It was approaching dusk as I entered the Philadelphia Zoo
with my family. The first steps I took past the wrought iron gates of America’s first zoo made me realize what a unique opportunity this was. I was at the zoo
at 7:30 p.m. when the typical closing time was 5p.m. This was due to my
mother’s employers: AmeriHealth Caritas, a health insurance company. They gave
each of their employees 2 free tickets and opportunities to buy more at a
discounted price. The zoo was closed to the public but open to all the
employees, and their families from 6p.m. to 10 p.m. for one night only.
So there I was with
the sky steadily getting darker, looking upon a sea of blinking blue lights
that came from the glow sticks that zoo employees handed out to those who
wanted one. I could hear children laughing and adults happily greeting each
other with hugs and exclamations of joy. “There are usually one or two smaller
events a week, like morning walks or 5k runs,” says employee Nick Bisaccia who
is on the event staff. “We usually only have ones this big once or twice a
month”.
“Big” was a good description for this event. Despite it
being dark and many of the exhibits either being off limits or the animals
unable to been seen, there was a large number of people visiting and having a
good time. The open buildings, especially the PECO Primate Reserve, were a
swarm of people oohing and ahhing over the animals. Sadly, most of the
primates were asleep. However, in the Reptiles and Amphibians house, the snakes
were surprisingly active, bringing to mind the escaped snake scene in Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
“I wish I could have seen more animals,” Amy Dedrick, an
employee of AmeriHealth Caritas, told me with a slight frown. “I am such an
animal person that I came to the zoo with that purpose in mind, but I actually
don’t think this was about that.” When I asked her what she meant, she thought
about it for a minute. “Most of us work from home,” she said, “me included, so
we don’t get to see each other often. I think this was more about getting
together than seeing the animals.”
For Alicia McNeil, it was not just about seeing friends, but
nostalgic memories as well. “I used to
work here when I was 17,” she told me with a smile and a small laugh, after
inviting me to sit on the bench beside her. “I worked in ticket sales.” She continued,
“I interacted with a lot of different people. On a good day, the zoo would get
around three thousand people visiting.” She gave me a warm smile and fell
silent for a little bit. “That was 9 years ago. Everything has changed.” She
explained to me that the carousel (that we happened to be sitting near) was new,
and that there used to be camel and elephant rides but they weren’t there
anymore. Her reason for no longer working there was because she went back to
school for nursing, but she was glad that she got to visit the zoo again. “My
favorite thing was seeing the children happy,” she recalled.
And happy they were, even at the increasingly later hour. A
DJ was set up in front of the Impala Fountain, where there were a couple of
strobe-like lights flashing onto the ground, while The Electric Slide and other
kid-friendly danceable songs were played to the enjoyment of everyone. Kids
danced while parents rested and prepared for the drive home.
As for me, I reflected on everything I had seen on the drive
home, drifting in and out of sleep, confident in my mom’s ability to get us all
home safely. I, like Mrs. Dedrick, would have liked to have seen more animals, but the
few that I did see made me smile. My favorite was seeing the Bolivian Gray Titi Monkeys twining their tails together as they slept. They wanted to keep their
loved ones close even in sleep. That’s something I think all of us can agree
on.
Impala statue outside the parking garage.
Giraffe statue directly out front of the zoo's entrance.
Penguin statue out front of the closed avian exhibit.
Bolivian Gray Titi Monkeys twining tails as they sleep.
People gathered in front of the Impala Fountain listening to the music.
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