Daddy, I Want a Giraffe!

August 18, 2016

By Marc Algernon. “Darling I cannot afford, please do the math, it’s too expensive to buy a giraffe.”

I went to the zoo and tried not to laugh, when she said, “Daddy, I want a giraffe.”

In her bright yellow boots and her hat and her scarf,

she begged, “Daddy, can I get a giraffe.”

She skipped and she laughed, down the concrete path,

“Daddy, I want a giraffe.”

“Darling I cannot afford, please do the math,

it’s too expensive to buy a giraffe.”

“He would need to be fed, and given a bath,

I would not know where to start, if we had a giraffe”.

Her eyes went red, her lips curled with wrath,

she screamed, “DADDY, I WANT A GIRAFFE!”

As we opened our front door, she squealed with a laugh,

“Mommy look! Daddy bought a giraffe.”

February 2014 – Issue 8 www.sweettntmagazine.com

Woman feeding giraffes, Melman, Mandela, Emperor Valley Zoo — *Zookeeper feeds giraffes Melman and Mandela at Emperor Valley Zoo.*

Visit to the Emperor Valley Zoo

By Candida Khan. It is crazy to admit, but I have not been to the Emperor Valley Zoo in 12 years. Since the additions of the tigers and giraffes, I was anxious for a visit. It was a very special surprise that I was taken to the Emperor Valley Zoo in Port of Spain for my birthday in June.

Otters, toucans, tortoises and snakes

The first animal that we saw was the otter, drifting back and forth in the water. Sometimes he went under water and flipped over; swimming comically with his back paws only. Then we walked along to see the owl and toucan birds. The toucans were so stunning. Their plumage and beaks were uniquely coloured. Their tongues were thin and looked like sticks coming out from their beaks.

Walking along, we approached the tortoises and snakes. The tortoises were huge, slow and looked so old and wise. The snakes were curled up in their enclosed boxes.

I fed a giraffe during snack time

By then it was snack time for the giraffes. We ran over to the area where they were kept. These two magnificent creatures stood by the gate. They were eating some special biscuits from one of the workers at the zoo.

My sister and I decided to feed them. Their tongues outstretched and reached for the biscuits in our hands. The giraffe I fed had a hard tongue and some saliva on it. It was really a great experience to interact with the giraffes. I thought to myself that they were so tall, yet the worker said that they were only babies.

Cute and soft white tigers

After the exciting encounter with the giraffes, we made our way to see the white tigers. The babies were with the mother and the father was kept separately. The white tigers were the other main attraction because they are endangered. They looked like big kitties; really cute and soft. We then checked out the lions and other birds. I really enjoyed my zoo outing. I cannot wait to see what animals they would bring to the zoo next.

August 2015 – Issue 17 www.sweettntmagazine.com