Lovely non-working day at the Columbus Zoo!  A couple hours to myself before a docent training session.

First stop:  elephants (go figure!).  Beco is by himself in the front yard, meaning Mom Phoebe and Connie have access to big Hank in the other yard.  Beco is enjoying being cute for a large crowd of Amish.

Around to the other yard, past Ralph the Sun Bear who is ironically choosing to sit in the shade.

Yup, three ellies in the big yard.  Big 15,300 lb Hank is flirting with Phoebe and Connie.  No one wants to get in the water and no one wants to play with Hank today, even though he is being incredibly cute and starting to follow Phoebe around.

Around the path towards the tigers and OMG, the Pallas cat is out!  Here kitty, kitty!

Foli is in the yard making noise about something.  Some little girls point out field mice running past him so he may be trying to be intimidate them.  Foli retreats into the pool for a soak.  He is the father of the new cubs.

 

On to the lions... all three are in the yard close to the fence.  The girls (Asali and Kazi) are licking each others' faces, which is upsetting a little guest greatly.  Why are they doing that mommy?  Why?

Time to treck to the West Side of the Zoo.  Only two visible manatees, Wheezy and Woodstock though it appears that Pixie may be hiding back by the gate to the back pool.

Onto Expedition Congo.  Oliver is asleep in the yard and his two group-mates are napping by the chute.  Inside, only Mac, asleep in Colo's area.  The gorilla guru docents explain that the rest of his group has free choice to go in the back so Mac is on his own for the moment.

Out to the bonobos.  Unga is holding her baby with her back to the visitors but I can see little hands holding onto her.

All three adult Okapi are out, plus the baby Matoke.  Tell several guests that they are Okapi, not a breeding accident.  One girl refuses to believe me.  Whatever.

I hit Australia fast to see the Orangs.  Sally and Tara are both alert and near the visitors, who keep saying they are boys.  Now if they could see Willie they would know what an adult boy orang looks like!

The kangaroo walkabout is busy.  I inadvertently shoot some roo-porn of our only male kangaroo, Matari. 

Miss Charlotte is sleeping on the walk, per usual, with a docent standing over her guiding people around her.

 

 

 

So this is what I do and think when I visit animals at the zoo.  I check on my "friends" and see what is up and enjoy the craziness and comments and other guests.  Time for training session so goodbye for now animals!