At the Zoo by Simon and Garfunkel

From "The Essential Simon and Garfunkel"

Someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it, I do believe it's true.

It's a light and tumble journey from the East Side to the park,
just a fine and fancy ramble to the zoo.

But you can take the crosstown bus if it's raining or it's cold,
and the animals will love it if you do.

Somethin' tells me it's all happening at the zoo.

I do believe it, I do believe it’s true.

The monkeys stand for honesty, giraffes are insincere,
and the elephants are kindly but they're dumb.

Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages,
and the zookeeper is very fond of rum.

Zebras are reactionaries, antelopes are missionaries,
pigeons plot in secrecy, and hamsters turn on frequently.

What a gas! You gotta come and see at the zoo.

Photo from the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary

Fisher the Problem Bear

Two years ago I worked as a volunteer for the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary, an impressive organization that harbors wild animals which were once kept as pets and cannot be released, or which have been injured and cannot be rehabilitated. I had the afternoon shift (clerk in the gift shop), and each day before I started work, I'd take a quick lap around the grounds to see what the animals were up to. One day, Fisher (dubbed the "problem bear," due to his love of garbage and how far he'd go to get some) had just begun to eat his lunch when I got there; he was sitting on his rump with a stainless steel bowl between his legs, tying into an orange. He curled his lips back and picked off a small bit of peel, then split the orange in half and plucked away all the fruit with his front teeth. Next he tackled a green apple, but only ate half. I told the gatekeeper, Jan, he didn't eat any of his artichoke, and she said, "Well, he didn't have any mayonnaise!" I thought that was clever.

Remembering this story makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile too. Happy Saturday, all.