Gingrich tweets zoo recommendation while campaigning on Eastern Shore

Many politicians visit local diners or roadside tourist attractions to meet voters and signal their interest in a new town. But Newt Gingrich is instead drawn in by the zoos of America.

The former House Speaker tweeted multiple times Tuesday about the zoo in Salisbury, Maryland, hours before a campaign stop on the state's Eastern Shore.

Salisbury zoo is a very nice local zoo-cotton topped tamarins are fascinating -on way to salisbury state town hall at 3

— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) March 27, 2012

Just heard red wolves howling in response to local hospital siren-four wolves make quite a noise-fascinating-red wolves very endangered

— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) March 27, 2012

If you go to the shore you should stop in salisbury to see the zoo--t is worth the stop

— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) March 27, 2012

It's not the first time Gingrich has waxed poetic about the zoo while on the campaign trail. While spending time in Des Moines, Iowa, Gingrich carved out time to visit an 85-year-old tortoise at a local zoo. The former House Speaker made a similar pit stop while fundraising in San Diego and expressed frustration when a planned election-day visit to the Birmingham, Ala. zoo was cancelled. According to the Associated Press, Gingrich claims to have visited over 100 zoos in his lifetime.

Gingrich has spoken previously about how as a child, he dreamt of growing up to become a zoologist. He said a visit to a battlefield when he was 14 changed his mind, orienting him instead toward public service.

In fact, Gingrich's first foray into public life may have been zoo related. The AP reported that Gingrich worked to start a zoo as a child in his hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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