Fuzzy Goes Wild

Hi Kids,
You've probably guessed that I love zoos. This spring I visited the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio. My new friend, Miss Debbie, is holding me and feeding Zoe, a young Masai giraffe. Giraffes are the tallest living animals in the world.

I always like to see bears. This is a polar bear. Polar bears usually live in the far north. They like to eat seals but they are kind of slow and can't catch them in the water. Instead, they wait on floating ice and wait until a seal comes up through a hole to breathe. Then they grab them with their huge paws and long claws. Because of climate change, a lot of the ice is melting. This is very bad for the polar bears. Unless we take steps to slow the heating of our planet, the only polar bears left will be the ones living in zoos.

Very few zoos have manatees. These are large, peaceful water mammals. They have to breathe air but they can stay under water up to 15 minutes. They are sometimes called sea cows. You would think they would be related to whales or dolphins -- but their closest relatives are elephants.

This is me with a sculpture of two manatees. Not all the animals I met on my trip were real. Actually, I guess I'm not a real bear -- but I am a real toy bear. Here I am with another not-really-real animal --

This is me with Who-dey. He's a not-really-real tiger who is the mascot for the Cincinnati Bengals professional football team. He was very friendly. I love traveling because I get to meet so many nice animals -- and people.
Love,
Fuzzy