After our drive we arrived in Entebbe with some time to visit the zoo. We had heard there was a Behind the Scenes zoo option so we signed up for that and it was worth every penny! Basically we were able to go into every exhibit and interact with the animals. We started with the giant python-he did not seem happy to see us and was wrapped tightly around my leg by the time our picture was over. Next we headed to the aviary to visit a shoebill stork. This bird has been around since the prehistoric times and was fascinating to watch. They make a chattering sound (much like my nervous dog who chatters his teeth) with their beaks and have interesting mannerisms when they are threatened or approached. We were able to get close enough to pet him which was a cool experience. We then headed over to the big cats and visited lions and a leopard. Our guide fed them some meat through the bars and we were able to see them up close. We were toured around in the back of a pick up and our next stop was to drive right into the rhino area. We drove right next to them and although they didn't eat the grass we offered, we were able to pet their muddy backs.
From the rhinos, we next stopped at the hospital where two cheetahs were being rehabilitated. We were able to enter the area one at a time and pet the cheetahs-it was an incredible experience! The whole time I was in the enclosure with the cheetahs, I kept thinking that this experience wouldn't be possible in the U.S. no matter how many waivers were signed. Our next stop was to pick up some food at the barn and then we visited the chimpanzee island, the Serengeti exhibit where we fed giraffe (their heads are as big as my torso!) and eland, then the elephant pen where we were able to feed a one year old elephant. We stopped and enjoyed the monkeys on our way out.
After a delightful afternoon we picked up our bags, had lunch with some family friends who live in Uganda with the state department and boarded our plane for Amsterdam.
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