The Manatees

Our Girl Scout troop went 3 other troops to the zoo to sleep with the Manatees. We went behind the scenes in the bird house and got to see what they feed the 800 birds they have. Anything from fruit, dog food and mice and baby mice. We went to the primate house and saw lemurs and fruit bats. The building was DARK except for our leaders flashlight. We were in the enclosed room where the bats are hanging over our heads. We can't really see them but we could feel the breeze from the flapping of their wings. YUCK YUCK! This wasn't the favorite with us girls! We then went behind the scenes to the Manatee exhibit and got to walk behind their tanks and look into the water. We saw how much lettuce, etc they eat during the day. I guess when your over 1000 lbs, you eat LOTS! They are on loan from Fla and being rehabilitated and then will return to Fla. Our leaders for the night brought out some animals to touch and not to =) A cattle bird heron ?, a corn snake and an 18 mo old alligator. He was quite cute! We had snack and found our place to sleep. Hayley got a spot right on the end/corner where the tank side meets a bubble window to see the manatees. It was a perfect spot!! There's nothing better than falling asleep watching Manatees swim, roll and play! It was hard to sleep-50 girls! The keepers turn on 'moon lights' at night. These shine in the tank and look just like moonlight. How peaceful and serene!! Hayley slept by her friend Alli and fell asleep faster than I thought she would. I watched her sleep and watched the Manatees. I woke up a few times and the last time it was 4:30 am and I couldn't sleep so I layed and enjoyed the quiet, peacefulness of the Manatees swimming. We woke at 7 am, had breakfast and we got to tour around the zoo and look at other animals! It was a fun experience to do this with Hayley-good quality girl time!!