Memorable MondayHogle Zoo

My niece volunteers weekly at the zoo and really enjoys her time there. She really enjoys animals and hopes to work with them in the future. She particularly enjoys the big cats - me too!

I remember a time that I volunteered with one of my good friends at the Hogle Zoo during the summer before my senior year. I worked in the children's section of the zoo where kids were encouraged to explore objects with their hands. It was like a small interactive museum. During my volunteer time, I learned a lot about the zoo and enjoyed my time volunteering there.

• I love big cats and was fascinated by Shasta the liger. She is a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. She was born at Hogle Zoo and was the first liger born in captivity and lived to be 24 years old. After she died, the zoo stuffed her so you can see what a liger looked like, and she was a major highlight of the zoo. I just discovered that they have moved Shasta from the Hogle Zoo to Provo UT.

• The zoo hosted a White Bengal tiger and I was able to visit the big cat while I was volunteering. I was able to see the tiger up close before the zoo exhibited her. I was in awe and love the White Bengal.

• I really enjoyed visiting the zoo with my family and seeing the animals with them. I remember a particular time when I invited my family for a big party after zoo hours. We brought dinner in and toured the zoo. I didn't tell my parents that it was potluck - oops!

I've taken my kids to the Hogle Zoo a couple of times. A lot of the zoo has changed and the small museum that I volunteered in is no longer there. It was so wonderful for me to visit the zoo and remember the times that I spent there. I hope the Cort has those same tender feelings years from now.

Hogle Trip 2000

Jim and Angela at the zoo - Angela was about 6 months at the time.

We went to the zoo with our Pace cousins that live in Utah. Dani and Lissie took a little adventure near the monkeys. A zoo worker help us chase those two down. They had a blast on the Hogle zoo.

Hogle Trip 2006

The kids standing near the famous ape statute. It was fun to see the apes at the zoo since there are none at the Phoenix Zoo.

The kids loved this new elephant structure, especially when it sprays water.

Emmy and her cousin Briley hung out in the wagon during parts of the zoo. Emily was about 1 1/2 years.

My kids loved the Hogle Zoo because there are many animals that they don't see at the Phoenix zoo and it was so fun to see them. I love to remember the days in the past when I visited the zoo that summer years ago.