DECATUR - The low 90s temperature was beastly Sunday afternoon during the Scovill Zoo Ice Cream Safari.

How bad was it? So bad that 4-year-old Aidan Littrell says the head blew clean off his balloon critter that a friendly clown made for him. But all was not lost: "Its head popped off, so now it's a zombie," explained Aidan, who lives in Decatur and liked the dramatic metamorphosis. "It was just an alligator before."

Aidan was out enjoying the safari with brother Zachary, 9, and dad Eric, 37, who has a season pass to the zoo and rates it as great entertainment. "We always try to make it a learning experience," he added.

On Sunday, there was something else to learn, too: People who wear uniforms and do difficult jobs are just people, too. Five stations on the ice cream safari trail - chocolate, chocolate chip, strawberry, vanilla and "orange dream" - were manned by volunteers from the Macon County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's deputies and Corrections Division officers perspired in their official dress as they fed smiling young faces.

Corrections Division Corporal Randy West said braving the heat was worth the chance to scoop some positive public relations. "It helps show that we're not the bad people some people might think we are," he said. West was near bottom on his second 3-gallon tub of chocolate chip, which, unlike the officer, was cooled with dry ice.

"With the heat index, it feels like 99 degrees out here," said his wife, Karen, a secretary in the Corrections Division. "But the ice cream is cold, and it's really good."

More than 50 gallons were donated for the occasion by the Macon Ice Cream & More store. Sunday's event marked about the 20th Ice Cream Safari, which has previously featured firefighters and the Decatur Police Department, who came out to trade ice cream for a sweeter image.

The safari also was one of the many bright ideas of zoo director Mike Borders who, after a career of more than 30 years, is getting ready to melt away into retirement at the end of August. He's watched the zoo grow from the days when he was the sole employee to where it now has 11 full-time staff looking after animals ranging from chickens to cheetahs and has an accreditation ranking earned by only 214 zoos in the world.

Watching as some 1,000 visitors milled through the spacious Scovill grounds Sunday, Borders said he felt good about his legacy. "If I could have seen a picture 30 years ago of what we have now, no way would I have believed all this," he said.

Tony Reid can be reached at treid@herald-review.com or 421-7977.