It was the day I had been looking forward to, for a long time. When my parents told me that we were going to the Zoological Gardens, my joy knew no bounds. It was a bright Sunday when we set out early in the morning. This was my first visit to the zoo and I was determined to make it both enjoyable and educational.
There were many things at the zoo which impressed me. The most impressive was the fact that a large number of animals such as the giraffes and deer were kept in an environmental similar to their natural habitat. The rest of the animals were housed in cages. Going from cage to cage was an interesting experience as it gave me the feeling of walking through the jungle.
I found the cage housing wild monkeys the most interesting. The monkeys were active, always jumping and swinging, and I stood near the cage for some time, watching their every move.
Suddenly, the unexpected happened. One of the monkeys caught hold of my right hand and pulled me as if it was trying to get me into the cage. Overwhelmed by surprise and panic, I tried to free myself. My parents screamed and tried to make the monkey release its clutch, but with little success. The monkey was pulling my hand so hard that for a moment I was afraid my hand would be torn off. This went on for nearly a minute until an animal keeper, hearing our screams, came to my rescue. Seizing a stick, he shook it at the monkey and ordered it to let go of my hand. Grudgingly, the monkey obeyed.
Although rescued, I was in a state of shock and disbelief. My parents and I walked to a nearby pavilion and sat down there. We were in no mood to continue our tour of the zoo. After sometime, we returned home. It was indeed a day I will never forget.
Vocabulary
Impressed—full of wonder
Habitat—shelter
Overwhelmed—overcome by
