Put me anywhere with animals, and I’m like a kid in a candy store. But I do have mixed feelings about visiting zoos. On one hand, it makes me sad to see tigers behind glass, or a condor in a cage, when they should be out in the wild. But on the other hand, where else do I go see animals when I’m not anywhere near the wild?? I don’t plan on going on an African Safari or to the Malaysian jungles anytime soon. And then again, if no one supports zoos anymore, what happens to the animals that are already in captivity?
The Buenos Aires Zoo is literally only a few blocks away from our rental in the Palermo district, and I debated for a few days whether to go or not. But what finally sealed the deal was the fact that this zoo has free roaming animals that you can feed! The prospect of being close and personal to animals made me squeal with excitement.
“My girlfriend’s twelve,” D sighed.
Well, I really needed some animal encounters badly since we no longer have pets. So I dragged D there on an afternoon, against his (mild) protests.
gorgeous Buenos Aires Zoo on an overcast day
Right away, we spotted the free roaming animals. They tentatively came up to us looking for food. I couldn’t wait to feed them! So the first thing we did was to purchase a bucket of food (curated by zoo veterinarians). The bucket tells you which animals are ok to feed, and it’s easy to discover for yourself which food they prefer.
With food in hand, it’s time to meet the free roaming animals that call the zoo home!
There are peacocks. Did you know peacocks were so vicious? Pretty, but mean. They will chase away any other animal in the vicinity.
There are these large geese things with a rim of red bumps above their eyes. They are belligerent too. I got pecked by one trying to get in my bucket. These things are not shy at all. I suggest that anyone with a large bird phobia stay away.
they’re all after me!
seriously… EVIL!
I spotted a rare one with bright yellow feet!
There are these beautiful large birds. I wish I knew what they were.
There are these interesting beaver look-alike creatures, except with a skinny rat-like tail. Look at their webbed feet! D said they are large water rats, which made me a little squeamish, but I still thought they were adorable. These creatures are quite skittish, but won’t be shy about climbing up on you for more food!
later, I found out they are called nutria (or coypu), and yes, they are a large river rat.
The Patagonian Maras
And my favorite are the Patagonian maras (also known as the Patagonian hare). These strange looking rodents look like a cross between a tiny deer, tiny wallaby, and dwarf bunny. And the strangest part is a tiny black tail that looks like a piece of dangling poop.
why hi there! you’re a cutie-pie!
you guys are just too cute!
they are very curious!
can I keep one?
so many of them! I.. just… can’t.
I’ve never seen anything like it! And I was thrilled that so many of them came up and said hi. After meeting so many of these cute creatures, I went home and looked up more information on them. Here are some fun facts:
- The Patagonian mara is endemic to Argentina, and lives in the grasslands with shrubbery.
- They are classified as “near threatened”, due to habitat loss and hunting for its skin.
- When threatened, they can run at speeds of up to 45 kilometers/hour.
- They are strictly monogamous…. a pair bonds for life!
- The male maintains the pair by following the female wherever she goes (I like the idea of that!), and marking her with his urine (hmm I don’t like that part).
- They gained popularity as exotic pets in North America (yes, I want one too!).
I could have happily spent an afternoon feeding my entire bucket to the maras. Feeling their warm little noses in my hand was exactly what I needed to combat my pet-less-blues. But there were other hungry animals to feed and the beautiful zoo to enjoy (coming up in part 2).
We spent an lovely afternoon strolling around the park-like settings of the zoo…though bouncing/skipping would be more accurate in my case. Is it weird that one of my happiest days so far in Buenos Aires is a day at the zoo? Apparently, I do have the mental capacity of a twelve year old. But by the time we made a complete round and our bucket has emptied, even D had smile on his face and admitted that he had fun.
Stayed tuned for a Part 2! This post is already too laden with pictures, and I still have pictures of the gorgeous zoo (which is worthy of its own post!) to share, as well as my final opinion of the Buenos Aires Zoo.
