I think the ADS fall Board meeting was very successful in many ways but I will defer to others to report on it.
On this past Monday, Nancy (Tackett) and I had a few hours before going to the airport so we made sure we were at the zoo at opening time.
I have heard of the Cincinnati Zoo for years and about their conservation efforts so this was our chance to see some of it. It was very cold for us Californians, about 45F or 7C and some exhibits like the just born baby hippo were not open. We still enjoyed seeing many animals and were amazed by the very healthy condition of all we saw.
Some animals like the Cheetah and Snow Leopards were very hard to photograph because either they were moving fast or camouflaged by their coats.
Please forgive me for the large number of photos, but these are only a few of the 500MB Nancy took before her phone lost its charge. :)
We were fascinated by the asian elephants because of how they used their trunks to pull out their feed.
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- They move food around to help exercise
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- Got it
The Giraffes were not shy, maybe curious about us, or maybe it was lunch time?
The cheetah was always moving, fast…
The African savanna was a little small but the animals seemed content.
The lion pride was very handsome and we were struck by how healthy they looked. Their coats were perfect. While we watched the (alpha?) female placed her pawl on the male’s paw. The second photo shows what it looks like when a lion looks at you. Of course I am sure it feels a lot different when there is no barrier between you and him!
It was very cold but there were still many signs of fall like this red tree.
This was about a child protecting a bird in the Amazon rain forest. If you click on the image you can read the placards or signs.
These manatees were fascinating. All three were rescued after being injured by boat outboards or propellers in Florida. They seem to take frequent and short naps as seen in the second photo.
We saw the black bears before the Polar bears and the black bears seemed OK with the cold, but not as active as the polar bears who maybe thought it was spring. Our black bears in California are much smaller than these and I suspect these are native the the Ohio area. Nancy’s phone charge was low about here so although the polar bears were active, this shows only a standing bear.
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- Black Bear
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- Polar Bear
This tiger was beautiful and another example of how healthy the animals were. When we got home, I told my cat Simba that I saw his cousin at the zoo. Simba has a lot of markings, stripes on his legs and tail, and big claws a little like the tiger. There was a squirrel running around the exhibit and the tiger was contemplating catching it.
Since we only had three hours, we did not see the botanical gardens. We almost did not go because of the short time, but we really enjoyed our short visit. There were perhaps 20 people visiting the zoo due to the early hour and cold. Several times, either volunteers, or zoo employees, stopped and helped us, either with information or directions.
If you ever get a chance to see the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, we recommend you take it.
Ben
Ben,
We were privileged to attend a daffodil show at the Cincinati zoo. We loved the manatees and also saw a huge bald eagle. That was very special.
Dave
Dave,
We really liked the manatees too and especially how they were rescued, some near death, from boat props.
Also we were amazed by how healthy the animals were. I told our cat Simba about his lion king cousins when we got home.
I did not expect the elephants to be that interesting but they showed how versatile their trunks were. When their feed was not visible, they put their trunks in the barrel holes and pulled it out.
Since we only had three hours, we did not see the botanical gardens. I imagine your daffodil show was in one of the botanical buildings, When was that show?