Wildlife Walk

ON THE PROWL: Yesterday, we took advantage of free tickets available through our local library system to visit the Woodland Park Zoo.

We haven't been there to see the animals in ages. (The last time we were at the zoo was for a "Zoo Tunes" concert featuring Adam Ant.)

It was chilly yesterday, in the low 40s, when we were walking around the zoo. We weren't sure how many animals would be 'out' given the weather, but were happily surprised to see a good number up and around. Case in point: We stood and watched the lions for several minutes. 

 This guy was lumbering slowly around the savanna exhibit. 

 The lioness was lounging on a large boulder. 

 Eventually, the male approached her.

 He spent several minutes grooming her. 

 They were a pretty pair, to be sure. 

 We also enjoyed an aviary full of colorful birds. Talk about a redhead!

 The penguin enclosure is always entertaining. This guy was a half second away from jumping in the water.

This is our first visit to the zoo since the elephants were sent away (rather awfully), and some rhinos were brought in.

 There is a pair of two-year-old males at the zoo now.

 Their skin looks so much like armor! 

A pair of squishy hippos were laying in the mud, alongside a ducky friend.

This pair of giraffes seemed keenly interested in me. Annabelle speculated it was because I was wearing khaki green, and perhaps they thought I was a zoo keeper.

 We watched warthogs from on high.

This beautiful jaguar paced his enclosure.

 He did the exact same thing last time we saw him. I wonder how much of the day he spends doing that.

I'm always sad when I see the apes at the zoo. It hits too close to home.

 One orangutan was walking around the enclosure shrouded in burlap sacks!

 Somehow, she got her hands on a paper cup. She proceeded to eat it while we watched. Afterward, she draped herself in the burlap again. She looked just like a human putting a shawl on. It was a strange sight to see.

The male silverback gorilla didn't seem too pleased yesterday. Right when we walked up to his enclosure, he jumped toward the crowd and gestured in an aggressive way. Kind of a 'get off my lawn' message, it seemed.

While we were there, a zoo keeper started throwing food (carrots, oranges and sweet potatoes) down to the gorillas. At one point, the gorilla closest to the wall threw food back at her!

 The largest gorilla was such a beautiful, impressive creature.

Truth be told, I'm always a little depressed after visiting the zoo. I know that many of the animals wouldn't be alive if they weren't in the zoo, but it still pains me to see them caged, in effect. The Seattle zoo has nice enclosures, to be sure, but still ... 

It is heartening to read about successful conservation efforts, including the new rhinos at the zoo. 

At the zoo, we were able to 'vote' for the conservation project we were most interested in. We chose saving the gorillas.

 Here's what Annabelle had to say about our zoo visit ...

Yesterday, my family used some free tickets from Seattle Public Library to take a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. We don't usually visit the zoo due to the ticket prices, so this was a welcome treat. The first thing we noticed was that the grounds themselves seemed a bit lackluster, especially in comparison to similar places such as Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, but besides the subpar landscaping the atmosphere was pleasant.

The animals were remarkably active and noisy despite the cold weather, notably including the lions and the zoo's two brand new rhinos (Taj and Glenn). It was interesting to watch the rhinos explore their exhibit, even attempting to eat off the various stumps and logs scattered throughout.

The other exhibits had little activity, most likely due to the time of day and season. The animals we did see only walked around a bit, though ones in heated enclosures (such as birds in the tropical rainforest segment) were obviously in a better mood. Overall, the zoo visit was a good way to get ourselves out of the house in walking, but somewhat disappointing in terms of visuals and animals.