I spent this afternoon with my granddaughter (7) at the delightful Santa Barbara zoo.

It's not a big zoo, which makes it perfect for an afternoon with a little kid.  You can walk the whole thing and see just about every animal in a couple of hours.  They don't have every kind of everything, but they do have some kind of everything: the amazing staples like giraffes, leopards, gorillas, etc., plenty of beautiful and amazing birds, snakes (!), even jumping spiders (!!).  And it's pretty; you don't get that "big animal in a small cage" feeling of sympathy for the residents.

And also, lot of good signage, including detailed descriptions of each animal, where they are from, how they live, what they eat, etc.  My granddaughter is a great reader and delighted in informing me of all the details of each animal, while I tried to find them.  We made a great team.

Zoos are one of those things which bring up conflicting emotions; should we capture and display wild animals?  Does this help us learn more about them?  And does this help us educate each other about the wider world in which we live?

Those are tough questions; but an easier one is "do they make for a great afternoon"?

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