Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, The Poop Exhibit / Finding Bear Scat

Yes, there was a poop exhibit, in its own area to the left as soon as you hit the door to go inside.  Something about those Asian cultures...where else can you find toilet-themed restaurants, diarrhea-simulating coffee dispensers, and poop exhibits in a zoo.

To be fair, there's a lot to see in poop, and it can say a lot about the health of an animal, as any vet, gastroenterologist or trail guide will tell you.  One time, while on a hike in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies at Horsetooth, my Uncle Bill, serving as our guide, pointed out some bear scat that we'd encountered in the middle of our path.  He poked around in it, telling us what the bear had eaten, that it was fairly fresh, and that it came from a juvenile.  We tucked away our newly acquired knowledge and moved on up the trail.  Well, we hadn't gone fifty paces when it struck my daughter that, Hey wait a minute - if that scat was fresh, that bear is pretty close, and it's a baby bear at that!  Everyone knows that mama bears get real moody when somebody gets close to their babies.

Nine-year-old Allison concluded at that moment that the only safe place was in Daddy's arms, so that's where she stayed for the duration of the hike.  And it was not an easy one, as the path we'd chosen was labeled "intermediate", with some steep inclines and narrow passageways.  We managed, though, and didn't get attacked once all the way back to the car.

Below you see a children's art project, displayed with pride around a hippopotamus ass: