動物の惑星 (Animal Planet)
It's been two years since I last stepped through the gates of Kodomo no Kuni, better known to English speakers as Kid's Country (the literal translation of Kodomo no Kuni) or the Okinawa Zoo. Back then I was a lowly eikaiwa teacher dreading having to chaperone butt loads of unruly children around an animal infested encampment. Would they wander off and get eaten by a lion? Stumble into the wrong cage and get mauled to death by an ostrich? Provoke the wrong chimp, and get slapped in the face with "soil"? Somehow I survived the experience and thought I'd never return in a gazillion years...but I was wrong! Dead wrong! Which is why I haven't been granted my own psychic hotline.
I found myself back at the zoo over the weekend chaperoning kids again for the pre-school I teach at once a week. Thankfully things were a lot different this time than they were when I was last there. We went Saturday evening, sparing everyone from the blazing sun. And the kids were accompanied by their parents. That left me and two other teachers free to just guide everyone, ask some questions, practice English, and generally not have to worry about lost children. If only every field trip outing could run so smoothly there might never be a need for permission slips and waivers ever again.
This is the only time I've seen a habu in real life. Live habu, I should say. I've seen plenty of dead ones floating around in awamori bottles.
If you haven't been to the Okinawa Zoo before you should totally do it at least once. Where else can you see a baby ant eater ride it's mom like a pony. And no, that's totally not a euphemism.