That would be awesome. Going around at night when some of the animals are more active had to be pretty neat. Did the animals make much noise during the night (thinking big cat roars especially)?

We were in the aquarium, so we couldn't hear that, and at Omaha the cats are all in their own enclosure.

But....we did get to go to the cat house (hehehe) first thing in the morning, and the male lion was roaring so loud the walls were shaking.

Now that would be a highlight to remember!

My wife and love going to zoos. Had a Silverback Mountain gorilla charge me once (thankfully the glass was really, really thick!). Saw a baby white Rhino playing in San Antonio. It is amazing how cute babies can be even when they are going to grow up to be ugly as all get out.

The most cool though may have been the hippos fighting. That was impressive.

I just don't know how people can think zoos are boring. Yes, most of the animals tend to be pretty sedentary but it only takes one or two experiences like those above to make it all very worthwhile, imo.

Lucky none of the children were eaten by octopuses coming and going as they please...

Indeed. They don't make a merit badge for that one I'd wager.

I was in the zoo once when one of the lions let out a big roar. We weren't even in the big cat area and it was loud. It also activates a primitive fear reflex, apparently. I can't imagine being out in the bush with a spear and a loincloth and hearing that.

And weren't the lions even bigger in the caveman era? Props to those guys for not getting eaten into extinction.

For the one we heard, the lion was in a holding cage that was between his exhibit and the one next to him while they cleaned them all out, so we couldn't see him at the time. The wall had a great big metal access door that the vets and workers use to get in and the wall itself was concrete. When he roared, I was leaning against the wall, and I'm guessing the lion was right on the other side, so about 4-5 feet away. I could feel the wall vibrating, and the metal door sounded like one of those old piece of crap cars that have a big sound system installed in them when they hit a low bass note.

The guide told us they were probably giving him his beef bone in there (it was sunday and the only food that the cats get on sundays is a big ass beef bone to gnaw on) and he typically gets really vocal when food is in play since a pride's pecking order for food is male first, then females, then youngsters and he is letting everyone know it is his turn.