Happy Friday!
This month I wanted to do something that wouldn't normally be on my radar. I have had a Columbus Zoo Membership for almost 5 years now, and other than Wildlights during the holidays, I haven't paid much attention to the events they have to offer. After exploring their events calendar, I saw they were having Workouts for Wildlife. It was briefly described as a beginner yoga workout with a visit from some penguins. Tickets were $89 per person (no membership discount). I will admit that I cringed a little at the price, but the money goes to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's Emergency Animal Care Fund plus when am I going to have another chance to meet penguins!? We had the choice of Saturday or Sunday at 9am or noon. We went with Saturday at noon because if I'm going to hang out with penguins, I want to be awake for it.
We arrived at the Safari Golf Club across the street from the zoo. It was being held at their event center next to the clubhouse. Upon arrival, they checked us in and told us we could pick a spot on any of the marked areas (all spots were 6 feet apart). They had some merchandise and raffle baskets on the table and gave us a complimentary mimosa ticket for after class. At noon, they announced that they would bring the penguins in for 5 minutes, have a 45-minute workout, then they would bring the penguins and some other animals back in while we were having snacks and hanging out.
Two penguins came in with their zoo handlers. They gave us some quick facts about the penguins while they walked around the room. They didn't interact with anyone for the few minutes they were there. They were more interested in trying to walk out the doors or get to the windows. We found out that penguins are very dramatic and the one zoo handler said working with them is like being in a soap opera. They have cliques and they scream at each other at times. They also love these little field trips that they get to go on. They're not phased by riding in the van or meeting people.
As for the workout, when I saw beginner yoga, I figured it would be very gentle. During this pandemic, I've become a bit of a yogi so I felt a little smug that it would be too easy, so I wore a t-shirt and yoga pants. Note to future Carrie: If you're doing a workout, dress like you're doing the real deal. We moved quickly through the poses with more intensity and there were more strength moves than I anticipated. Many of us in the room had to modify the poses by the end of the class. My t-shirt was absolutely drenched and I was mad at myself for a large portion of the workout for not wearing the appropriate workout attire😅. I ended up being sore for three days afterward. As annoyed with my overconfidence as I was, I was very pleased that it was a solid workout that I hadn't expected.
Afterward, they had a bar set up with the complimentary mimosas, water, and snack boxes. I was impressed with the snack boxes. They contained yogurt with granola (nut free. Thank you from all of us with nut allergies), dried fruits, crackers, assorted cheeses, and a bag of peanuts. While we were eating, they announced that the raffle would be happening in about 10 minutes if anyone wanted to enter. We ended up winning two of the three baskets unintentionally. (We bought $20 worth of tickets to donate to the Animal Emergency Fund, but there were only about 15 people there so the odds were high.) I got really embarrassed that we'd accidentally win all three and I was ready to give it away if necessary.
Penguins are one of my favorite animals. This was my moment and I was surprised to feel very nervous. What do I do? What do I say? Can I pet one? What other animals will they bring? A wolf? A tiger? A python? I know they're all safety issues, but a girl can dream. We met Trout named after his favorite fish he likes to eat. He came over to check out my food and tried to stick his face in my mimosa. I got to pet him and his feathers were like a soft blanket. They also brought Oscar the ant-eater who only wanted to know if we had bugs around our snacks. He was a busy guy who walked around on his fists. They hung around in the room with us for about a half hour with their zoo handlers. It felt very personal and unique to be able to say you've gotten to hang out on the floor having snacks with a penguin and an ant-eater like it was no big deal.
I was very pleased with this experience. It was way above my expectations. I had anticipated a gentle workout with a passerby meet and greet with penguins. I hadn't even imagined the intimate and special event that it ended up being. The overall event was about an hour and half long. I will say I wish it had been a little bit longer, but it was worth it regardless. You can check out the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's event calendar here. This made me more likely to continue to check out and participate in their events in the future.
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