Alongside light-up sneakers, letters to Santa, and imaginative playground roleplay, visiting the zoo is often considered an activity we tend to “age out” of. However, many have never experienced what the zoo has to offer as young adults, when it is perhaps the most rewarding and entertaining time to visit.
I took a stroll about six miles south of the School to visit the renowned Oakland Zoo in San Leandro for the first time in 8 years. Despite feeling isolated amidst a chaotic sea of noisy children, watching the animals was extremely meditative. Three giraffes munched on acacia leaves, river otters slid in the mud, and hyenas napped 20 feet away from the visitor benches. As a teenager with newfound patience, taking the time to enjoy an exhibit is a nice break from the monotonous pace of daily life.
Of course, despite my relaxing experience, there are still critics of the Zoo. Senior Andrea Walker is among those apathetic. “I think it’s kind of boring. What do I want to go see? Oh, there’s just caged animals.” It’s a common misconception that all zoos still inhumanely trap animals in traditional ways; however, many zoos, like Oakland’s, are supported by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and entirely focus on wildlife well-being. In fact, many animals on exhibit cannot survive on their own in the wild due to injury or previous human habituation, making the Oakland Zoo a safe haven.
Other students believe visiting the zoo as an adult can restore their inner child and provide joy alongside the responsibilities of growing older. Junior Edom Lenie expresses his hopes to return to the Zoo, despite his busy and rigorous schedule as an 11th grader. “Overall, it’s a pretty goated place and really brings back a lot of memories that I want to experience again.”
Senior Mateo Gonzalez recently visited the Oakland Zoo for a school assignment last semester, originally aiming to complete a project for an Oakland history seminar. Gonzalez felt more satisfaction than merely completing an assignment. “[The zoo is] kind of nostalgic for me. It was nostalgic to go to some of those same exhibits that I hadn’t been to in a long time.”
So no, no one is too old to enjoy the zoo. As Lenie puts it, “it’s a really underrated place that doesn’t get appreciated as much as other places we tend to go as adults.” If anything, the zoo is something we grow into, an opportunity we shouldn’t waste.