Aloha Aotearoa: Hamilton Zoo - Best 1/4 Century Birthday Ever!

I decided to celebrate my 25th birthday a day early and spend that Sunday (my actual birthday) lounging around and recovering if I needed to.

So on Saturday my friends and I went to the Hamilton Zoo. This was by far my favorite zoo I've ever been to, including the Bronx Zoo (although that is a pretty awesome zoo as well). One of the best parts about the Hamilton Zoo is that it is so interactive, and the keepers really make an effort to give the visitors the best experience possible. Here are some pics of the highlights.

This baby white rhino is only 2 months old and already so huge!

The meerkats were one of my favorites. It was so funny because there was one meerkat that was like the Boss, and he sat at the top of this perch on the lookout as all the other meerkats looked to him for guidance. About three minutes before they knew it was feeding time, the Boss relocated to a higher perch and craned his neck to see over the enclosure wall in the direction that he knew the keeper would be coming from with their treats. As soon as the keeper was visible, all the meerkats ran down to the area where we were standing, anxiously waiting for their food. They all began making these cute little growling noises until the keeper tossed them each their own whole chick! I always thought meerkats just ate bugs and fruit, but those little guys are quite ravenous!

The tiger enclosure was also great. Another thing that I liked so much about the Hamilton Zoo was how clean and spacious all of the enclosures were, nothing was overgrown, and it really looks like the people who manage the zoo take very good care of the animals.

When we went to the tiger enclosure, the keeper was nice enough to put some meat out right where the viewing area was so that we could get a good view and some awesome pics. There are currently two tigers, a male and a female, but they had to be released into the enclosure separately. This is the male tiger.

Now here's a little bit of information about me for those of you who don't know. I LOVE giraffes. Like, really, REALLY love them. Almost obsessively. Just to put it into perspective, whenever anyone gives me a gift, and I open it up, before I even know what it is, as soon as I see giraffe print, I go apeshit. I instantly love whatever it is you just gave me.

Before I get to the best part about my trip to the Hamilton Zoo, here's what I look like when I see giraffes.

Now for the main event... But first, a little back story. My awesome roommate, and everyone else knew how much I love giraffes, and so she e-mailed the zoo beforehand to ask them if there was any chance that we would be able to feed the giraffes. When we got to the zoo, I had mentioned that I heard something about feeding giraffes, and my friends all successfully convinced me that that was something they only do at the Aukland zoo. Still, when we got to the giraffe enclosure, I was as happy as ever to be standing only about two yards away from the giraffes, the closest I had ever stood next to one!

When the keepers came to talk about the giraffes, I was pleasantly surprised... you guessed it! TO FEED THE GIRAFFES!!!! This was clearly the highlight of my life... or if not that, it was definitely the best birthday ever!