoo; and most recently, exotic animals rescued in a hoarding case that include fennec foxes, lemurs and many others. Around 1,000 animals were seized in this hoard from terrible conditions, and are now recuperating at the Detroit Zoo.

And this event is romantic, believe it or not. There is something magical about being at the zoo in the evening, the sky bathed in purples and pinks from the sunset, the music, the moment. We even took a train ride around the zoo, and ended up being the only people on the train, besides the conductor!

If you are ever in the area, be sure to stop in to the zoo! If you want to read more about the zoo and it's animals, you can check it out here.