As we finished the first week of the summer semester, our group of mainly second year students set off to explore Prague Zoo.
We were able to catch the penguins at feeding time as we headed in, starting off the trip on a high note. There were several distinct habitats we were able to enter: the Indonesian jungle which featured a waterfall; an African house with zebras, giraffes, and antelopes; pavilions for gharials and huge tortoises; and many exhibits with incredible bird species that could fly over our heads. Being able to walk beside kangaroos was incredible, if slightly terrifying. We also got to see and read about the intricate family dynamics of the elephant herd before we stopped for lunch at a restaurant named after one- Gulab, an older Indian elephant residing at the zoo.
We were eagerly looking forward to the Polar Bear exhibit, which did not disappoint. Despite our group being bundled up against the weather, a polar bear was swimming in the freezing water. Finally we reached the Gorilla pavilion, and we were able to see the large group come out to eat. The microphones placed inside the glass let us hear them munching on leaves and vegetables, including several babies that climbed all over their mothers. We decided there must be some drama because some gorillas avoided each other and the babies ran away from the huge males. We wandered back to the exit exhausted, but promised to come back in the summer to visit all the animals we missed and explore the areas that were closed for the winter.
A big thank you to Petra, the organiser of the event, who told us a lot of interesting stories and provided much needed context and Czech vocab lessons throughout the day!
Text by: Shailee Ghodke
Pictures by: Rithika Umesh
