feeding animals

I'm a fan of zoos and after visiting the Chiang Mai zoo, my zoo experience has been forever changed.  While I know I should be against what I'm about to praise, to be honest it made the zoo really awesome.  What is it you may ask?  It is exactly what you are not allowed to do in any other zoo I've ever been to.  

YOU CAN FEED THE ANIMALS.

Instead of straining to see the leopard hiding in his corner, you stick some raw meat on the end of a stick, put it through the fence and then BAM! You are face to face with a leopard, staring into it's eyes as it snatches the meat from the stick and then retreats back to it's shelter.  

So, as a result of this interaction, two new animals have made their way to the top of the coolest animal list. 

Number One: The Hippo

Usually I overlooked the hippo.  They tend to just float apathetically in the water, uninterested in the humans staring at it.  Here, they would swim up to the edge of the water and stretch their mouths open wide in anticipation of some green leaves. 

Number Two: The Giraffe

Again, another animal that usually couldn't care less about humans.  But, with a little coaxing and a few green stalks, you get to see the giraffes creepy and gross long purple tongue spiral out and snatch the food.... and then proceed to drool all over you.  They are majestic and sloppy at the same time. 

I was mostly afraid to feed the ostrich.  They honestly scare me and I was afraid it's little beak would remove a few fingers.  

So, while I know that feeding animals in zoos is wrong and it changes the natural habits of the animals; the level of interaction it created was (unnatural and) just too cool.