An Afternoon at the Florida State Fair

Last Saturday was the first time that I ever went to the Florida State Fair. The fair is in Tampa every February. My sister mentioned that it was nice because of the large petting zoo. She also mentioned that they saw a giraffe last year. I fed a giraffe at Busch Gardens years ago, and I've been wanting to do it again. 

At my first sight at the giraffe, I felt sad to see the red markings on her neck. She reaches over the rail and the paint has stained her neck. It was heartbreaking. I'm sure that she loves all the carrots that people feed her all day long. I did not get carrots to feed her.

After seeing the giraffe, we went to another petting zoo. My nephew was enjoying feeding the goats and the sheep. I grew up going to country houses and farms on the weekends. Most people in Colombia enjoy doing that. You don't have to be extremely rich to have a country house. Living in the US is completely different. People don't have a lot of places to interact with farm animals. This fair is probably the only place where kids can pet a cow or a goat. I felt sad to watch so many animals in so little space. The animals at the fair probably eat better than any other animal. What really made me get out was that there was a stage with a cow in it. I asked what was going on. Apparently this is where the cows give birth. I couldn't stay to watch her struggle.  I'm sure the purpose is educational, but I just felt bad for the cow. 

The center stage

A calf minutes after being born

Florida State Fair 2012