By Jennifer Page
As children, the zoo was our greatest playground, filled with exotic animals that could entertain us for hours on end. Once you reach college however, it isn’t a top entertainment destination anymore. Well, when I went to Prague’s zoo, I am a little embarrassed to say how excited I was when I walked through the front gates. I instantly became a child again and spent the next two hours talking to monkeys and parrots and staring at the giraffes. I must say, I was sorely disappointed that the tigers never came out of their cages (the three times I walked by to check), but I got over it when the polar bears came out and started swimming. “The zoo was severely damaged during the floods in 2002 and has still not been fully restored.” Over 1,000 animals had to be moved to other Czech zoos, and 134 animals did not survive.” Today, you can still see some of the empty, damaged exhibits, but there has been a huge fund-raising effort on behalf of the zoo, and it has helped tremendously. The entrance fee for a student is only 60 CZK and the food at the zoo restaurants is actually well priced. There are exhibits from Africa, the Americas, the rain forest, and arctic regions, as well as some native species. My advice to you is on a day when you are feeling homesick or overwhelmed, listen to your favorite songs on your iPod on the bus ride, and go to the zoo. I promise you will come away feeling like a kid again. Historical Information found on the Zoo Praha website: http://www.zoopraha.cz/english/
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