Something I forgot to mention in the post was how there was a stray dog that was running around the zoo. In some instances it would just stop and walk up to the fences and look at the animals. Didn't bark (there was another later on that roamed through and did) but weirdly just observed them and moved on.
A stray dog was behaving better than the average person.
I do think that the zoo, especially once they move into another area, increases the prices per ticket and puts it into security and ensuring the animals are taken care of properly. At 2 Lari it's far too cheap when they could charge more and put the money where it needs to go.
Photographing the animals was a lot of fun though. Wildlife is something I've always loved photographing (though I haven't done it too much) and want to pursue more going into the future. In some instances I did feel a bit too bad for them and didn't think capturing them would lead to a nice looking image. In some animals you could easily tell they were stressed and I didn't want that as something to keep a memory of.
It's kind of surreal to think about a stray dog just calmly observing the zoo animals, almost like it's taking it all in. And you're right, it's a bit of an irony that the dog was behaving better than some of the human visitors. And I can totally relate to your feelings about photographing the animals. Wildlife photography can be incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with a sense of responsibility. It's tough when you see animals that are clearly stressed or uncomfortable. You want to capture their beauty, but not at the expense of their well-being. It's a delicate balance, and I think it's admirable that you were mindful of that during your visit. It shows a real respect for the animals.
I actually did capture a picture of the dog looking at the peacocks. A little tight of an image due to the 85mm focal length but I couldn't pass up the opportunity given how funny it was.