Justin Woods

Larry Neuburger

Eng 101

May 13, 2011

At The Zoo

Descriptive Essay

Sitting in the passengers seat of a speed Silverado; metallic, with black trim, racing

menacingly down a paved road. The smell of pleather and new car smell hits my nostrils as the

cool air conditioning sits on full blast. I sit and watch the other cars drive around me as I try to

capture my thoughts as we edge closer and closer ro our destination. My anticipation reaches full

stride. Just when I think I’ll fall over with impatience, my sharp eye catches the entrance of

which I so much enjoy. The three letter word that turns my stomach ever so happily is etched in

stone atop the iron gates.

As we pull up closer to the parking lot, swarms of parents and kids make their way to the big

show. Stepping out of the car, my excitement grows. Hairs on the back of my neck stick up like

porcupine quills; my heart starts to beat like a bass drum. My brain scrambles at what I’ll see

first. So many options for such a young boy. I look to the other people walking around me and

wonder where they’re heading to first. Once we made our way through the gates, my eyes almost

blow up like dynamite. My legs turn to jelly as I see the huge entrance. Shops stick out on the

left and right. I wanted to jump in there right away but I knew I’d be back at some point. I finally
made up my mind and decided to go see what every kid would want to see at my age. The

monkies.

As we rushed toward monkey island, we could see farm animals along the way. We stopped for a

second to feed the goats. The feeling of a goat nibling on feed off your hand is such a funny

feeling. After the goats had traded my feed for their slimy saliva, it was time to make our way to

the monkies. We could see small figures swinging on giant branches as we edged closer. The

first monkey I saw was a small brown baby babboon. Its blue eyes gazing in the distance as he

munched on a piece of grass. The monkey exhibit was awseome; seeing all the furry primates

walk, and swing back and forth for all the viewers to see like a circus show filled a monkey

shape hold in my heart. I was happy, but knew it was time to move on to bigger and better

things.

As we edge closer to the lion’s den, my heart burns with excitement. On the way we spotted

some fleet foxes; their sleek, orange bobbed tails bounce with every step they take. We soon

reached the bears burrow. Big brown bears sit next to the cliffs and stare at us while their cubs

play in the waterfall. We left the bears exhibit and were scooting ahead to the big stage. The

grass started getting taller along the trails as we kept getting closer to the lions. I soon realized

the zoo was trying to give the lions their actual habitat scenery. After searching for a glimpse of

a lion, we finally spot them laying on their pride rock. The view of these large cats was

incredible. Their sharp, bloodstained teeth shown through their lazy yawns. Their giant manes

shown bright in the sunshine through the branches of a giant tree. Their claws looked as if they

could carve my face in a instant. I was in a trance.

Before we went any further, we took a dive at one of zoo’s resturant. We then decided to view

the gift shop. The shop had many things to offer for young kids my age. So many animal

novelties, you could go insane. Our last voyage was the reptile house. As we approached the

entrance, a cement snakes head sat above the double doors; I thought that was very interesting.

The exhibit was very exciting. I was amazed at the green geckos and how they quickly moved

around in their sand covered terrariums. After looking at the reptiles, it was time to go in to the

pit of fear; the snakes den. The sight of these serpents put chills on my spine. Their slimy skin,

and tounge slithering around made me feel uneasy. After realizing I was safe and sound, I wasn’t

as afraid.

Our adventure had ended. At the end of the day, I was exhausted. We had seen everything. From

all the african animals, to the farm animals. From the gift shop, to the reptile house. We even had

a laugh on monkey island. This day at the local zoo was a memory that will never leave my

mind. If only I could escape life, and go back to simplier times where I got lost in a day at the

zoo.