Theo and One Disgusting Vulture

 When you're traveling with a gangster cat like Theo, don't even think of visiting a zoo, especially the Tiergarten Schonbrunn, without visiting the aviary exhibit. But stay clear of the vultures!

We're on our way to find the elusive polar bears when Theo spots the sign for the birds. It's beginning to rain, and Theo doesn't like getting wet. We'll duck in for a minute. What can go wrong?

We pass a few exhibits of birds--no idea what kind of birds we're looking at and no time at all to find out. Immediately Theo is enthralled. He stops, crouches down and begins to do what cats always do when they spot a bird--their tails wag back and forth, their mouth opens and they make a half cackling half I'm going to bite your head off sound. 

I've seen Theo react this way many times before. Theo can be behind glass and the birds can be way off in the trees somewhere, but if he spots them, he wants them.

"I just want to sniff them," he says all innocence but you would have to be insane to let Theo get within 50 feet of a bird. Sure, they can fly, but this kid is fast. That urge to sniff a bird propels him like a rocket.

Which is exactly what happens. Theo disappears and reappears in front of the vulture exhibit. It is the bird to beat all birds. Mr. Vulture  has a black body, red head devoid of feathers, and a wingspan of about three feet.   

We notice he is carrying a mouse in his mouth. I've never seen that before. The poor thing--Mickey, Minnie (my heart breaks to think about it) is half in and half out. I can see its tail dangling down. 

Theo is enthralled. A few minutes turns into many minutes as Theo watches this vulture perch on a branch, a mouse dangling from his mouth. Will the vulture eat the mouse in front of us? Will he drop it and will it scurry away in a last bid for survival? 

I know little about vultures, only what I've seen in movies so I consult David Swanson's article on vultures: What do vultures eat? 

I learn a slew of disgusting facts. Despite the fact that vultures have a perfect sense of smell, excellent eyesight and can fly high above the Earth's surface, they smell terrible because they're not only carnivores but can feed on rotting carcasses like mice, lizards and insects. They have a highly acidic stomach which breaks down their food quickly and prevents them from getting sick from botulism, etc. They also have a unique defense mechanism--they can vomit the entire contents of their stomach to distract a predator, giving them time to fly off and reach speeds of about 30 miles per hour. They can consume 20% of their body weight in one sitting. And they urinate on their own legs to lower their body heat. That's why he stinks.

Because Mr. Vulture is behind glass, we can't smell him or hear him, but vultures do hiss, grunt and cackle as they feast. They are messy eaters but afterwards will take a swim and meticulously clean themselves.

It hits me. Should I be letting Theo get too close and watch a potential massacre unfold? Is he old enough for this? Then I realize the poor little mouse is dead so there won't be much drama. Of course, meanwhile, Theo is sniffing, sniffing the outside of the cage looking for a way in. I don't doubt it for a minute.

I try to get a video because frankly I'm a bit mesmerized myself, but there's an horrendous glare on the glass. We wait another few minutes, but the vulture does absolutely nothing. 

"Theo, can we go now?"

It has stopped raining temporarily, and we have a far way to walk to reach the subway station and get back to our hotel. 

If Theo could moonwalk backwards, he would. Imagine watching the final episode of a blockbuster series and your partner threatens to turn it off. Theo wants to see everything.

Dan comes to the rescue. "We have to go now."

Eventually Theo is ready. Fun fact: despite the disgusting nature of vultures, they are considered friendly and even harmless birds that other birds avoid--you guessed it--because they smell so bad. 

Lions, Lions and Theo, Oh My

 Sometimes I see my cats at home as miniature lions or tigers--their fur and coloring, the way they stalk their prey, and even though none the three--Theo, Sienna or Mico--have actual manes, they prowl and growl like a lion. That's why I'm not too surprised to discover that Theo becomes mesmerized by the lion exhibit. 

Now most zoos have lions--from the well known Philadelphia Zoo to the smaller and less known Paws and Claws in Pennsylvania. But how close can you actually get to seeing a lion up close and personal? I guess the other question is how close do you want to get?

The Schonbrunn Zoo has one of the most eye-popping lion exhibits I've ever seen. From one vantage point, as Mr. Lion stalks around the exhibit, he can get so close . . . well, it feels as if he is going to somehow pass through the glass that separates him from us and touch our noses.

