The lion enclosure was empty. The gorillas, gone. The rhino, which can typically found standing stolidly in the old elephant enclosure, looking like a beast from mythology, was standing somewhere else, out of view.
My wife and I were strolling the Lincoln Park Zoo late Saturday afternoon, a beautiful day, the zoo crowded. With people that is. With animals, not so much.
“Is it me,” I wondered aloud, “or is something missing?”
We’d seen a scattering of pink flamingos. And that’s about it.
Suddenly, the animal art the zoo has on display everywhere took on a malign significance — here are the sort of beasts you might see. If they were here. There were plenty of privacy hedges, barriers to keep the crowds back. I knew that while you might want to see animals, animals don’t necessarily want to see you.
“Maybe because it’s late in the day,” my wife speculated. The animals were tired from a long day of flaunting themselves to their endless stream of guests, capering and cavorting. They were resting now, renewing themselves for tomorrow’s efforts. I thought of that Charles Addams cartoon showing a disappointed man and boy at the front door of a zoo, while a bear, ostrich, moose and gorilla exit a side door, the gorilla putting on his hat.
“Sorry folks,” the zookeeper says, “we quit at five.”
One way to find out. I queried the zoo.
“A somewhat unique feature about Lincoln Park Zoo is the commitment we’ve made to giving all animals in our care the choice and control over where they want to be at any point in the day,” wrote Anna Cieslik, PR and communications manager. “This means that if the weather isn’t great, or if they’re just not feeling like being around people for the time being, they can always retreat to their indoor habitats. As Chicago dives headfirst into the hottest days of the year, as was the case Saturday during the daytime, animals might be choosing to spend more time indoors. While that’s a bummer for someone hoping to see a lion or brown bear, it means they’re receiving the best welfare possible.”
Well, that’s a comfort. And my long experience with the zoo might have sharpened my disappointment. I remember going there with the boys — walking, from Pine Grove Avenue, pushing the massive double stroller we called “The Bus.” The roar of Adelor the lion, echoing across the zoo. The elephants, gone since 2010, massive and very much there.
On Saturday, we plunged into the reliable Regenstein African Journey, where a giraffe did give us the briefest glance before bolting for cover. So maybe it’s me — maybe I repel animals somehow. Though I did have a bonding moment with a quartet of guinea hens. My wife noted that as I studied them, they seemed to be edging closer. We also saw a pygmy hippo, sprawled and resting, looking like the largest slug ever.
“Regenstein African Journey is home to some of my favorite animals at the zoo — the meerkats,” said Cieslik. “There are two mobs of meerkats here that are pretty reliably on view watching over their habitat. You’re sure to spot some avian delights at McCormick Bird House, where the free flight exhibit will get you up close and personal with some of our feathered residents. Regenstein Center for African Apes is also a fun building to check out in the afternoons, as the family gorilla troop is often preparing for bedtime by then. Great apes are big nest makers, and you can spot them building their elaborate beds for the evening starting in the afternoon.”
Didn’t notice any meerkats, though there were plenty of Madagascar hissing cockroaches. And later, we did see some lovely snow leopards.
Is time of day a factor?
“Mornings at the zoo are usually the best time to swing by if you want to see animals out and active,” Cieslik said. “That’s when animals like the lions and African painted dogs might receive meaty bones or a hide-on carcass feeding, plus it’s cooler in the mornings. This is also a great time to see crepuscular animals like the red pandas, who are most active at dawn and dusk. If you manage to make it out to an after-hours event at the zoo in the evening, that’s also a great opportunity to see crepuscular animals and even some nocturnal ones like the aardvark!”
“Crepuscular” — good word. “Related to twilight.”
Wondering if I’m alone here, I asked my Facebook hive intelligence if anyone had been to the zoo and felt similar.
“Sometimes it’s just like walking around a park with exhibits of the kinds of habitats animals would live in if they were here,” said Peter Nee, summarizing the views of several dozen others.
