Oakland Zoo

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  <a href="http://oaklandzoo.com/"><img src="/space/oakland_zoo_logo.jpg" /></a>
</div>

Don't ask me why, but I've been itching to go to the zoo for the past month or
so. It's been at least a decade since I've been to a zoo, and with all the
[Planet Earth](http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/planetearth/) and
[Wild Chronicles](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/wildchronicles.html)
I've been watching, I had the urge.

I finally found a free day on Sunday, so I dragged my family to the
[Oakland Zoo](http://oaklandzoo.com/). It's not quite as well known as the
[San Francisco Zoo](http://www.sfzoo.org/), but it hasn't been quite as
[dramatic](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/27/MNABU4Q5T.DTL&hw=zoo+tiger&sn=003&sc=487)
recently either. I'd also met a number of people who had good things to say
about it, including one of the zoo's handlers.

<div class="img-shadow" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px">
  <a href="http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/golden-mantella-frog">
    <img src="/space/oakland_zoo_green_tree_frog.jpg" /></a>
</div>

So, we tried it. It definitely wasn't big, but I didn't mind. It felt low key
and manageable, and the animals felt closer and more intimate than they might
have in a larger place. What's more, they all seemed comfortable, healthy, and
very at home in their habitats. None of the exhibits gave me the "miserable
caged animal" feeling I half expected, which was a pleasant surprise.

The animals themselves were great. The
[lions](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/african-lion),
[elephants](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/african-elephant), and
[giraffes](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/giraffe,-reticulated)
were all worth seeing, of course, but some of the lesser animals were even
more compelling. In particular, the densely populated
[bat colony](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/malayan-flying-fox) was
absolutely fascinating. I had no idea bats were so expressive! The
[parrots](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/yellow-naped-amazon-parrot*),
[chimpanzees](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/chimpanzee), and
[frogs](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/golden-mantella-frog) also drew me in
for much longer than I expected.

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  <a href="http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/african-lion">
    <img src="/space/oakland_zoo_african_lion.jpg" /></a>
</div>

The one animal I was disappointed to miss was the
[Malayan Sun Bear](http://www.oaklandzoo.org/meet_the_animals/sun-bear). It's
much smaller than its northern cousins, only 60-100lbs, but somewhat faster and
more agile. I'll have to find it next time I visit!