The Roosevelt Park Zoo is a cool place to visit to see animals. Our family has lived in Minot, North Dakota for almost four years and we have visited Roosevelt Park Zoo many times. Every time I’ve been there it’s always fun and adventurous. My family and I last visited on June 2nd during the awesome event for military families. Even though I’ve gone many times, this was Peyton Thompson’s first time ever coming to the zoo. Her family said they came from far out of town and Peyton told me, “My favorite animal is the gibbon.” There are many different types of animals at the zoo including otters, chicken, bison, giraffes, and lions. One of the ones I like to see are the lions.

The lions from the Roosevelt Park Zoo have interesting names. Kiota is the first lion from the zoo and three more came to live with him; The new lions’ names are Asani, Tadala, and Ilola. I got to talk to Jeff Bullock, the director of the zoo who keeps the animals safe and fed: “Kiota is a favorite for a lot of the zookeepers. He’s really handsome for a lion with his big mane!” A male lion’s mane makes them look bigger and fierce. I asked Jeff about what the lions eat and he said, “They eat meat! We get our meat from a company that specializes in big cat meat. They get extra vitamins added to their diet.”

The lions at the Roosevelt Park Zoo are very playful. Ellie, a new staff member as a zookeeper, explained that they play with each other as well as toys. There are many opportunities for you to see them playing with each other too! Jeff said that the zookeepers “let Kiota out for part of the day and then swap them around – Asani and the girls will go out for the second half of the day that way everybody gets to spend time outside.” The zoo is open all year and is currently open from 9-8 every day in the summer.

On June 29th, you can go to the zoo for free! Going to the zoo makes me feel happy and excited for the next time that we go.