Friday, June 19, 2009

San Francisco Zoo

Today we met up with our cousins and went to the San Francisco Zoo! I told myself that I wouldn't put up too many pictures but... well.. I couldn't resist. Enjoy!

Giraffe

Giraffe, Zebra and Kudu

I went to the zoo for the first time when I was 13. All of my friends and teachers couldn't wait to hear me gush about how much I loved seeing the real life lions and tigers that I constantly drew. They were beautiful, powerful, and graceful, of course, but the animals that enamored me the most were the lowland gorillas. The briefest glimpse into the eyes of a gorilla changed my life forever. I saw myself looking back at me. They are Great Apes (like us) and truly are our kindred.

Male eastern lowland gorilla







Ibis

Penguins



About a year ago last winter, I believe, a young man allegedly taunted one of these tigers. It leapt out of it's enclosure, chased him through the zoo, and killed and began to eat him before zoo staff shot and killed it. Since then, glass has been placed all around the enclosure to ensure visitor safety, however it makes it hard to get a decent picture.

Siberian Tiger


6-year old African lioness

One of the tigresses was in heat and the male in the feeding cage next door couldn't stop hitting on her. Check out his seductive yowls.





A Sumatran tigress


A gazelle

Two abandoned grizzly bear cubs were rescued from Montana. They were right up against the glass and the reflections didn't allow for good pictures, but this one of their claws turned out all right.

As a biologist in a documentary once described a grizzly's claws and paw: "Steak knives on a dinner plate."

A young girl said, "Take a picture of the polar bear before it dies!" I remember a world where we didn't have to worry about the fate of polar bears like we do now. Children are already growing up in a vastly changed world.

Cassowary

A... wallaroo, I think?

Chimps!


Carrying off a snack






Flamingos


A guinea pig impersonating Clara! See the similarities?

Clara two autumns ago

The other piggies

Prairie dog



A mysterious someone

A golden eagle

A great horned owl -- the likes of which I have often heard at night!

Baby alligator


Navajo-churro sheep

These sheep were just... standing there... like statues...

We seeeeee you...

Mackenzie's Momma, I know you'll back me up here... doesn't this sheep resemble an Alpine goat? Often the only way you can tell the difference between a sheep and a goat is it's tail: it points up for a goat and down for a sheep!

We came back to the chimps and one pulled a blanket onto him/herself and lay down for a rest.


By the time we got home, season one of Escape to Chimp Eden had come in the mail and we watched the first episode tonight. Amazing stuff!

2 comments:

Mackenzies Momma said...

I will back you up that the only way you can tell some sheep from goats is by the tail.

Though I will NOT make eye contact with the picture of the sheep. For some reason despite being a tried and true farm girl sheep creep me the heck out. Especially sheep with tails. Gives me the shudders.

Funniest part about that? I have no 'reason' to dislike them as its not like I've had a run in with a rabid sheep or something. I just don't like them.

Love the pictures by the way! I love gorillas as well as they are such lovely creatures and used to spend hours at the gorilla cage when I spent more time in the city with my grandmother(she used to live in the city and was a zoo member). Now I just need to resolve to take the wee one up to the zoo(Greater Vancouver is closer and cheaper than Woodland Park) for the first time.

Tracie said...

Aw now see I would have pet those sheep. I pet everything that moves. Would love to own a Monkey.
Looks like you had fun.

I watched your hometown the other night on Lost Boys again. It just doesn't get old....