A Trip to the Zoo

At the top of the mountains ringing the northern edge of Tegucigalpa stands the giant statue of Jesus which overlooks the city.  To the rear of Jesus lies an interesting little zoo with many quirks.

Entrance to the zoo is a great bargain - 5 Lempiras per person which equates to around 26 cents American.  The price belies what waits inside the gates.  The first building is dubbed the "educational center" of the facility.  Inside lies the horror of animals everywhere: a display of local animals that have ended their lives as examples of poor taxidermy.  The monkeys and other critters who at one time were possibly thriving and adorable as hell are now dried up, mangy, dilapidated relics that appear to have been stored in this building far beyond their shelf lives.  The fur is falling off the cats, an ear is missing from a coyote and a couple of monkeys have lost a finger or two over the years.  The best (or most disturbing) part of the entire display is the crazy expressions on each animal's face - all very unnatural but entertaining as each has two things in common: a smile and eyeballs that are obviously marbles. 

As we walked around the small, dimly lit display, I realize that for some unknown reason the room is lined with old, beaten to hell school desks.  Apparently they are here for when the educational center is in full swing teaching children about the circle of life.