The Emperor Valley Zoo, remains a key attraction for many of the young and the young at heart.

Acting Curator Kenneth Caesar said the zoo had never lost its appeal, but pointed out that August was when business was at its peak level.

Despite the inclement weather last Wednesday, the zoo was filled with many patrons eager to see animals that you do not expect to find at your door step.

One of the favourite attractions was the Brazilian Otter. This little guy could be seen tossing his ball when in the presence of a crowd. At particular times, he would make a noise as if to summon more patrons to his area.

Another area that attracted patrons, was that of the display of exotic and rainbow coloured birds. There, the African Grey Parrot can be seen. He was joined by the red and blue Macaw, otherwise known as the 'green-winged' Macaw. Next to these birds were the Trinidad Piping-guan 'Pawi', which is an endangered species because of being over-hunted. However, this bird gave the impression of being a loner, for her shied away from onlookers as well as our photographer's presence. Not to be left out of this category were TT's national birds, Scarlet Ibis and the Cocrico.

As comical as ever, the chimpanzees and apes lived up to their reputation of being clowns. The most prominent of all was the Mandrill. They are distinct in feature by their colourful faces. These monkeys are always fit for a laugh, for instance when our photographer was taking a picture of these guys, one posed, while at the same time 'allowing nature to take its full course'.

Sometimes the chimpanzees acts fail to humour some, as a few little ones were afraid to even look at them.

But on the other end, the same children are fascinated by the reptiles, moreso, the snakes. The zoo has an anaconda, like the movie 'Anaconda' - come down to the zoo there is a real one to see. Along side him, are a couple huge pythons, which originally come from South Africa.

Coming soon will be an Animal Planet Channel where as patrons sit to have a light refreshment, they can be educated about animals from all over the world. Caesar said: "This should have taken place already, but the cable company for the area has no cable." He added that the zoo runs a regular vacation education programme for children every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This, he said, is supported by companies like KISS, Chubby, KFC and many others.

So come down to the zoo and witness firsthand the beautiful array of exotic and wild animals in which some are close to becoming extinct.

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