Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

Today we explored the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo! It was a gorgeous day and a great zoo! We felt like kids again but I'm obsessed with zoos, so it wasn't much of a change for me. P.S. the amazing Erica broke her leg at Eilat! She was on the dock and a wave hit her and she slipped and it broke. Crazy, right? We were so excited they let her out of the center to come to the zoo with us. 

 

This animal is kind of beautiful. . . And here we are reenacting the different emotions of a monkey. I think we had more fun than the kids there. Actually there was nobody at the zoo today. I guess people don't love the zoo as much as us Americans.

Another thing about the zoo here--most of the animals were not behind bars!! We went through so many aviaries and cages where you could literally sit next to the animals! This bird is unreal!

This is just gorgeous. The animals' habitats were stunning. Especially with the Israel hills behind them. 

Ok, anticlimactic story: I was taking a picture of this hippo when. . .  
(it's not even that cool of a picture. Not worth the trouble)

 I sat my arm on the railing and got stung by a bee! First bee sting ever! All because I was dumb and didn't pay attention. I basically stung myself. It hurt but luckily Spencer saved the day and got out the massive stinger with his ID. Oh well, at least I can say I got stung by a bee from Israel.

So then my arm started to swell and was sore and I was bummed until I ran into these little guys. Ya, this is for real. Prairie Dogs! In the zoo! In Colorado we call these rodents and they are everywhere. Apparently in Israel they are rare. But I guess the Africans are probably laughing at me for getting stung by a bee just to take a picture of a hippo.

And of course, my favorite. I couldn't leave him out.

It was actually a really impressive zoo. Not as many animals as Denver, but ten times more beautiful. Israel just can't be beat.