Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Dental Hygiene - LP Zoo

Helga, the fennec fox, does be
An omnivore, thus meaning that
Both meats and plants she'll happily
Chow down on in her habitat.
Fresh produce, bugs, unfrozen mice
Make up a balanced diet for
Helga, a menu very nice,
No need for going to the store.
Sometimes for keeping her teeth well
She'll get a rib on which to chew,
A dental chore she finds just swell
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

When Helga gnaws ribs underneath,
It's her way of brushing her teeth.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Let Us View - LP Zoo

A happy sloth Luigi is,
A keeper keeps him lettuce fed.
Luigi does his munching biz
From down inside an enclosed bed.
This bed is hanging way up high,
And when Luigi is inside
Visitors can't see this cute guy,
And have to leave dissatisfied.
Perhaps the keepers can work out
A viewing adjustment so that
Luigi is comfy no doubt,
And is seen in his habitat.

Lettuce have a Luigi view
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Some Quiet Time - LP Zoo

Now we do lay us down to sleep,
Gorilla Mom and baby boy,
We have a short window to keep
The quiet time we both enjoy.
For very soon young sisters will
Come over wanting to help us,
And hover all about until
Most likely there will be a fuss
On who is next to baby sit,
Who will help Mom in baby care.
But for us for a little bit
We have this quiet time to share.

We do a quiet time, we do,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Baller Upper - LP Zoo

An armadillo I do be,
The La Plata three banded kind.
My shell has bands that number three.
Hinged together the bands do bind,
Allowing me to make the call
Of armored defense I do need,
And rolling up into a ball,
Kind of a rock and roll indeed.
This is my protection from threat,
Could be predator, could be heat.
Once into a ball I do get,
I can feel safe in my retreat.

Balling up I don't need to do
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Howdy Hump - LP Zoo

We Bactrian camels like to
Stroll about our habitat
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
Watching all the visitors that
Every day be coming by.
We jiggle all humps in the air,
As our way of saying, "Hi."
And we jiggle with awesome flair.
The visitors wave back with arms,
Since humpless humans they do be,
And do not have the humpful charms
That camels have so humpfully.

And just for you we camels save
An oh so special humpful wave.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Ferguson - LP Zoo

The flop eared rabbit, Ferguson,
At the Farm in Lincoln Park Zoo
Gets to enjoy some winter fun,
Munching from a bowl of snow "stew."
Ferguson is a rabbit that
Lives behind the scenes at the Farm
In a nice rabbit habitat,
Wowing the keepers with his charm.
With some planning perhaps one day
A public place will come about.
Ferguson and his buddies may
Be charming the public no doubt.

In the meantime Ferguson is
Kept busy doing bunny biz.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Watch Me Weave - LP Zoo

Taveta golden weaver, I
Am golden hued and weave a lot
Of grasses pulled so to apply
To my fine nest with such forethought.
A quite noisy bird I do be,
And I go about my routine,
Full of chattering constantly,
Letting all know I'm on the scene.
From Africa do come my kind,
A small bird both in size and weight,
But we have a keen focused mind,
And our nest making is great.

In Bird House Savannah I do
Be at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Just Hatched - LP Zoo

A Henkel's leaf tailed gecko be
Newly hatched at Lincoln Park Zoo,
Young lounging lizard on a tree,
Behind the scenes this gecko new,
Taking some time and place to grow
Before making the public scene.
The keepers keeping a watch so
The gecko's good care is routine.
Small Mammal Reptile House is where
This small reptile will know as home,
Displaying a colorful flair
When it is big enough to roam.

Welcome gecko, we're happy that
You're coming soon to habitat.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Zeus - LP Zoo

Zeus, the bushbaby, likes to do
A very intense staring at,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
Visitors to his habitat.
In Small Mammal House Zeus does dwell
In roots of a Baobob tree,
Where the darkness serves Zeus quite well,
A nocturnal guy he does be.
When at the fruit bats just move right.
It will be dark so tread with care,
Just like you do walking at night.
Zeus awaits with his big eye stare.

When your eyes adjust to the scene,
You and Zeus can stare 'twixt and 'tween.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Super Hearer - LP Zoo

Helga, the fennec fox, does do
A pointed ear listening job,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
Where she does listen up a gob.
In the desert a fennec fox
Can hear the critters underground,
A great talent which really rocks
When seeking lunch by lunch's sound.
Here in the Zoo the keepers keep
Helga well supplied with her lunch,
So Helga's ears are perked a heap
When she has a keeper's near hunch.

