Wild! Ohio family visits 52 zoos in 52 weeks

[SlowwHand]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- It's been a wild year for members of an Ohio family, who say they've accomplished a goal of visiting 52 zoos in 52 weeks.

Columbus resident Marla Taviano, her husband and three daughters began last August with the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky and spent weekends and vacations going to zoos across the country. Their visits included the Dallas Zoo, New York's Central Park Zoo and the San Diego Zoo. Their Web site shows they wound up hitting 55 animal parks to see giraffes, reindeer and snow leopards.

Taviano says she got the idea while trying to think of an adventure that would feel like traveling the world and seeing exotic creatures but on a budget.

The family's 22,000-mile tour ended Saturday with a visit to their hometown Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Taviano plans a book about their journey.

I guess "on a budget" is a relative term. Not working and travelling the country going to zoos for a year doesn't meet my criteria for on a budget.
I'm sure it was fun.

[MikeH]

It says they went on weekends and vacations, not that they didn't work for a year.

[loinburger]

"Oh look, another goddamned ostrich!"

[Japher]

Columbus zoo is where Jack Hanna works out of.

[Winston]

Ohio family visits 52 zoos in 52 weeks

Have they been to Poly, do you think?

[SlowwHand]

If they went to 55 zoos and drove 22,000 miles, I'll kiss your ass if it was weekends and ordinary vacations, MikeH.

[Elok]

"Oh look, another goddamned ostrich!"

Pretty much. Thank God not many zoos have pandas. The only thing worse than seeing an animal that just lays there doing nothing is seeing an animal that just lays there doing nothing...52 times.

[Dis]

am I the only one who thinks zoos are smelly, and the animals probably don't like being locked up?

[DanS]

Re: Wild! Ohio family visits 52 zoos in 52 weeks

Captivating!

[SlowwHand]

am I the only one who thinks zoos are smelly, and the animals probably don't like being locked up?

If they had the ability to reason, I imagine many would prefer their extended life span, assuming it to be in a modern setting that reflects their natural living conditions.

[Elok]

Elephants probably don't, since a confined space (less than several square miles each to roam) causes them health problems. Don't know about the others.

[Drake Tungsten]

I saw an interview with this family on TV yesterday. They said that the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha is the best zoo they visited and much better than the overrated San Diego Zoo.

[Dis]

Our zoo is pathetic. But I assume they visited it. It's in North Las Vegas (or right at the edge). Gangland is right up the street. I'm not interested enough to look at the website and see if they saw our zoo. I went there once as a kid. All I remember is the smell.

I suppose some people like the smell of animal dung.

But to me a zoo in the middle of a city, not to mention in the middle of the bad part of the city, makes no sense. I'm surprised the animals haven't been killed by stray gunfire yet. . It's a good thing it's surrounded by high walls.