NORFOLK, Va. — While I may run into a friendly neighborhood dog or cat every once in a while on my walks, this week’s walk includes giraffes, orangutans and even hogs.
It also included two very cute toddlers named Zealand and Zoey! I joined April Loveland and her kids for a walk around the Virginia Zoo!
There’s plenty of walking to do at the 53-acre park in Norfolk, which is adjacent to Lafayette Park.
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The zoo has been around since 1900, although it didn’t take the name Virginia Zoo until 1985.
The only problem with taking a walk here is we wanted to stop and say hi to every animal in the place. We enjoyed a visit with the orangutans, although they weren’t that interested in us.Two of them are expecting a baby any day now.
The zoo is home to more than 700 animals, representing 150 different species. We had an interesting walk by all the habitats even though some of the animals were shy.
The red river hogs look like something straight out of The Lion King, but, sadly, they didn’t break out in song. We made quick visits to an Asiatic Black Bear and the zebras.
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The Malayan Taper slept through our visit. But we’ll forgive him since Tapers are mostly nocturnal.
But the giraffes did seem interested in us… or at least having April take their picture.
If you’re a “keep your heart rate up and get those steps in as fast as possible” person, maybe a walk around the zoo isn’t your best choice. But if you’d like to see new and interesting things and visit with some really cool creatures, you’ll love a stroll around the zoo.
A single adult admission is $19, but April has a yearly membership, which allows her to bring a guest. She’s definitely getting her money’s worth and so am I!
