Zoo in a Box

[Martin Hash]

Bishkek Zoo 1.JPG

Microzoos can be the most satisfying to attend because they are very personal. The owner/operator is always nearby, ostensibly taking care of the animals, but you can tell what they're really doing is watching the zoo guest's reactions, especially the children. Microzoos are always labors-of-love, and it shows up in the animal's health & their enclosures.

Bishkek Zoo 2.JPG

My wife, Gwynne, and I had given up on finding a zoo in Kyrgyzstan so we took a chance that the old amusement park would have one, and our guess paid off big-time in what I've got to choose as my favorite microzoo. First, it was only $2 to get in, secondly, it was well-maintained, and lastly, it had great animals: meerkats, monkeys, and even a crocodile. You could tell the animals were used to handling because they came right to you, wanting to be held. Their fur had a healthy sheen, and there was no visible excrement in the cages. The owner was Googling near the turtle tub, looking up some habitat information. A grandpa & his grandson were the only other customers but the child was excited & entranced to see live animals for the first time. The Googling guy was pretending to read his computer screen but he was really enjoying the excitement of the young boy.

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