A trip to the zoo has never been so funky! We live in Toronto, Canada, and we’re very fortunate to have an amazing zoo close by, the Toronto Zoo.
When Covid-19 hit in March, nearly everything was shut down over the course of 5 days, including our beloved zoo. Our family has a membership, and we like to go on a regular basis, as it’s open year round. I was incredibly excited when I heard that the zoo was opening up for a drive thru safari experience beginning in early June (they did not open to walk through traffic until July). We hadn’t been anywhere in two and a half months, so I was elated at the opportunity and signed up immediately. Can you say cabin fever?
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My dad, the infamous George Dyke, suggested we take his 1985 Méhari with character enhancing tiger stripes. How cool is that? A themed vehicle just for us! Our daughters, his granddaughters, were in heaven!
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Cassidy, 6.5, and Felicity, 3.5, love their beloved “Hari”. My father got his first Citroën, a 2CV, when I was 4 years old. It’s a pleasure to watch my children grow up around these unique cars, just as I did.
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Driving through, as conspicuous as ever, we received many thumbs up and some strange stares. I’m pretty sure most people simply assumed we had paid a little (or a lot) extra to the zoo for this vehicular experience. When I posted our pictures on Facebook later that day, my friends inquired where I had hired such a fun ride and asked if my Dad would be willing to take them.
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It was the perfect Citroën to be able to take in the animals that we had missed so much. We were able to see the rhinos, giraffes, zebras, a cheetah (Cassidy’s favourite), flamingos, watusi cattle, jaguars, and baboons, to name a few. The zoo also had a podcast that allowed you to learn about the animals as you drove through the park. Although the stop and go traffic was a bit hard on the clutch, we all had a great time. Covid-19 won’t get us down! We’ve got Citroëns to drive!
~ Elizabeth Voce (nee Dyke)