SPLASH! Animals

SPLASH! Animals. This is the latest live show at the San Diego Zoo. Two people get up on the stage and paint an animal at the same time. They certainly work well together and were really popular with the crowd! In fact, they were so popular with the crowd, I snapped these pictures by holding the camera high up above my head and pointing it at the stage to get above the crowd. You can find out more about them at www.splashanimals.com. Their description says: "This award-winning conservation-focused entertainment experience combines art, music, choreography and features endangered species."

Clint and His Amazing Barking Meerkat

Clint and his amazing barking meerkat. Whenever Clint talked, the sound of his voice caused his meerkat to bark! Clint thought it was some sort of protective reflex like relaying an alarm. These days, the zoo keepers at the San Diego Zoo get out to talk to the public a lot more than they used to and, if you keep an eye out for them, you can often learn all sorts of animal facts and trivia.

Wide Eyed Fascination

Infant touching a replica of a mammoth molar at the new elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo [I think that docent has the best voluneer job ever!]. Do you remember when you were still wide-eyed about the world and every day was a new adventure? When do we lose that fascination with the world and stop looking and observing? When does everything get a label and get tossed into a bin? Is it too late to see the world as a fascinating place full over endless variation and wonder? Never too late.

"Interteractive" Session at the Zoo

"Interactive" session at the San Diego Zoo with, in this case, the Polar Bear! They have added interactive sessions at various animal enclosures at the zoo. For the polar bears this mean an opening in the glass covered by a metal mesh where the zoo keeper could feed the polar bear while the audience watched. It was pretty fun actually (if a little intimidating). The bear really liked romaine lettuce (of all things!). He also enjoyed carrots and sweet potatos...

The Polar Bear Shake

It has been HOT and HUMID lately. Perhaps we are spoiled in San Diego by the normally dry weather but the mugginess is making it hard to sleep at night. This Polar Bear at the San Diego Zoo has a nice refrigerated pool to dive into which he is making good use of. Hope you are "bearing" the Summer heat as well.

Hippo Ballet

The hippos was doing lazy circles in the pond. It literally lept through the water, each step gliding gracefully through the water as if flying. Round and round, with each loop the heads of the spectators followed, synchronous with the hippo's turns, as if mesmerized by its movements, cameras, camera phones and other gadgets at the ready. It went on like this, a few people coming and going and the hippos doing his lazy loops.

Meanwhile, I'm in Boston. The hotel has pictures of ships and naval battles decorating the walls. The oceanfront is very modern, covered with skyscrapers and broad walkways with long rows of lamps that penetrate the cold Boston Spring evenings. The lights penetrate the night, lighting even the nooks and crannies under the piers. Under one pier, there were huge torrents of water falling down from pipes below what appeared to be a lobster warehouse. I'm guessing that there were huge tanks inside full of succulent lobsters waiting to be shipped to stores nationwide.

Do Redheads Have More Fun?

Do Redheads Have More Fun? Here's a picture of our redhead zookeeper hanging out by the Service Door with the Jaws of Death (Alligator skull). You decide. Heheh. Of course, that lady might want to move the baby carriage...

Hippo-mania

You can see the hippo bounding off into the distance with it's hind legs kicking up into the air as everyone watches with rapt attention. You can almost hear the groan of the camera people as it bounds off only to be captured on camera(s) again as it loops around the tank for another pass by the window.