"You Gotta Let Me Fly!"

On the way to the Smithsonian's National Zoo,  I looked outside the car window to see the stratus clouds dominating the sky as we zoomed across the Potomac river.  It was spring break, and the weather was atrociously abnormal, but in a good way.  Sunny with low humidity and and high of 83 degrees Fahrenheit, it was anything but a normal start to March in the northeast.  I guess I was in D.C., though.

We got to the zoo, and it was completely packed.  Unfortunately, it was technically still winter so many of the exhibits that day were vacant and left kids and adults alike looking for creatures in their cages to no avail.  However, the biggest recent attraction of all was awake, and munching away at some bamboo, as usual:

The pandas there—Tian-Tian, Mei Xiang, Bao Bao, and their newest panda cub, Bei Bei—truly served as the heart of the museum, it it's easy to see why.  Their puffiness, iconic coloring, and if-they-were-human-they'd-probably-be-binge-watching-netflix factor all contribute to their general popularity here, and around the world.  The panda area was surrounded by loads of bamboo, for good reason.

After visiting the asian bears for a bit, the birdhouses weren't so far away, so I headed there.  Exotic birds and the mallards seen right here at the Penn State duck pond found a common ground in the humid, enclosed shelter.  As soon as I stepped foot in the exhibit, I was encapsulated in a near-tropical environment.  I could spot toucans and bright finches fluttering their way through branches.  However, the biggest and most photogenic bird had to be the peacock that seemed to have been waiting for a photoshoot.  See for yourself.

The male counterpart of India's official bird, the peacock boasts colorful feathers that beg to be shot in vibrant formats.  Unfortunately, instant film didn't like the humid and relatively dimly lit atmosphere within the birdhouse.  The shots turned out dark and hard to make-out for the most part.

As much as I loved shooting film throughout the day, I couldn't help but think about what life would be like as an animal in captivity.  Considering the zoo is in an urban location, it's understandable that all animals would not be allotted free roaming capabilities, but the more I stayed, the more I longed to see the animals in their natural habitat.  As much as the conditions for the habitats try to mimic those of nature, I know nothing replaces the experience of the real thing.  On the other hand, some animals have been born into captivity, and know of no other conditions outside the zoo.  

As confining as zoos can be for the animals, they serve as important reminders of our world's biodiversity and they continually inspire and entertain anyone from children who can barely see above the railing to old couples who visit the orangutans regularly.  For me, the visit to the zoo has always been a way to visually connect all those animals that we look up on wikipedia to the real thing.  The ability to be in the presence of animals otherwise impossible to find in the wild can be somewhat of a surreal, humbling experience.  We just have to make sure we give them their fair share, too.