Zoo Lujan

When I first heard about Zoo Lujan I didn’t believe it was real.  I didn’t think my friends were outright lying to me, just exaggerating… a lot.  It seemed a little far-fetched to me that there was a place where I could ride an elephant, hang out cages with lions and tigers, and have grizzly bears eating out of the palm of my hand.  This place was supposed to be two hours outside the city; I didn’t want to pay for the round-trip bus ticket and the admission to a sketchy, possibly fictional, zoo.  Especially when there’s a zoo in Buenos Aires.  Why waste perfectly good booze money on a zoo in the middle of nowhere when there’s one right here?

I realized my friends were being totally serious when my friend Erin actually went to this zoo and came back with picture proof of its existence.  If anything, they had been downplaying the place.  They hadn’t mentioned anything about monkeys, seals, or camels.  The hadn’t told me I could take best friend pictures with a llama and enjoy some beer while the male lion’s roar served as the soundtrack of our afternoon.  I had to go.  So, in true Kelly fashion, I got some friends really excited about going and then left the planning to someone else.

Thanks to my friend Willy P we were at Zoo Lujan within a week.  I can say with confidence that there is not another zoo in the world like Zoo Lujan.  Within five minutes of being in the park, I was standing in a tiger’s cage.  Within two minutes of being in the cage, this massive beast was licking milk from the palm of my hand.  My mind was calm (in awe of what was happening, but calm), but my body’s physiological reaction was absolute terror.  My heart rate was going crazy and every bone in my body was trembling.  The day continued as we walked from cage to cage, often entering them, looking at some of the most exotic animals in the world.  Here are some pictures from an unforgettable afternoon.

Zoo people.

Five minutes after being in the park.  He was licking my hand a few seconds after this picture was taken.

Como se llama?

Just hanging out with some lions.

Feeding 9-month-old grizzlies some prunes.

These seals were absolutely massive.  They would bite the fish right out of your hand.  Nothing compared to Sea World.

The activity I was most excited about all day - riding an elephant!

Feeding my new friend.

Feeding my other new friend.  He ended up "kissing" my whole face in order to get this carrot.  Not many people can say they've kissed a camel, though I'm not sure that's something to brag about.

Adult lions feeding.

Baby tigers!

In his effort to get more milk, he almost knocked me over.

Don't be deceived; I was way more terrified than I appear at the prospect of being knocked on my back inches away from an animal that has teeth as long as my fingers.