Theo gets close, too. They stare eye to eye, and I know what Theo is thinking. He wants to sniff Mr. Lion. He wants to find some way in. I can see his head swishing from side to side. He knows there's glass there; he's well acquainted with windows and patio doors at home. 

He looks up at me expectantly. 

"This isn't a sliding glass door," I tell him. 

He looks disappointed.

"Trust me, Theo, you don't want it to be a sliding door."

Theo glances at Dan because it's obvious I'm not making any sense. 

"Lions are wild animals," Dan says. "Dangerous."

I want to say: "He'll want you for lunch, a cute little cat like yourself." I don't. No sense scaring the kid. I hope it's enough--this close encounter with a lion, even if he can only see him. 

Theo taps on the glass. The lion lets out a roar.

"Don't do that. You really don't want to rile him up."

Now he's pouting because Mr. Lion, assessing the situation, is beginning to stalk away.

"He either wants a snack or he wants a nap," I pronounce with authority. 

I'm wrong. 

"Look." Dan catches sight of another lion in the exhibit. The wife. She is proudly sitting on a rock at the highest point in the exhibit. That's where Mr. Lion is going.

"Look, Theo. There he is."

I'm reminded of an observation in Out of Africa, the memoir not the movie, when Karen Blixen, after her beloved Denys Finch Hatton has died and she has moved back to Denmark, receives a letter from a friend that the Maasai have reported seeing lions on Deny's grave in Kenya every sunrise and sunset. She sees the lions as a fitting tribute to the man she loved.

We spend a few more moments watching these two majestic creatures sit side by side, and I'm reminded how it's small moments like these that make life so wonderful.

Theo and Stanley the Stork

 It doesn't take much to convince Theo to come to the zoo with us. We're still in Vienna, so it means jumping on the subway and walking about a mile to the zoo. (In Vienna dogs are allowed on the subway so I figure who's going to worry about a cat?) 

The Schonbrun Zoo, part of the Schonbrun Palace gardens and the oldest zoo in the world still in operation, was established in 1752. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is approximately 40 acres. The official name: Schonbrun Tiergarten (Zoo).

I'm impressed. I've been there once before and loved it. Theo has one interest only--seeing and possibly sniffing the animals--lions and tigers and bears. Well, not exactly, but the zoo not only has a lovely assortment of animals, it also was originally laid out by an architect so the paths wind around in the most interesting fashion. Each exhibit looks like a work of art. 

We are on our way, but it's slow moving. Theo wants to see and hear everything. He has amazing eyesight, able to spot an animal even when they're heavily camouflaged in their environment. We keep a close hold on him, dreading any attempts he might make to get into the enclosures themselves.  And things go along as we hope--Theo is happy. And well behaved. 

Until we reach the storks. They are a rambunctious group. Loud and brash. Constantly flapping their wings. At first Theo is fascinated. Birds? What cat doesn't love birds? And even though these storks can't fly, they leap about as if they're going to take off any minute.

What separates Theo from the storks are three lines of wire fence. Big enough, surely to keep the storks in. Not big enough to keep a cat out. I know that's what Theo's thinking. At first, he's content to spy from a distance. But then on his little cat feet, he slides closer, utterly fascinated by these majestic birds.

One of the storks--let's call him Stanley--spots Theo and comes over, too close for my comfort. Meticulously, he grooms his coat in a show offy kind of way. "Look at me," he seems to squawk. Or is his incessant squawking an invitation to the gangster cat to come over and sniff?

Theo moves closer. 

"Hold it, buddy," I whisper. "You're not going in that enclosure."

I know nothing about storks. Would they eat a cat? Would the entire flock of storks surround and then torture my tabby cat? 

Stanley Stork is a tease. He gets even closer. Theo looks like he's about to rush into the enclosure. He wants to sniff Stanley.

"No sniffing allowed," I hiss.

But Stanley doesn't seem to care that Theo is there. He comes so close to that fence that now I'm wondering if he intends a grand escape. Imagine the headlines. Stork escapes zoo enclosure to meet a cat. Theo, in his defense, would meow he only wanted to sniff him.

Well, there's no drama this time. Stanley leans out and Theo sniffs his stork. Then, as if those kind of encounters happen everyday, Stanley turns around, flaps his wings and stork foots away. 

