Feast with the Beasts A Great Way To Experience The Binghamton Zoo

Last night I headed out to the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park for their 21st annual Feast with the Beasts.  Let me just say that I was very impressed with the event.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I was not disappointed.

Scattered throughout the zoo and exhibits were over a dozen local restaurants and wineries offering samples of their food and drink which included shrimp Alfredo, mini-Rubens, chicken, pulled pork, and even ice cream. The samples were not skimpy either and everything was absolutely delicious.

I haven't been to the zoo in quite a few years and I was delighted to see the improvements they've made all while struggling to maintain their accreditation and funding.  The zoo is quaint but it isn't the infrastructure that makes this zoo special, it's the people.

There were several staff members on hand, most in the middle of the main path, and they were holding animals and answering everyone's questions about them.  It was a nice feature that you don't find in many larger zoos.

The highlight of my evening though was getting the chance to see the two newest additions to the Binghamton Zoo: two Amur tigers Koosaka and Terney.  The tigers were still adjusting to their new home and they weren't ready to explore their new outside habitat, so the zoo staff was letting small groups at a time in to the exhibit to see these beautiful cats. See the video below!

Overall, it was a nice evening at the zoo.  Hopefully it opened up some people's eyes on the greatness of our local zoo.  I know I will be supporting the zoo from now on because it is not something that any of us should take for granted.