I wonder when kids actually become aware...of sex. As I have written, I was introduced to the concept by my brothers, thanks to our parent's porn stash. And when I write "stash," I mean the one VHS tape they owned and we hijacked. I didn't really understand what it was all about, but I became aware that my penis was used for more than going to the bathroom. I don't remember the leap from seeing sex to craving it, but I am sure it wasn't much later than my 10th or 11th year of life.
The kids actually saw and heard sex twice today. More specifically, they saw reproduction in action thanks to a couple of bears and several Bonobos, and were educated on the mating habits of said primates. We were at the Columbus Zoo today, our final stop on our 1,021 mile round trip weekend adventure. The Columbus Zoo is known as one of the best, especially in the winter months because of their annual Wildlights celebration. While we didn't get the chance to be four of the 20,000 people at the zoo last night, we felt compelled to make a stop, even if it was during the day and we would be virtually the only ones on campus. Since the animals are pretty busy entertaining at night, many of them were either sleeping, eating, or--in the case of the bears and Bonobos--mating.
When we walked into the Asia Quest area, home of the tigers, lions, and bears (gratuitous, "oh my"), Cyndi and I immediately spotted the bears "at play." They were tucked into a corner, almost begging for the privacy they both deserved and couldn't get, and appeared to be wrestling. The kids began pointing a laughing, wondering aloud, "what are they doing...are they playing." Toning down our amusement and shock, Cyndi and I agreed that they were, in fact, playing, and shuffled our tour toward the missing Red Panda. Were we brave parents, we may have taken the opportunity to explain the live animal porn we witnessed. But we are not. Yet.
Thinking our sex education encounter was behind us, we sauntered over to the African Forest, where we were entertained by several aging and gigantic gorillas. Moments after we arrived, I began chatting with a woman who seemed to know a lot about the animals. She began telling me about the relationship between the gorillas, who was related, who was a surrogate, where other family members were moved to, etc. The woman was a docent at the zoo. A volunteer who speaks with visitors and attempts to provide education to those interested in receiving more than just visual stimulation at the zoo.
When she realized that I was with my wife and kids, she offered to take us over to the Bonobos for a quick peek and lesson. We were certain we had struck zoo gold and were in for a treat. I've never seen a Bonobo before (or at least a primate that was identified as such). To quote much of what our docent was explaining, via the Columbus Zoo website, "Bonobos and chimpanzees are similar in many ways. Both eat fruit as the largest part of their diet. Both spend a lot of time high in the rainforest canopy but come down to the ground to travel and forage. Both are "knuckle walkers," or walk on all fours, when on the ground, but both will sometimes walk on only their hind legs for short distances. Both use play time when they are young to build up their physical strength and agility and spend lots of time with their mothers to learn about life in the forest. Both have also been seen using tools, such as leaves to sponge up water from trees.However, there are many ways in which chimpanzees and bonobos are quite different. Chimpanzee groups are led by males and tend to be more competitive and aggressive. Chimpanzees will make war on other groups that try to enter their territory and will sometimes try to take over another group's territory. In bonobo communities, females rule! Adult females tend to have very strong bonds, and they hold the highest ranking positions. The sons of female leaders are the highest ranking males. Sons remain in their birth group throughout their lives, while females leave when they become adults. Bonobos tend to be very peaceful. They will groom one another, mate and share food to keep things friendly."
As with the gorillas, our guide explained the familial relationship within the Bonobo cages, pointing out the mother leader and highest ranking male/son. This would have been plenty of information. But the female Bonobo had other plans. You see, they don't wear their heart on their sleeves. They display their "sexual organs" prominently in clear view for everyone, especially a gentleman caller. The more sexually ready a female Bonobo is, the more swelled her "sexual organs." The woman kept saying this, as if her nine and seven year old students had the knowledge and capacity to understand. They didn't. And if that wasn't enough, we were treated to three rounds of Bonobo sexual intercourse. What was strange is how similar the acts were to humans. I know humans and gorillas share 98% of their DNA, but I've never had the pleasure of seeing them "in action." It was just too much to see and hear.
Again, if we were brave parents, our day may have had a different end. Instead, it ended on that note. The kids were none the wiser about sex, we were all chilled to the bone from our three hour tour at the Zoo, and our group overall impression was extremely favorable.
Good times, good times.
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