Phew. I glance at Theo. Is he disappointed? No, he's happy. And it's on to the next exhibit.

Chuck Meets an Orangutan

    Chuck wanted to meet an orangutan.

    That’s basically what started the adventure to the zoo.

    I wanted to visit the Schonbrunn Zoo for a thousand reasons, one of which included the fact that this fabulous Baroque-style zoo housed an orangerie which housed Vienna’s orangutans.  And who doesn’t want to come face to face with an orangutan?

    But, as we rode the subway system that afternoon to the zoo, I tried to explain to my rascal cat that the zoo had so much more to offer.

    “Chuck, this zoo is the oldest zoo in existence.  Do you realize that Emperor Franz I technically first brought visitors to see his menagerie of interesting animals behind the palace back in 1752?  Today that site--the zoo--is considered a UNESCO world heritage site.”

    When I ramble on and on and throw out what I consider interesting historical facts, Chuck always looks amazingly bored.  If you can, imagine the three of us (Chuck, my husband, and myself) riding in a subway car, ever alert for our stop, while I am whispering this pseudo lecture to Chuck, who is semi-stuffed in my smart bag.  He is not a happy camper. Because all he wants to do is to meet an orangutan.

    When we reach our stop, we climb the stairs to the outside and walk the few blocks to the Schonbrunn Palace, then follow the path to the zoo.  There will be no escape for Chuck because I’m determined to tell him what I know about this wonderful place.

    “Listen, there are over two millions visitors who come from all over the world each year.”
 
     Chuck, by now his head clearly visible out of the smart bag, is busy gazing around as we traverse a little used path to the zoo.
 
 “The zoo has more than 500 animal species and is considered one of the most modern zoos in the world.”

    Chuck shoots me a glance, and I wonder if he understands the concept of species or even cares, for that matter.

    “Okay, but Schonbrunn was voted the best zoo in Europe in 2009 and 2010.”

    We reach the entrance gate, and Chuck ducks back down as we pay our fee.

    Inside, we waste no time getting our bearings and scoping out the surroundings.  It will take us ten minutes to walk to the orangutan exhibit.  Chuck seems to be interested in little else.  But that’s how he is.  Once he puts his mind to something, he cannot be distracted.

    Finally, we arrive, and we are lucky that for the moment, the exhibit is  practically deserted.  A few moms with babies in strollers are nearby, but we have the perfect moment for my rascal cat to emerge and do what he’s been dying to do all day--meet an orangutan.

    I have no idea how this will go or what Chuck actually intends to do.

    I watch as he hops out of my bag and lands on the sand in front of the glass wall that separates the orangutan from us.

    The orangutan glances over and spots us.  Slowly, he meanders over in that lovely orangutan way, his long hairy arms propelling him along the grassy ground, until he can’t get any closer.  He presses his face up to the glass.

    Chuck peeks up at the orangutan, and the orangutan looks down at my cheeky boy in what I would call “wide-eyed” wonder.

    Obviously, they are curious about each other.

    I wonder--if the glass wasn’t there--if they would shake--hand to paw.

    But they don’t, of course.

    And I know little to nothing about orangutans at that moment, and ever worried about my Chuck, the horrid thought shoots through my head-- would this orangutan eat my cat, if he had the chance??

    Later, I do research and discover that orangutans don’t eat cats.  In fact, orangutans eat mostly tropical fruit, leaves, bark, sprouts, and insects.  They are also highly intelligent and use tools to forage for food.  Interestingly enough, they are also bothered, like humans are,  by mosquitoes.

    When the all too brief encounter is over, the orangutan shifts away from the glass.

    “Are you happy now, Chuck?”

    Chuck watches as this giant red ape saunters back to where he was originally, and I wonder if this was the first time this orangutan ever saw a cat?

    All I know is that this is the first time my cat has seen an orangutan.

    And I would bet all the rice in China that he’ll never forget it.

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   Wild Point Island, my paranormal romance, is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.  Recently it was rated 5 Stars by The E Book Reviewers, who said, "At the very core . . . is a multi-level mystery, with plot twists and turns that you never expected. And there is a deep touching love story that grasped my heart and never let go.  This is one book you must go buy now; once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it back down."