Zoo: Como Review
A post discussing my experience at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, MN in October of 2021
In October 2021, I visited Como specifically to see the new polar bear Kulu.
*Editor’s Note: Since pandemic precautions seem to vary all the time, I am unable to keep this post current with the Como policy.*
When I visited in October 2021, reservations were necessary to get in (you can do it online once you show up, if you didn’t ahead of time, as long as you have access to the internet.), and as far as I know, reservations are still required at the time of this writing (April 2022).
In October 2021, masks were required not only to gain entrance, but also throughout the park, both indoors and outdoors. Even at this time when mask mandates were in effect, people were not all adhering to the requirement. However, since it was the end of October, there were not as many visitors as there are in the warmer weather months. We were mostly able to keep our six foot bubble of personal space away from other people except when we entered buildings and ran into families (unmasked) inside.
We saw some big cats, and I was reminded how much zoos bum me out. On the one hand, I feel very lucky to have seen so many exotic animals up close in my lifetime, but on the other hand, it breaks me heart to think about them being confined to just their personal habitat space at the zoo for the rest of their lives. Although, I suppose it could also be worse than the care they receive at Como too. 🤔
Usually, when I see the gorillas, I cry. This visit was no exception. I just feel so sad seeing them sit and look so pensive. I wonder what their thoughts are and if they remember life prior to their existence at the zoo. The other primates were also emotive. (Or at least to me they were.) Just look at that female on the upper right. Her eyes were burning a hole in my soul with just a piece of glass between us.
Other animals we saw on our October visit included a zebra, a bison, and an ostrich. Even though there weren’t a lot of people around (so we could have lingered), we kept it moving because there is so much to see at Como.
We also saw a lot of birds including: penguins, ducks, and flamingos. I love birds!
When we finally made it to the polar bear exhibit, I was stoked because there were no humans around. However, I learned very shortly the reason there were no people in this area was because there were no polar bears either. We did see one (of the three), but it was pretty far away and through multiple areas of the exhibit/panes of glass. 😢
Even though we did see a lot of animals, including a lot of different species, it was a pretty big bummer that I wasn’t able to meet another polar bear on this visit. If seeing animals in captivity pulls at your heart strings too much to enjoy their presence, there are many other things to do on your visit to Como. Stay tuned for more posts of the rest of our visit including the conservatory and Zen garden.
~The Overstimulated
