Scary Moments...
Well, the first two I'd say were more daunting moments. One was at Paignton, and I was walking through the ape centre watching the gorillas, as I walked along one of the viewing windows which is tainted, meaning that the enclosure isn't very clear behind, I suddenly noticed one of the gorillas sitting right beside the glass. Paignton's group are all bachelors, meaning most are large and hefty, and he was no exception to the rule. Yet the fact I could see him so close up, yet the tint made his figure shady and distorted, was both amazing and chilling. Another time was at La Palmyre Zoo, and I was watching the polar bears through underwater viewing. They were coming straight up to me, swimming towards the glass then shooting up to the surface vertically right before my eyes in an almighty splash. To have such a large, powerful creature in such an encounter certainly stays with you.
On the same day in the at Palmyre however, there was an actual scary experience. As we left the lion enclosure, we noticed a stupid man who had crossed the safety barrier and was taking a photo right through the bars of the fence, seemingly thinking that as the lions were asleep, he would be OK. But of course, lions always sleep with one eye open, and the lioness shot off the resting platform roaring like a bat out of hell, leap-running straight over to the fence, with the ignorant photographer only just getting away.