No matter how quiet we be,
Helga surely hears you and me.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Hoo Do You See? - LP Zoo

A snowy owl - female or male?
Coloration tells them apart,
In a lot of feather detail,
Both plumages a work of art.
All young are white with speckles black,
And the females do stay that way.
Adult males - such speckles do lack,
Turning to white and white to stay.
This snowy owl does be a she,
An adult, Freya, posing here.
And her mate, Stanley, is a he,
No doubt Stanley is somewhere near.

Soulmates Freya and Stanley do
Live here at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Dreaming of Termites - LP Zoo

Now I do lay me down, I do,
To take a cherished chimp chill out
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
To dream of happy stuff, no doubt,
Of going fishing with my pole
To pull out termites by the gob
From my favorite fishing hole,
Dreaming of a successful job.
I do imagine the great taste
Of gobbling down the termites caught,
Not letting any go to waste.
This is a dream I dream a lot.

But just a termite dream for me,
Cuz at the Zoo no termites be.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Food Test - LP Zoo

I spy this human dude, I do,
And he is wearing a green shirt
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
So this hippo hips to alert,
Knowing keepers wear shirts of green,
And keepers are the ones who feed
Me, so when a keeper is seen,
I have a self interest indeed.
So I watch this green shirted dude,
Who just stands and is watching me.
No where on him is any food,
Just a Zoo volunteer he be.

Zoo volunteers are nice I'm sure,
But don't feed me, so no allure.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

It's in my Genes -LP Zoo

I do a seal pounce, yes I do.
I do so often in my pool
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
Cuz I am a polar bear who'll
Somehow know instinctively that
In the wild, seals are the main prey
For us, so in my habitat
I practice hunt in the same way,
And pounce on anything that is
Just happening to float about,
Beckoning me to do my biz
As super seal pouncer no doubt.

Pouncing on seals is so much fun,
Even though I've never seen one.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Young Blood Draw - LP Zoo

Young rhino, Romeo, does need
From time to time to have blood drawn
For checking out his health indeed,
And so some training has gone on.
Romeo does walk to a spot,
And does hold his back leg so that
The draw is taken from the tot.
Mom stays close in the habitat.
It is a voluntary thing
With positive reinforcement,
And quite a healthful happening
With Romeo's and Mom's consent.

Young Romeo really comes through
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

A Seal of Disapproval - LP Zoo

This seal does see there's something new
The keepers have put on a rock
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
Out of the pool, I take a walk
To get a closer look at it.
On a bar there is hooked a ball.
I stretch up high and try to hit
The ball, but hard to rise so tall.
And back into the pool I go,
Thinking how weird humans can be.
Why some stuff they do, I don't know,
As long as they keep feeding me.

Maybe there is a keeper who'll
Throw the ball to me in the pool.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Lady First - LP Zoo

Mikuma, he does look to her,
Topaz, to check out what to do.
She is the one in charge for sure,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
The keepers put a carcass out
For the painted dogs to snack on.
Topaz gets to go first, no doubt,
On the carcass her foot's upon.
When Topaz pulls her foot away
Will be sign to Mikumi that
It's now his turn to chew the prey.
There's order in this habitat.

Visit the painted dogs and see
She goes first - that's the way they be.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Bro for Bomani - LP Zoo

The Primate House says hello to
A new De Brazza's monkey born
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo
On a bright January morn.
This is the second baby boy
For Rosie and Myles, Mom and Dad,
A planned parent bundle of joy,
Happy to have the little lad.
And one year old Bomani is
Eager to have a new playmate.
He is busy with big bro biz
With lots of moves to demonstrate.

Come to the Primate House and see
This growing monkey family.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Moxie and Dayo - LP Zoo

Moxie and Dayo, sis and bro,
Diana monkeys, they both do
A back to back high treetop show
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
In African Journey they be
Watching visitors from on high.
As visitors below they see
Looking up as they journey by.
The young Diana monkeys stay
Motionless for only a bit,
And then they both take off to play
To the visitors' benefit.

