Helen+R+(2)

The government requires that every year 4 student visits the zoo. We all look forward to it, I mean no one really knows what to expect and the unexpected is always exciting. The zoo is just on the outskirts of town. The older kids, the ones that have been there never say a word about what they saw. So, when I reached 4th grade, I waited all year expectantly until the date the form came home. My parents signed it without a do and the next day I was on the bus with my notepad in my lap, ready to take notes. On the bus everyone guessed about what we might see. The bus pulled up outside the zoo and we all shuffled inside. When we walked in, we were surrounded by enclosures full of people. They were sitting there, motionlesss, staring at us. Their necks were red and swollen from the heavy collars that hung around them. I wrote down my notes and then a zoo official came along and offered me a turn feeding one of the males. I turned to see my teachers face, she was smiling back at me and nodded, then said to the official that it 'would be a great experience'. I figured it must be a one in a life time opportunity so I felt honoured in some way. He led a 2 year old female out of an enclosure and handed me a bag of vegies. I poured some onto my hand and then held it out. She looked into my eyes and for some reason I felt slightly guilty. She took the food and ate it.