But for now, I hope you enjoyed getting to know the maras. :)
This post is part of the #sundaytraveler series. Check out this post 5 Reasons Why You Should Love Slovenia by Pack Me To (@packmeto), and don’t forget to support all the other participating blogs (links at the bottom of post)! And also a part of Travel Photo Discovery!
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LOL, they were probably chasing you because you were carrying the feeding box. Those grey birds are awesome! It’s called a Crested Screamer. Apparently it’s screams can be heard over 2 miles away!
Yay, I’m glad you knew what they are!! Wow, that’s amazing… while walking around the zoo, we did hear some really ungodly bird screams, but just assumed they were from a belligerent goose. Maybe it was the crested screamer! Thanks for the info… you rock!!
I agree with you, not all zoos are bad places (although there are quite a few that let the side down!)… I love the sound of this one, how great that the animals are just roaming about… Reminds me of a monkey sanctuary we went to in South Africa, we had a few close encounters there! :D
How cute! I need to check out some sanctuaries as I travel. I would have loved to get close to monkeys! There were free roaming monkeys at this zoo too, but they were mainly on the islands.
Sqwwweeeeeeeeeeeee how cute are those maras. Part mouse, kangaroo and piggy.!! Big thanks for linking up with us for #SundayTraveler
Seriously, aren’t they so cute?! I was ready to pick one up and hide it under my coat! Too bad they didn’t like being petted :D
I’ve never seen animals like the mara before! I felt like I was looking at a bunny, then a cat (the whiskers,) then baby kangaroo (the hind legs,) what a head trip! That looks like a great visit, and if it’s what makes you happy then hey, be the happiest twelve year old you can be. :-)
It definitely doesn’t hurt to revert back to your inner child once in a while, and I always seem to do that with anything involving animals :D. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Ming!
I, too, love animals. We don’t have any pets…with this travel thing we do, so I try to get a “fix” any way I can. I would love to feed the maras…too cute!
Yes, exactly. Giving up pets was one of the most heartbreaking sacrifices I had to make for travel, so I definitely try to get my fix however I can too!
those are cute, i like how you describe them from all the other animals…the water rat looks really strange and from another world all together.
Yeah, I can’t believe they were large rats! I tried to pet one to feel its fur (which looks coarse), but they didn’t like that, haha. Thanks so much for stopping by Noel!
I’ve been to zoos that made me sad – especially the one in Budapest which I’m a bit conflicted as to whether or not I should write about it. This one seems completely different though and how fun that you get to feed the animals. That first photo of the Patagonian maras is so cute and now I’m curious about their poo shaped tail (I think secretly inside I’m 12 too and I’m sure my boyfriend would agree).
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a picture of their behinds! But seriously, Daniel goes “ewww that one has a piece of poop dangling from its fur”, and then we noticed A LOT of them had that, and then realized it was their tail. You should still write about the Budapest Zoo! I’d love to read about it, and know whether to visit or stay away!!
Definitely, not all the Zoos are bad places. I don’t know what to think about those water rats (D was right!) . I am frightened by rats, and mice. But Patagonian maras look awesome. Really cute!
Yeah I couldn’t believe that those are indeed large rats! I really thought they were some kind of beaver. I didn’t like rats for a long time, but I may need to rethink now :)
OMG I want a patagonian mara!! So cute!
I know, right?! It’d be like having a tiny little deer in your house!
That would be awesome :)
We love zoos but this takes it to a whole different level. We only get to feed ducks in SD Zoo and the Safari Park so it’s a joy to see these unique animals. Wow..those Patagonian maras are adorable. hanks for all that interesting information. Not a fan of rodents so those water rats would have totally freaked me out.
Your kids would love this zoo if you ever make it down here!! I sure did (granted, I have the maturity of your kids)! And you can just pretend the water rats are beavers :)
Hahaha… Dangling poop??? Seeing your photos of the Patagonian maras make me want to go back to Mother Farm to pet them again. So cuteeeee…