The Monkey One

On our determined mission to find the lions (see post below), we happened upon the Rainforest exhibit, which is in a building.

I don't know who's idea it was to combine walls, humidity and animal crap but it was a bad idea.

As soon as we opened the door, the smell hit us full in the face. Daniel and Micah were ahead and Daniel yelled back to Elsie and I something about plugging our noses and then they were gone. Elsie and I were behind them.

But Elsie, dear Elsie, got distracted by a tamarin, the little orange monkeys. So she stopped. And, of course, I stopped too - hand over nose.

She reached out her hand and pointed to the little thing and it reached out to grab her hand! In true girl fashion, she jumped back (giggling.)

"Do it again, Elsie!" I had my camera ready. "It wants to touch you; that's so cool!"

She reached out her hand and again, the little creature gently reached to grab hers. And I got this picture:

Okay, so whether or not the little tamarin actually touched Elsie, I don't know. But from out of nowhere, this man appears next to Elsie.

"Don't touch the animals," he said.

"Okay," I replied. I had no idea who this guy was or where he came from.

"You know that touching mammals can give the animals our germs?" he continued.

"Well, at least we got the picture, Elsie," I said cheerily. I thought this guy was a tamarin-enthusiast schooling us in zoology.

I put my hand on Elsie's shoulder and turned to walk away.

"Is everything okay here or do I need to call security?"

"What!" I said, calmly.

"Do I need to call security?" he repeated

"No, oh no," I said, barely able to keep from busting up laughing. Elsie was already long gone in the laughing department.

The Zoo Man disappeared to his hole in the smelly Rainforest and I realized that the whole time we had been talking, I had my nose covered with my hand. I'm sure that went over really well with him.