RIGA - It began with a large group of pink flamingos. Each stood on one leg at the edge of the shallow pool, pecking at something on the ground.
Tall, skinny and pink, the creatures looked completely out of place among the pines and oaks of the Latvian woodlands. Though they appeared to feel at home, it was hard to imagine that the flamboyant birds could ever truly fit in among the dark earth tones of their sylvan surroundings.
Pink flamingos are the first thing on the list at the Riga Zoo. They are grouped off to the right immediately after the entrance, where they sit placidly all day, pretending they're back in the savanna.
Next on the list is a small cage with three or four brown monkeys. The surprisingly human-looking animals sat on a fake rock ledge high above the ground, picking bugs out of each other's hair.
After the monkeys the path splits. An enclosure with a pair of camels 's one of which looked old, sick and on the verge of death 's divides the main walkway from a side path.
The most interesting animals in the zoo are the large ones, the animals and reptiles that stand at the top of the food chain. These are the creatures with the most power to inspire awe and spark the imagination.
The polar bear looked hot. It was nearly 30 degrees Celsius and it seemed the heat had drained all the energy from the animal, which could barely raise its head. It seemed to be suffering more than any other creature in the scorching summer heat wave.
The lions were also lazy, but not from the heat. They were naturally lazy. Basking in the sun, the only sign that the creatures were still alive was the occasional yawn, when one of them would open its powerful jaws and reveal a row of captivity-dulled teeth.
The Bengal tiger, on the other hand, stubbornly refused to stay in one place for more than a few seconds. It restlessly paced along a well-worn path at the edge of its enclosure, scanning the fence for any sign of a weakness. Thankfully there was none.
One more area worth mentioning is the frog room. The only way to get there is to pass through the jungle room, which is so hot and humid that it can be hard to breathe.
Small glass cages house frogs and toads that hail from the world's various jungles and rainforests. Some of the frogs are arguably the strangest aberrations that nature has produced. One was so flat it seemed to have been run over by a car, another so bulbous and warty that it could have been mistaken for a knot of wood.
Built in 1912, Riga Zoo is home to more than 3,000 creatures belonging to nearly 500 different species. Though the zoo has recently lost both its elephants and a giant crocodile, the recent addition of a pair of giraffes helps to balance the losses.
Though it is located on the outskirts of town, at the far edge of Meza Park, the Riga Zoo is still easily accessible by tram. At only about 4 lats for a day pass, the trip comes highly recommended for those who tire of the city and want to view some of the strangest creatures in the Baltics.
Rigas Zoodarzs
Meza Prospekts 1, Riga
Tel. 6751 8409 or 6751 8669