The visitors do stand in line
Watching Diana monkeys shine.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Dapper Duck - LP Zoo

Mr. Mandarin duck does do
A fine feathered dazzling display,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
For showing off in his own way.
Striking in multi colors, he
Is showing off his best so that
He will be the pick of a she,
Mate shopping in the habitat.
In the Bird House Free Flight he is
Seeking her below and above,
On a quest in his mating biz,
Looking good while looking for love.

Visit Mr. Mandarin duck,
And check out how does go his luck.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

The Killing Track

Santa Anita Park now is
A place where many horses die,
Because of the horse racing biz
Where must win rules seem to apply.
Limb injuries and other ills
Are happening too often with
The horses taking fatal spills,
Just accidents is just a myth.
In southern California heat
Santa Anita Park does be,
Horses kept busy on their feet
In excessive activity.

Why not race just humans instead
Who can choose overheat or dead!

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

Forever Chemicals

"Forever chemicals," they be
Combining carbon and fluorine -
The P.F.A.S. family
For decades on the human scene.
They're found in common products that
Consumers use and then they end
In human body habitat,
No knowledge yet if foe or friend.
Tap water is the best known source.
These toxins can't be filtered out,
And flow into bodies of course,
Where they accumulate, no doubt.

Blood test - anyone, anywhere,
Forever chemicals be there.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

New Queen - LP Zoo

As a naked mole rat I do
Be the Queen of the colony
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
A newly picked Queen I do be.
The old Queen recently did die,
And I was picked to lead so that
Social well would again apply
Harmony in the habitat.
All of the new pups I will bear
So the colony carries on.
My subjects take very good care.
I am quite well waited upon.

Look for me in the burrows scene.
I'm near the food - long live the Queen!

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Leisurely Bugging - LP Zoo

This chameleon does like to do
A lot of lizard lounging out
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
I like this life of ease no doubt.
The keepers keep me well supplied
With lots of tasty bugs to eat.
The very thought makes me bug eyed.
I'll even move for such a treat.
But I don't have to move too much.
Sometimes the bugs just come near me,
As I ready my tongue to touch
Out wherever those bugs may be.

Into my life of ease I blend
And hope that it will never end.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Walking Sharks

There be some sharks that walk about.
Upon coral reefs they like to be.
Called epaulette sharks - there's no doubt
They be an oddity to see.
They move their fins in front and back
To plod along the ocean floor.
And at low tide they walk a track
Atop the coral reefs looking for
Their prey like crabs and shrimp to eat.
Outside the water the sharks climb,
A predator walking the beat,
Even if just for a short time.

It seems something beyond belief -
A shark walking along a reef!

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Clotilda

The ship Clotilda's final sail
Carried human cargo bound to
Alabama for a slave sale
From Africa, not legal true.
In 1860 law forbid
The import of slaves from abroad.
Of course the slave traders still did
On the sly with a wink and nod.
More than a hundred slaves were brought
To the supposed land of the free.
The slave traders were never caught.
The U.S. thrived in slavery.

The ship Clotilda was set fire
To hide the deed greed did inspire.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Winter Rules - LP Zoo

Romeo, almost 8 months old,
A bouncing 600 pound boy,
Cannot come out when it's too cold,
So inside time he does enjoy.
The young rhino with Mom does stay
In a place out of public view,
With lots of room to romp and play
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
On days when the temperature
Is at 40 degrees or more
There is a chance, but not for sure,
That Romeo comes out the door.

When you visit, keep fingers crossed
That there is not too much Jack Frost.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Nayembi Back When - LP Zoo

Watching her two little bros who
Still are both less than one year old
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
Big sis Nayembi's thoughts unfold
Of back in time six years ago
When she was just a little one,
Starting out her lifetime to grow.
Being little was so much fun,
Lots of learning new stuff for sure,
Never knowing what next might be,
But love and care all around her
With her gorilla family.

Now she gives back that love and care
With her two little bros to share.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Cashew View - LP Zoo

Cashew, the chimp, is chilling out,
Taking a rest upon shaved wood,
Pondering lots of stuff no doubt,
And hopefully her thoughts are good.
The oldest chimp now in the troop
And at thirty five years of age,
She's known all high and low down scoop
On all in which the chimps engage.
But such secrets, Cashew does keep
To herself, just in thoughts within,
And to outsiders, not a peep.
Cashew just gives a knowing grin.

Come visit Cashew, yes please do,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.