Derek and I wanted to get out of the house as it has been rainy and snowy the last few weekends. So we headed towards Bakersfield and went to the CALM zoo - a small little place that has some rescued animals like reptiles, eagles, raccoons, foxes etc. The reptile house was actually pretty interesting because most of the snakes were fairly alert -- we even saw a rattlesnake yawn :) and we saw a raccoon play wrestling with a fox. Pictures were a challenge because of the bars of the cages, but I was pleased to see that the animals had generous amounts of space and had lots of logs, trees, branches, etc. in their cages. The staff make a point to let visitors know that these animals are either injured or have become too dependent on humans making their release back into the wild unlikely. I like that we get to enjoy their beauty and they get a safe home.
I actually also just liked seeing the trees and birds. Because CALM is so beautifully landscaped, they have signs listing the names of the plants/trees and all kinds of birds like to come hang out in the foliage. They had picnic benches all around also so it would probably be fun to brink a picnic and just relax!
