"Code 13" at the Zoo & Julie

Now that I know what "Code 13" means, I think it important to share for Louisville moms like me who frequent the zoo with young children. It means large animal (cat) out of the exhibit. Code 13 was our day at the zoo. I saw Zoo Staff running really hard and it caught my attention to the point that I thought, when you run like that it causes a bit of a panic feeling. So, I was already on alert. Then I was yelled at to get to safety in the Giraffe House and I could hear on the walkie talkies of the zoo workers "out the back gate" and "too much cross interference" which I interpreted to me too many people on the walkies talking at once. Anyhow.

I had this conversation with Aunt Julie (more like a sister) after my zoo trip. Julie was our sometimes babysitter & my moms littlest sister. While growing up she told us if we put quarters in the ground, Popsicles would grow there. We did put quarters in the ground, and they did grow, and she had no problem robbing us of any spare change we had. Additionally, we would rub her back for looong lengths of time for a stick of gum, she gave me my first strawberry shortcake tape player, and dated a boy named"Leaf" and I went to visit him with her once- I remember thinking he had such a weird name. She made "Chinese Eggs" which I thought were so fancy and yet were scrambled eggs chopped up so much they were like little peas. I rode the bus to the mall with her and she was always the most fashion savvy- hence being queened "best dressed" in High School. And to this day, she is still the most perfectly dressed person that looks good in anything. It makes my sisters & I all pretty envious. Anyhow- back to my phone conversation with her today:

Me: I took Emma & Landon to the zoo this morning.

Julie: Hey, you have to be careful about zoos you know. Especially since that tiger got out of that cage (in San Fransisco over Christmas). I won't go there anymore.

Me: Yah, I know. I was thinking about that today. Then there was a "Code 13".

Julie: What's that?

Me: An alarm for a "large animal out of the exhibit" that required us to quickly be ushered to the Giraffe House for safety.

Julie: SEE! You can't go to the zoo anymore! They are not safe. If one animal gets out due to bad safety standards you have to assume the zoos have poor safety standards at the other exhibits. I can't believe that happened to you! I tell you, don't go back to the zoo. Ever. Again. I mean that animal could have got one of you! Oh my gosh!

She took another call and then called me back and said she was going to tell her husband. I told her I called Ryan at the Urgent Care and he said, "crazy things always happen to you." He lightly laughed at me especially since he KNOWS I followed that SF zoo case and honestly had been looking at the animal enclosures to see if they could get out. Now I know they can.

I will go back, but if there is ever EVER a "code 13" again I will run for my life. And that will be my last trip to that zoo. And, I won't tell Julie cause she will have said "I told you so" and besides, Emma could not stand the smell in the Giraffe House and that was pushing her to her limit- I would hate to get stuck there again.