Over Thanksgiving break I took my niece and younger cousin to the Racine Zoo. Zoos (and Botanical Gardens, too) are perfect places to introduce young people to ecology - animals, plants and how they interact and depend on each other to make the world go around. Little does she know, I'm preparing her for a lifetime of outdoor and science adventures. I've taken her to another zoo, so she was anticipating this visit. Like all children, she was excited to see the big animals and hear the big cats roar. I was also excited to take my younger cousin who definitely is a field biologist. The trip to the zoo was a mini-class about zoology. He was asked me so many questions about animals, it seemed as if he was hitting me with every curiosity he ever had and I was the first person he was able to an answer from.
I delayed getting on the road to return home. My brother teased about how I do anything for the "kids interested in school and stuff". He's right. I am a sucker for the babies. I was letting him know that even in big cities (he lives in Chicago) that wild animals like deer, raptors, rabbits, and coyotes live in suburban and urban areas. Before I departed, he had my dad's binoculars and out in the backyard siting wildlife in the field behind the house.
