…at the zoo.

A zoo is a wonderful place for little children. Not only do they get to see animals that otherwise they would only see on TV but they also get hands-on experience with their fellow-zoo-goers. Sometimes I wonder if the actual animal is really behind the electrical fence/glass or in front of it. The masses of people that overflow zoos all over the world on the weekends and when ever the weather gets a bit warmer are incredible yet unbelievable.

This can be avoided though, if you go on a somewhat chilly Tuesday-February-afternoon.
You get to see things, that you would have not seen otherwise. Like a silverback gorilla eating his own excrement and acting out against your male companion (he also had to listen to Rihanna’s “love the way you lie” – so in his defense, he had a reason to act out). You also get to enjoy a really nice conversation with the zoo-bird-keeper because she was bored out of her mind. You get to play with otters that are curious about you and you basically have all the zoo to yourself (that is if you don’t mind the chilly wind).
Sadly, some animals are endangered, others are close to being extinct, others are overpopulating the world and some seem just like sad little creatures because although they are called vampire bats and suck blood they can’t fly (one little bat in particular).
It is all the more wonderful when you read of creatures that stay together a lifetime. Seahorses, storks, grey geese…

What makes it so incredible is that even in a place as depressing as a zoo (fences, terrariums, aquariums… – minimal space) mammals, reptiles, fish, birds still find their better halves. You might think that they don’t know better, they haven’t explored the world and they definitely weren’t able to search for their better halves. They have to work with what they are given but see, penguins don’t just settle for anyone, they settle for the right penguin. How do they know that the creature in front of them is the right one? I don’t know… I highly doubt they go on dates and play the 3-days-before-I-call-you-game… they just know. And they go with their guts.

When I met A I did trust my guts. I know that nothing can be certain and that sometimes you just have to jump into the cold to get to the other riverside but it’s worth it. You might be freezing cold, wondering why you ever jumped but somehow you just don’t regret it. I guess love’s like that. Always working in the most curious and impressive ways and never fails to leave someone (anyone) breathless.

Sad thing about it though is, that love’s beauty does become rare, endangered and yes, also extinct. It is all the more wonderful when we can preserve some of these feelings, some of these rare moments, some of the love.

How do we know that in a year, in 20 years, in 300 years, in 4000 years from now love still exists? Well, we don’t, but you know, sometimes – if you’re lucky, on a sunny but chilly Tuesday-February-afternoon you get to witness a lynx who taps against the glass, scaring you like crazy but actually just saying, ‘helloooo… I’m still here”