When visitors step into Manitowoc's Lincoln Park Zoo, a friendly faces awaits..
"The animals get really excited when people are here," education and special events curator Vicki Rathsack said.
Like any good host, the animals will welcome visitors with a warm greeting, be it a quack or a meow.
"A few of them really associate with the people a lot, so they'll come up and talk with them," Rathsack said.
For this party, visitors better be ready to chat. There's a new conversation waiting to happen anywhere you look.
"I saw a python and a few snakes," one child said. "Turtles, snapping turtles."
"I saw a bald eagle," said another child.
"(We have) white tail deer plus cougars lynx, eagles hawk owl, turkey vulture," Rathsack said.
All together, the zoo has about 120 animals of 60 different species, mainly from North America.
"There's just a lot of things to experience here," a child visitor said. "It's kind of cool to touch a snake when you haven't touched a snake before because you want to feel how a snake feels except for like not getting bit by one."
The python she refers to is about 30 years old. Many of his visitors are much younger. As the weather warms, more children and families will leave the classroom and head to the zoo. But it doesn't mean a break from learning.
Iit's a lot of fun seeing the kids interacting with the animals, that they're learning new stuff every time they come," Rathsack said. "We have lots of information signs that are up around the zoo."
When learning is this cool, fun, and a little scary, the kids are eager to return and say hello to old friends once again.
