Tacoma Trip

HOLD THAT TIGER: Monday we spent four busy hours at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA. 

It's a huge place with so much to see and do. While you're there you can't help but be thinking about your next trip, so you can see some more.

We spent over a half hour watching a Sumatran tiger and her three year-old cubs.

We listened to a tiger trainer talk about the animals, both general info about the species and specifics about the four tigers we were witnessing. 

We were lucky to get to see them enjoy an afternoon treat of some blood Popsicles. 

 Check out the golden eyes on this gorgeous creature.

 So striking!

We also got to spend some time with a pair of male polar bears, Boris and Blizzard.

Boris, pictured above, was actually rescued from a traveling Mexican circus several years ago. The zoo keeper said he was mistreated and ill. Now, he's nearly 30 years old and relatively healthy.

Blizzard, below, weighs over 1,000 pounds.

 He looks like he's about to sneeze here ...

Not all of the animals were super exotic, but they were all interesting.

For instance, we got to see a beaver up close. 

 And the kids fed some goats.

They also fed some Budgies, better known to most Americans as parakeets.

The attraction also has an amazing aquarium.

It's home to a variety of fascinating jellyfish, including this egg yolk variety ...

 and this showy, glowy one.

There were sharks of all shapes and sizes, and hundreds of different fish. 

This fishy seemed to insist I take its photo.

The kids got to pet stingrays ...

and gently poke sea cucumbers.

 We got a close look at some plankton.

And we saw some coral that looked like mac-n-cheese (next to a wild looking starfish!).

We saw animals roaming grassy hillsides ...

and an enormous walrus wallowing in the water.

We were charmed by some otters.

We felt sorry for this "forever alone" white-cheeked gibbon ... 

and were thoroughly entertained by this clouded leopard cub and its three siblings.

CJ even got to take a spin on a pig.

The day's biggest laugh came when CJ mistook this critter for a dead squirrel. 

Here's what the kids had to say about it, Annabelle's up first.

On September 21, I went to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Portland. The first exhibit I went to at the zoo was the aquarium, where they had a new jellyfish exhibit. My favorite jellyfish from that exhibit was the blubber jellyfish, because of the way their tentacles looked. At the aquarium we also saw sharks, halibut, flounder, stingrays, an octopus, and other marine life. Next, we went to the Asian forest sanctuary, where we saw a demonstration with a Sumatran tiger and cubs, where they set out “popsicles” (blood diluted in water, and then frozen) for them to eat. We also saw an elephant and a siamang among other things. We briefly went down to the main stage to see an animal show that included a clouded leopard, a parrot, and of all things, a dog. Next, we went to the rocky shores on our way to the polar bear habitat, where we saw walruses, sea otters, and seals. When we got to the arctic tundra, we saw arctic foxes and a presentation about the local polar bears- Glacier, Blizzard, and Boris. They were currently storing up fat for the winter as a natural part of their yearly cycle, and thus were a little chubby. The woman giving the presentation said that polar bears are losing more and more ice because of global warming, and encouraged us to not idle our car if we must wait more than 30 seconds, because idling releases unnecessary carbon, (a greenhouse gas) into the air. The last place we visited was the kid’s play area, where they had animals like meerkats and wallabies along with a playground. We also got to touch a giant African millipede, which felt surprisingly rubbery. And the very end of the kid’s area, they had goats you could feed as well. Overall, the trip was fun and I look forward to going to Point Defiance Zoo again.

 And here's CJ's take:

On September 21st, 2015, we went to Tacoma to visit Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, a fun area with all sorts of animals on display. At PDZ, one of the first areas we went to was the aquarium. PDZ's aquarium featured a large tank featuring multiple fish and shark species, which you could look at from above and from the side. The tank also had two split pieces of a fake shipwreck in there, which would be a common feature in Puget Sound. Eventually, we saw aquarium employees feeding the sharks in the tank. Later, in the aquarium (in a different, much smaller tank), we were given the opportunity to see and touch on the sides of certain rays.

Later, we went to a section of the zoo known as the Asian Forest Sanctuary, where you could see various different Asian animals, including siamangs and two different subspecies of Panthera tigris. In the Asian Forest Sanctuary, we saw one lone Malayan tiger, looking at the passerby from its cliff. It probably thinks "Lunch" any time it sees a human through its glass. Later, in the Asian Forest Sanctuary, we saw a presentation about a Sumatran tiger mother, and her three cubs (Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, even more threatened than Malayan tigers). They fed the mother and her cubs "blood popsicles," which are frozen treats made from diluted blood.

Lastly, there was this small, but fun part of the zoo called "Budgie Buddies." In Budgie Buddies, you could purchase a stick with seeds on it, and bring the stick into a special room with several budgies, which are brightly colored Australian birds. Although it takes a little bit, a budgie eventually came to my stick and started eating the seeds. At Budgie Buddies, I learned that budgies are very aggressive, as the bird that was currently eating the seeds on my stick would often get pushed off by another budgie.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit at Point Defiance Zoo, and hope to go there again.