Monday, June 01, 2009

A Day at the Zoo

Yesterday my honey and I went on a trip to the Metro Toronto Zoo with his dad, our neighbour and our niece and nephew. What a treat! The day was ideal for zoo viewing - clear, sunny and cool - so the animals were out and about and saying hi. And lots of young'uns too at this time a year. There were many treats to be had!

This little guy was just so contemplative, clearly enjoying the sunlight streaming in.

The zoo now has a beautiful little area filled with birds and butterflies flying free. The range of colour and design on the butterflies is breathtaking!

The orangutans are one of my favourite families to visit. I'd love to spend the entire day just hanging out with these fascinating folks, getting to know them.

Cheetahs are always hard to get a glimpse of at the zoo. I just couldn't believe it when this one waltzed right by the spectator glass and dropped right into the corner with ease. What a treat! I wonder who she was licking her chops at!

This amazing creature is a tree kangaroo. I had never seen anything like it. He was really at ease up in his little perch.



This really was an extraordinary moment with the giraffe. Don't worry the zookeeper was perfectly fine - but how unsettling!

I want you to leave this zoo trip with as big a smile on your face as I have, so I thought I'd let this glorious turtle have the last beaming moment and send us on our way.

8 comments:

Shannon said...

omg, what awesome pictures Jamie!

I'm so glad the zookeeper was ok after the giraffe encounter - wow. What a powerhouse.

I did leave with a smile on my face from that turtle. What a cutie! And that tree kangaroo - AWESOME! :)

Thank you so much for sharing the pictures !!

Tess said...

Lovely photos, but...

Slightly mixed feelings about this one, because I have mixed feelings about zoos.

There are arguments both ways, and the best zoos are centres for conservation with loads of room for the animals. Plus for many people, it will be their only opportunity to see such a range of animals and that can raise awareness.

But it saddens me also, to see creatures like these cooped up, no matter how spacious the enclosures.

What do you think?

Holly said...

Quite wonderful! I had a great day visiting the zoo with you so thanks for inviting me!

laoi gaul~williams said...

a tree kangaroo?! i never even knew they existed! wonderful.

it is sad that animals are kept confined but at least the main aim is conservation and they are a great improvement on the zoos of old with tiny pens of concrete.
if there were not world conservation between 'zoos' i hate to think of the species that would still be hunted and close to extinction as well as those extinct. luckily zoo's also have programmes of returning species to the wild to help build up numbers and they also provide 'enrichment' for the animals in their care.

Tori said...

I <3 the zoo! SO many cute animals.

Jamie said...

Tess, I absolutely understand the conflicted feelings. And all of the reasons you've listed are why I support this particular zoo: conservation, space, awareness.

While we were there we found out that Przewalski's Horses were literally saved from extinction by the efforts of zoos. They were even reintroduced to Mongolia and are no longer 'extinct in the wild.'

I wonder what the future holds for zoos.

Suzie Ridler said...

I know how much you love zoos and animals Jamie and I loved every single photograph, they all touched me. I was so completely impressed with the qualities of the photos and the love that went behind taking them. That little turtle made me smile big time and the orangatangs definitely were always my favourite to see when I was at the Toronto Zoo too!

Tess said...

Jamie, I hadn't heard that about the unspellable horses. Great news.