Just shy of an hour away, Santa Barbara isn’t that far a drive for most locals. After all, many people make the work commute on a daily basis. For kids, though, a drive that long is a tortuous prospect, especially when they don’t know where they’re going.
Personally, I like to keep them guessing and put up with their nagging and whining, knowing they’ve got a big surprise in store. Yeah, I’m mean like that. But whether or not you choose to tell your wild things you’re headed to the zoo, they’re in for a surprise treat when you arrive.
And visitors aren’t always the ones in shock. Sometimes the animals surprise the zookeepers as well, as happened earlier this year when their new Masai giraffe Audrey gave birth to a male calf. They didn’t even know the giraffe was expecting.
The baby giraffe is a must-see, but there is another little guy getting lots of attention these days.
If you watch the penguins play, I challenge you not to say “Awww.” They are way cute. But one stands out from the crowd—which is really quite a feat in a bunch of penguins. And that’s exactly why he stands out: because of his feet. Or, more specifically, his foot. This little penguin wears a shoe.
Lucky, the attention-grabbing penguin, hatched at the zoo, and it was soon apparent something was wrong. He walked with a limp. The zoo’s vet discovered there was a problem with some of his foot bones’ growth. Surgery wasn’t the call, so instead, the zoo decided to make him a special shoe. Santa Barbara adventure footwear company Teva volunteered a team to devote hundreds of hours to designing a sandal for Lucky and committed to providing shoes for Lucky for his entire lifespan.
Now Lucky can do all the things other penguins can do, although he does look a little like a character from a kids’ movie. Surf’s Up anyone?
Lucky may be one of the cutest attractions, but one of the newest is arguably one of the scariest—if you’re a little kid. Duncan the T-Rex is part of the live stage show “How to Train Your Dinosaur.” Measuring 15 1/2 feet long and 7 feet tall, Duncan was created by the Chiodo Brothers, one of Hollywood’s top creature shops. Just like a real dinosaur (I think), Duncan roars, snorts, blinks, growls, and yes, even poops. The stage show is a creative and funny way for zookeepers to demonstrate all the work that goes into caring for the animals at the zoo. The performances are held at the outdoor grassy area called Rolling Hills Theatre.
Of course, there are also the usual favorites: the African lions, Chilean flamingos, two female Asian elephants, and creepy crawlies from all over the world. The zoo is a bit of a melting pot, it seems. And that’s the best part. There’s something for everyone to do at the zoo.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone thinks Simon and Garfunkel had it right. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 4, 2011.
