Zoo Visit Photos

[ownedbycats]

I was invited to go to the Toronto Zoo last weekend, and came home with a ton of pictures (at least half of which are either blurry or duplicates and triplicates in case the first one didn't turn out )
Since everyone on here likes animals or we wouldn't have pets, I thought you guys would enjoy seing some of the better shots.
First three: African penguin chick, arctic wolf and emerald tree boa (may be mixing the species up with a similar snake)

[ownedbycats]

Next, two young baboons were putting on a show playing king of the hill on the rock cliff right beside the glass window. The actual wrestling pictures are nothing but a blur, but I got a couple nice shots when they took a breather.

[ownedbycats]

The next three are a giraffe, a kookaburra (hopefully that is spelled right), and a lesser snow goose.

[ownedbycats]

We got to the grizzly bears' enclosure just before they were fed. The bears were obviously expecting food, and watching where they knew it would come from. They are impressively large creatures, so watching them play with the carrots they were fed was hilarious. The polar bear cub splashed in the water puddle, then flopped over to sleep behind a rock.

[ownedbycats]

The ostrich was very obliging and stood quite close to the fence, making a nice head shot very easy. I'm not sure what the gray and purple bird on the rock is, I wasn't able to find to sign with it's species. The Toronto Zoo has pavilions that are large buildings with a lot of small enclosures inside, lots of plants in between enclosures, and the some bird species allowed to fly or run free. This guy was one of the ones allowed to run free. The wood duck is a Canadian native, and the zoo was the first time I have ever seen one. They have built a large wooded pond with wooden nest boxes and a wooden hut that looks down on it, so you can watch the birds without scaring them. These are truly wild birds and are allowed to leave and return freely, followiing their migration routes. The day I was there there were tons of mallards and one pair of wood ducks, but the female wouldn't come close enough for pictures.

[Goldfields]

I thoroughly enjoyed YOUR trip to the Zoo, ownedbycats. Great photo's!

[Goldfields]

That grey bird is very unusual.

[marko]

Nice photos ownedbycats!

[ownedbycats]

Last two for now, though I may add more as I edit them. Turtle, can't remember the exact species, but followed the people on the other side of the glass. The raccoon baby was taken while working at night, but being a wild animal I thought he fit in with the others.

[ownedbycats]

Goldfields - it was bugging me, not knowing what that bird was, so I went to the zoo's website. There is a section called "Explore the Zoo" and lists each animal in the different areas. The gray bird is a Victoria crowned pigeon

[hazelrunpack]

I like the snake and the flamingos (ooo la la, look at that color!) but my fave is the bear with the carrot sticking out of its mouth!

[ownedbycats]

Hazel - You could tell they enjoyed their lunch. The two grizzlies ate the smaller veggies and fruit in one gulp, but the carrots were big enough that the bears played with them first. The smaller bear rolled it's carrots along the ground, and the bigger bear balanced hers on the BACK of her paw before eating it. (That's one of the pictures I still have to edit. I think I'll post it when I do. The size of a grizzly's claws is astonishing.) At one point, she had two carrots together and was chewing on both at the same time.

[Goldfields]

Who'd have thought they'd eat carrots?? People yes, and salmon, but carrots? LOL. Thanks for naming the bird , I wonder what country it comes from? (not this one, says I, putting away my bird book. ) I also thought the flamingoes were sensational, Hazel, a wonderful color. Thanks for sharing these photo's, I might do the same if I get near a Zoo.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

I like the snake and the flamingos (ooo la la, look at that color!) but my fave is the bear with the carrot sticking out of its mouth!

I found it interesting to learn flamingos from eating shrimps. I wonder if a person ate a lot of shrimp would they turn pink too?

[pbpatti]

I was also curious about the Victoria Crowned Pigeon and found that it is native to New Guinea. Here is some info about it:

http://www.konicaminolta.com/kids/en...ed-pigeon.html

Forgot to say Thank you for posting these beautiful pictures!

[Goldfields]

Interesting, pbpatti. I hope they never do become extinct.

[Melinda]

gorgeous gorgeous pictures!!!!

[Dog Dancer]

Great pics ownedbycats. I have to say that of all the zoo's I've seen Toronto is the nicest. If animals have to be captive it really should be in a great facility that can replicate a somewhat natural environment. I think this zoo does a great job of it and really does help to educate people about the animals not just gawk at them (although the gawking is great). It's such a big zoo it's hard to see everything! I like the grizzly with the carrot too!

[patchdog]

Looks like you had a great time at the zoo. I love going to zoos. The snake sort of freaked me out.

[angeldogs]

Originally Posted by patchdog

Looks like you had a great time at the zoo. I love going to zoos. The snake sort of freaked me out.

I almost bought an emeral tree boa years ago.just a small one still had lots of growing left.found out they were illegal to own and the petstore never should have had it. the snake was shedding at the time and was blind because of the shedding and was very aggressive due to that.

[pbpatti]

angeldogs, thanks for bringing this thread up again I had a great time revisiting these grorgous photos that ownedbycats posted for us.

[angeldogs]

patchdogs brought back yesterday..And the photos are awsome.the bear with the carrot is funny.