The zoo has animals from every continent, and each continent has its own designated area of the park. The zoo reminded me of Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, but had some animals that you don't usually find in Rhode Island.

However, our relaxing day soon became a bit stressful, as both my father and I tried to get a picture of the elusive red panda, or firefox. Red pandas like to climb trees and hide in the branches, and despite their bright red fur, they are good at camoflauging themselves. Every time we walked past the section designated for red pandas, one would be in the tree, hiding and with its back to us. All of our attempts to capture the animal on film were thwarted. After about 12 failed shots from every angle imaginable, I was ready to jump the fence and go after the red panda, but patience eventually paid off and I got the shot I wanted.

Got ya (finally)!

Here are some of the other animals we saw:

This is a meerkat, the animal that served as the basis for the character Timon in "The Lion King." In real life, meerkats move really fast and like to burrow through the dirt. Think of them as the hyper and overactive children of the savannah.

This picture didn't come out so well, because the koalas were behind glass. They may look cute, but there's a reason they're behind glass--koalas have sharp claws and short tempers. They can be some of the fiercest animals in the world!

This is a tapir.

A wallaby, similar to but not exactly like, a kangaroo.

A kudu. This one has a target-shaped mark around its behind, which is kind of ironic considering it probably attracts the attention of hunters even more, instead of camoflauging the kudu.

This is a nilgo.

To summarize, the zoo at Casa de Campo is certainly one of those "family fun" places to visit in Madrid. Although it can be a bit difficult to find, turn left once you exit the Metro station and keep walking. You will start seeing signs that will direct you to the zoo's entrance. Disfrutate! (Enjoy!)