WILD ONE Bundle by ForeverJoy Designs
Journaling: {518 words}
On Thursday, August 20, 2020, we all got up at 5:30 a.m. to spend the day at the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve in Thurmont, Maryland. It was about a two-hour drive. We had packed a cooler with drinks, sandwiches, and snacks the night before and we also took a change of clothes. None of us had been to this zoo before, but it looked like a nice place online. We were also planning on going to Gettysburg Military Park on the way home. It was a nice drive and we got there a little before 8 a.m. After paying for admission, we were given a map and the kids got a cup of animal food to feed the animals. There was lots of lush greenery as we walked into the preserve. The first animal we saw was some beautiful Macaws. The first area we walked through was Madagasgar. Here, we saw a very unique animal called a Fossa. I don't think I've ever seen one before. It kind of looked like a cat and a mongoose. Next, we saw some really cute black and white lemurs that were really active and hard to take a picture of! We also saw some really pretty birds of Madagasgar. The next area was Australia where we some wallabies, singing dogs, and black swans. Next, we saw some very rare booted monkeys from Indonesia. They were quite funny, actually, swinging in the rope enclosure and playing together. There were quite a few babies that were adorable! Next up were the lazy sugar bears. They were sleeping most of the day! We went into the Giant Reptile house next. There were lots and lots of huge snakes in there. I took lots of pictures, but my skin was crawling the whole time! Back outside, we saw some baboons and some sleeping otters. Then we were able to feed some adorable deer and koi in the pond. We were having a great day, so far. The preserve wasn't crowded and it was nice and clean. Next up we saw a beautiful 24- year- old jaguar named Evita. She was rolling all around when we saw her! We saw two huge iguanas and some tortoises, next. In the North America section, we saw a lynx and a bunch of alligators before we went on our safari. The safari guides were amazing! Like Collin, they were full of goofy jokes! We got to feed bison, camels, watusi, goats, emus, and we saw zebras and it was so much fun! Next. we stopped by the monkeys again and then went to the car for a picnic lunch. After lunch, we saw the new koi pond and fed them, too! We saw more snakes, a horned crane, a capybara, and went to the petting zoo area to feed more animals! It was so much fun! I would definitely go back again and I would recommend it to anyone who loves animals. It is very obvious that all the animals are very well cared for! After leaving the preserve, our next adventure was to explore the Gettysburg Military Park!
