Disappointment!

Isn't it always funny that the thing you most desire is often the least likely to happen? This past Saturday I visited the Georgetown Zoo. Although it was small, it promised a wide sampling of Guyana's indigineous animals. I was excited to see some of the strange animals I had only heard of, but there was one animal in particular I was really looking forward to.

The blue and gold macaw was beautiful, but not what I was looking for.

The squirrel monkey that raced across the top of the cages celebrating his freedom and ability to patrol the zoo was cute, but not what I really wanted to see.


The curious looking agouti, with little pig hoofs, a rodents body, and a red hind end was interesting, but not what I was looking for.


Elizabeth even got to meet her cousin...

... the red faced spider monkey. But still I didn't see what I'd come to see.

In a murky pond covered in slime I found a grossly obese manatee floating with its infant.

Once again, fascinating, and fun to pet, but not what I REALLY wanted to see.

At last I arrived at his cage. I scanned the scrubby grasses and muddy pits, but the cage was empty! What?! Did he die? Did he get moved? Where was he? Then far back in the corner, inside a fenced in shack I spotted a black blob. Looking closer I saw that the blob had legs and was sleeping on short platform. What? I come all this way and the beast didn't even have the decency to make an appearance. With the zoom lense on my camera I was able to capture him in open mouthed slumber. And that, sadly, was the closest I got to seeing a tapir.