Walking through the San Francisco Zoo’s Australian Walkabout today, I asked my (Aussie) friend what American animals she grew up seeing at Australian zoos and in the various cities she’s lived in around the world.
Take a guess: what animal do you think she immediately jumped to, as her quintessentially American zoo animal?
The raccoon.
Wait, what? Seriously, a raccoon? Yeah, a raccoon, she answered, as if she was saying, “yeah, a squirrel monkey, what’s so weird about that?”
Oh! She remembered another: squirrels.
Squirrels and raccoons? Like, in cages? They put squirrels in cages? “Yeah, in cages. It’s a zoo.”
Once home, I looked up Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. They do actually have more impressive North American animals, like the California sea lion, bison, and alligator. But, they also have an American Cockroach.
You’re welcome, world!
