Zoo

Since, my childhood days I have always been mesmerized by and fascinated at the sight of animals. Watching them on television channel like Animal Planet with their frightening looks, catching their prey, taking care of their infants, etc. has always thrilled me. Thus, I was extremely glad when my elder brother offered me a tour to the Delhi Zoological Park on my tenth birthday. It seemed as the best birthday gift ever!

After reaching the zoo via the Delhi Metro we purchased the tickets and walked inside. There were numerous children all over the place who had come to visit the zoo accompanied with their parents and siblings. Thought there was the availability of vehicle for moving inside the zoo, we still opted for walking on foot for a more thrilling experience. This way I could spend more time observing the places where my favourite animals had been kept.

The first sight was of the monkeys which were present in various varieties. These included the light brown skinned monkey, langur, chimpanzee, baboon, etc. They were of varied sizes, having both long and short tails. When I reached there, the monkeys were being given bananas and mangos in their cage by the zoo authorities. It was a very amusing scene to watch them consuming those fruits after carefully peeling them off themselves like human beings.

Thereafter, we moved on to the section where the water birds had been kept in captivity alongside a man-made pond. They were of different hues, including the black and white swan, ducks, cranes, pelicans, etc. I was mesmerized upon viewing the black swan, by its marvellous black shade and the elegance with which it was floating in the pond.

Next, we moved on to watch the Asiatic lion, the Bengal tigers, leopards, cheetahs and bears, which had been kept in cages, away from the other herbivorous mammals. Unlike the deer and bucks that had been kept in herds, these carnivores were kept individually and were making deafening roars and screeching sounds that sacred me.

Moving further, we visited the underground reptile section where the venomous snakes and pythons, alligators and crocodiles were kept. It was a prolific experience to observe the various designs on their skins.

Since, the day was coming to an end with the setting of the Sun; we decided to wind up the visit and reach home to cut my birthday cake. Though I was tired and exhausted walking all day long, it is still the best birthday I have ever had, having spent the entire day watching the animals with whom I had been fascinated since infancy