Wild and Worrisome Sights at a Tunisian Zoo

It seems that at every zoo, I learn something new. For instance, on our trip to Tunisia, I discovered that camels love coke. And, why not? Most people do, too. Some say that Coke’s logo is the most recognized brand name around the world.
Sad and scary thought, isn’t it (especially considering it has no nutritive value)?  At any rate, I love zoos. Do you?  For those of us who lack the leisure and lattitude
to trek the world in search of exotic animals,  zoos give us insight into the vast and unique range
of creatures God has designed to dwell with us on Planet Earth.  Many animals seem lovable and are common on every (non-iced) continent,  …or at least common enough so that folks everywhere recognize them,  but some animals (like the colorful African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus)
seem quite foreign to those of us who live in temperate zones. The Tunisian zoo we visited showcased the animals of North African deserts.  The most exciting “plus” for this zoo
was that we didn’t just have to look sadly through the bars of the cages.  When some little fellow wanted to reach out to us, we could pass a little love back to him!  Not all of the residents were quite so  friendly or innocuous, however.  Some of them were downright disagreeable and dangerous,  and these could only be handled with extreme care by our zoo guide,
who’d had years of experience working with deadly critters. The Saharan horned viper carries up to 13 venom fractions,
and our guide said that while a scorpion sting might kill you, one bite of this deadly rattler could kill your mother-in-law in under 10 minutes.
(There might have been implications implied…)  Our zoo guide also taught us the difference between toxic and nontoxic lizards, and he let those of us with more tactile curiosity than tacit antipathy hold them. Our last experience was playing with snakes. Some declined the offer,
but most of us at least wanted to try on a snake “just for size.”   I couldn’t help but reflect on how foolish it would be for us to play with unknown species of desert snakes without being invited and supervised by an expert. How like all our experiences in life! If God invites us to do something, and we’re following His instructions, we can trust that He intends it for our good, to teach us something that will deepen our character and make us more like Christ. Got any challenges in your life that are out of your comfort zone but you feel God is calling you to try? The entire trip to Tunisia was like that for me, but it was an unforgettable learning experience. I wouldn’t trade it despite all its challenges! “The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet,
and he will make me to walk upon mine high places” (Habakkuk 3:19).