Last Friday, we took Middle Child to the Columbus Zoo. It is a fabulous zoo and is often voted as the number one zoo in America. We hadn't been there in about 20 years, so it was about time!
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| A beautiful Arctic Fox |
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| This Manatee was fun to watch. He kept swimming to the surface to grab big leaves of lettuce, then would dive back down to eat it right in front of the viewing window. |
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| I could watch these Humboldt Penguins for hours. They would inch towards the water, then change their minds. Sometimes, it looked as though one would push the other into the water. See the guy who is facing the wrong way? He turned around, and then made a little 'mess' on the rock. My husband figured the guy just wanted a little privacy. |
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| This is the famous Colo, the first Gorilla born in captivity, in 1956. See the greying fur? She is also the oldest living Gorilla in captivity. Truth be told, she makes you feel sad, just watching her sitting there, not moving, but the eyes tell another story. She is definitely watching you.......... |
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| A one-month old Gorilla. The caretaker was sitting perfectly still behind glass in the indoor Gorilla yard. From what I read, the baby's mother wasn't showing any maternal instincts, so zookeepers are caring for the baby until it's feasible to reunite the two of them. |
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| Strange, right? It's an Okapi from the Congo. I'm always surprised when coming upon something I've never seen before. |
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| These Brown Bears provided the best show of the day. It was amazing to watch them stand up in the water.....they were HUGE! |
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| And then the fighting began! It looked like they'd tear each other apart. Nothing like a fight to bring out a crowd! We were lucky to have gotten close enough for a clear shot. |
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| Last, but not least, some Lorikeet love. |
Nice pics. Queenie's been talking about coming up with a reason to visit Cleveland for OTHER than medical purposes .... this might just be the ticket
ReplyDeleteWell, Cleveland has a decent zoo, but this was the Columbus Zoo, which is much better, IMO.
DeleteOK ok, so I gotta learn to read ... ;-)
DeleteMaybe we'll visit both for good measure!
Great photos, Bijoux! Looks like you guys had a nice time. I visited the San Diego Zoo last year during a California trip and I had a blast.
ReplyDeleteI have not been there, but my brother said it was great!
DeleteThese shots are AMAZING!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how CLOSE you got!!!!
I ADORE penguins, so the photo of them made me go, Awwwww! Penguins look like they're wearing a tuxedo, don't they? HA!
" He turned around, and then made a little 'mess' on the rock. My husband figured the guy just wanted a little privacy."
CRACKED ME UP!
I so need to get to the zoo here in Philly. I was there when I was a kid, but have never been back. And I hear it's a great zoo!
Thanks so much for sharing your day, my friend. ENJOYED!!!!
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I've been to the Pittsburgh Zoo, but not Philly. You need to go and then post some photos for us. I'll bet it's great.
DeleteIt totally cracked me up when he turned around to poop! I was laughing harder than the little kids around me. I've always enjoyed the potty humor! Mature, huh?
I'm always of two minds about zoos. On the one hand, they're educational and rare species can be protected. On the other hand, the animals aren't in their natural surroundings and they can get quite miserable - especially elephants. I love the really agile animals like gibbons. And I love the lorikeets too.
ReplyDeleteYes, the pacing some of the animals do is troublesome. Zoos are definitely a two-edged sword.
Deleteoh my goodness, i cannot bear the cuteness of the baby gorilla.
ReplyDeleteAn adorable sight, for sure!
DeleteSeeing gorillas at the zoo always makes me sad. There seems to be such wisdom (and with that sadness) in their eyes. :(
ReplyDeleteI love that baby gorilla!!! So sweet. How do I get the job of holding the baby gorilla all day? I want that!
The babysitter job looked difficult to me! The woman remained perfectly still and that mask would get hot. I'm sure she loves her job though.
DeleteI have to admit, I love zoos when they are done right. Not the ones that are just cages, but where they build really nice habitats. This makes me want to go back to our zoo, which I've not been to in years. But I think I'll wait until school is back in session!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is still our local zoo's Aussie habitat where you can walk amongst the wallabies. My son would laugh his head off when we visited because of their antics.
DeleteHi Bijoux,
ReplyDeleteI loved your photos! Zoos are not equal. You can see when the animals are happy and well cared for. These animals look beautiful.
Thank you for sharing the highlights of your day at the zoo.
Awesome!
Glad you enjoyed my pictures, Barb! It's The zoo that Jack Hanna made famous, so I'm positive thy are treated well.
Deletei find bears fascinating - we don't have them here - and it blows my mind to think that there are parts of the world where they are in forests that are quite close to civilisation.
ReplyDeleteThere are always bear sightings around here, and this is an urban area compared to most of the U.S. It's been a more recent phenomenon though, as I'd never heard of such a thing growing up.
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