(Next time, I want all eight of my grandkids to be with me, too!)

At a time when zoos are often criticized for showing little compassion for wildlife, the approach here is refreshing. Giraffes with their ungainly necks wander in large, tree-lined spaces. (Contrast that with the tiny quarters given giraffes at Salt Lake's Hogle Zoo, including the small drab building where they go for food.)

In fact, animals throughout the Bronx Zoo give the impression of being appreciated in a natural habitat. A ride in the Skyfari gondola across the zoo will persuade even the skeptical. The Bronx Zoo is also known for its cultivation of vanishing species through carefully managed breeding programs.

The newest exhibit is the African Wild Dogs — an endangered species — initiated a year ago on the zoo's African Plains, along with giraffes, cheetahs, lions, zebras, etc. Probably the zoo's most innovative project is the Congo Gorilla Forest — a 6.5-acre African rain forest habitat that is home to 400 animals of 55 species, including 23 lowland gorillas, one of the most important breeding groups of their kind in the country.

There are a number of daily feedings and demonstrations — such as tiger enrichment sessions at Tiger Mountain, primate training at the Monkey House, penguin feeding at the Sea Bird Colony and a bee-eater buffet at the World of Birds.

Other exhibits include the Baboon Reserve, the Wildfowl Marsh (rare ducks), the Rare Animal Range (the Formosan sika deer and South American guanaco), the Holarctica (polar and grizzly bears, Trumpeter Swans, cranes), the Sea Bird Aviary (Magellanic penguins, Inca terns, guanay cormorants), Bird Valley (eagles, owls and vultures) and Jungle World (Tapirs, gibbons, hornbills, fruit bats, black leopards, otters and langurs).

The zoo is a veritable animal wonderland — and the impression made on visitors is that they have escaped the city (somehow) and found a forested preserve that is remarkably pleasant. It could be an island refuge — in this case an island quite naturally separate from urban ills. Zoo personnel were, in my experience, gracious, knowledgeable and helpful — and the physical land area is so large that even crowds of people become easily absorbed.

A number of events are held at the zoo on a seasonal basis. For instance, "Boo at the Zoo" is Oct. 20-21 and 27-28 and includes magic shows, spooky stories, music, costume parades, storytelling, a hay maze, pumpkin painting and giveaways. Visitors are encouraged to visit "all our creepiest critters."