The Tigers of 187th Street.

Last fall, Nicole was beaming with a new, exciting joy--and not just because we had just gotten married. No, she had something more important to bring to my attention.

"There are baby tigers at the Zoo!" She said, elatedly.

Ah, the Bronx Zoo. The flagship of all New York City Zoos. Perhaps the flagship of the world zoos. One of the oldest and largest facilities of its kind. A zoo where animals were once held captive in cages, and now are cared for in environments specifically designed to recreate the natural habitats. Whenever Nicole says "zoo trip," no further explanation is ever necessary.

We couldn't wait to see their precious, pretty little faces!

Getting to the zoo is a short, 15 minute bike ride away. Sometimes, before I go to sleep at night, I marvel at how some of the world's largest and most exotic animals are just two miles away from me. What a world we live in. We consider ourselves fortunate to have such a place to visit regularly.

And boy, the baby tigers certainly put on a show--not that they felt the need to be entertaining. Three little tiger cubs had a large portion of the tiger den to themselves, with the accompaniment and supervision of their mother. The little tiger cubs did what little tiger cubs do best: run, jump, and and tumble all over each other. Their every movement brought joy and excitement to the crowd--which ironically was mostly small children. What a sight indeed!

What is it with you kids being listless and lounging around!

Fast forward a few months. Those adorable little baby tiger cubs are now brooding teenagers. The playful world of king of the mountain and let's jump on mommy has been replaced by sullen staring contests as the teenage tigers gaze out in to an interminable distance. Sound familiar?

In the adjacent tiger den, some adult male Bengal tigers were taking advantage of their new living quarters. Booted out of one area to make room for the cubs, these 450 pound cats decided to let people know that this time, they were staying put. To do so, the big guys put on a very illustrative display that left little to the imagination. Hey, anything to let people know that you are top dog--or in this case, cat!

Top o' the morning to you, Mr. Alpha Male Bengal Tiger!

Idyllic childhood. Detached teenagers. Alpha Male Adults. And we are better than our animal friends how?