Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:
In June my wife and I took my mom for a walk around the premises of our own Indianapolis Zoo to check out the current residents and the architectural upgrades on a sunny but not-so-sweltering Saturday. In this very special miniseries, we’ll take a look at the beasts and critters who welcomed us and hundreds of other families along the way.
In today’s chapter: monkeys! Often the highlight of a zoo visit as they’re frolicking and gallivanting and perpetrating mischief on each other…um, we picked a bad Saturday for them, apparently. Mostly we found simians in a state of quiet solemnity, relaxing where they were and pondering their life choices. As with us humans, not every day is a party for one of nature’s most party-hearty animals.

Life in the land of the Guinea baboons was quiet this morning, no leaping or swinging or fighting or dance numbers.

While a few other baboons paired up and hung out, this loner gazed into the distance and pondered deep philosophy in silence.

“If only some crusading newspaper would write a sympathetic article about the disastrous results of my poor voting choices.”

When pressed for insight into his brother’s forlorn expressions, this baboon could not be reached for comment.

Intermission at our former polar bear area, where a sign vows, “Look, next year we’re gonna have some really cool monkeys coming up, we swear.”

One of our zoo’s more recently added centerpieces is the massive, expensive-looking orangutan habitat. Unfortunately we arrived while maintenance men were fixing or sprucing up something in their largest play area. One orangutan named Katy held a sort of meet-‘n’-greet through a lab window while all the other orangutans — I’m assuming she’s not alone — were at lunch or on smoke breaks or whatever.
(…so on our next zoo visit years from now, hopefully the orangutans are out there in full effect and throwing one heck of a rager. Fingers crossed.)
To be continued! Other chapters in this miniseries:
Part 1: Lions and Tigers and Bears!
Part 2: The Birds!
Part 4: The Birds II: Budgie & Lorie
Part 5: Everybody in the Water
Part 6: A Cold-Blooded Cache
Part 7: Last Call for Critters
Part 8: Habitats & Handicraft