World of Birds

I know, I know, the name sounds somewhat lame, but World of Birds is actually a really cool thing to check out in Cape Town! I had been begging my roommate Ryan to come with me for about a month, so he finally gave in and we decided to give it a go. Situated in Hout Bay, World of Birds is a strange little place located on a semi-eerie street with dog breeders, farms, and horse stables.

What it is, is essentially a zoo, but one where many of the animals aren’t enclosed in a cage. There are all kinds of birds wandering around in the open, including peacocks, swans, ducks, etc. You also go through sanctuaries where vultures, owls, and other more dangerous birds are free to fly around. We came during the “Birds of Prey” feeding time which meant we got to watch the vultures rip apart dead chicken heads from less than 3 feet away, delightful. There are also some very strange things at World of Birds, including a big open area where guinea pigs run around and one with rabbits. The coolest thing by far was an area where you could interact with squirrel monkeys. It was so fun! The minute we got in there one of the monkeys jumped on my shoulder and, without my knowledge, took out one of my earrings and ran away. (No worries, I ended up retrieving the earring!) The monkeys are so cute! They run up your arm, peak in all of your pockets, touch your hand, grab your hair, jump on your back, and sit on your head. Never thought I would get to play with monkeys but I did and I would definitely do it again!