The Only Big Cat That Likes Water

Thursday we walked through the zoo, which is just past the park we usually walk around. We have a membership and decided it's an easy way to stretch our exercise time to just sail through the gates and circle around whatever interests us. It's a big motivator when the scenery offers elephants, flamingos, bears, seals, raptors and lions.

It had been sprinkling and overcast, so the place was blissfully quiet and cool, unpopulated save for a few families, and thus free of the attendant chaos. The live oak trees --common to this area --with their incredibly long, low reaching limbs with fresh, shiny new leaves of spring fully unfurled on every branch created a protective canopy over our heads. We kept up our pace past twin cheetah kittens and the giraffes. But we were stopped dead in our tracks by the sight of one of the two brother tigers swimming his little lake.


Seems no matter what time of day we visit, usually the big cats are all sleeping. But there was the gorgeous, regal head of this creature, with it's bright orange fur slashed by jet black stripes, gliding smoothly though the darkened water.

His eyes were bright and blue. His thick paws were visible, paddling rhythmically, pushing him along on a diagonal and very deliberate path from one end to the other. He then climbed out, slinked across the grass past rocks and around trees to return to his starting point. Again he'd climb right in, and all but his paws would disappear as his body sank into the depths. His shoulder muscles were further defined with every stroke. Amid all this majesty, something cute: his tongue stuck out as he did it.

(click picture to enlarge)

We positioned ourselves (where I took the pic above) right in his sight lines. Here he swam VERY close to us. On one pass he made direct, proplonged eye contact. It was nothing short of chilling! This ain't no kitty, but a beautiful beast with quite humbling power -- a killing machine -- and there was only a short flimsy fence and an electrical deterrent between us.

The Big King

As I have mentioned before, Jonathan, the majestic and regal African Lion at the Zoo is my self-proclaimed boyfriend.... that is, when I am not crushing on Kiva, the 18-ft tall Masai giraffe. But this is all about Jonathan.

Jonathan.....

Look at that face.

*sigh*

I wasn't kidding about him.

You can see it can't you?

They All Sleep This Way: Jonathan the Lion

We all know cats sleep a lot, and are nocturnal. Big cats are no different. Some of our lions sleep up to 20 hours a day. So I have seen our magestic, gorgeous male lion Jonathan dozing or outright snoring a LOT. However, he sleeps in a really comedic way.

At least in this picture he had the manners to have his head facing the window!

Worth Going Out For... a baby elephant

The weather has been gorgeous this week, and it's even been chilly in the mornings. After a hideous, humid, mostly triple-digit summer (about half the year here), it's a welcome relief. I have spent very little time out doors due to how incredibly uncomfortable it has been and because my allergies have made life a struggle, and what I'm allergic to seems to be the outdoors. That's right, the entire outdoors (and most living things, lol)

This has been a dilemma to say the least for someone who gets so much joy and calm from being in nature. I haven't ridden a bike, been in the pool, taken a walk, or visited the park for most of the year -- things I had been doing almost every day.

So when it began to feel like East Coast Fall outside, I took my sneezing, coughing, short-of-breath self for all of the above and more. This morning's activity was particularly wonderful thing to do in the cool air and sunshine... see Tupelo, our absolutely adorable new Asian elephant baby, take her first steps out into a protected area of the yard with her mom to meet the herd. She was only 3 days old.

Particularly cute was to see her older half brother, Baylor, just born 5 months ago touch her trunk with his. Until now, he was the littlest one. Born at 390 lbs, Baylor was still 90 pounds bigger than little Tupelo.

Check out the Houston Zoo's blog post to see a movie of her nursing for the first time!

And on the day I am speaking of, our talented videographers got a shot of her getting so sleepy after nursing she has to take a little nap. Warning: exceedingly cute baby feet...

Baby Aminals!

Yesterday at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums convention, which the Houston Zoo is hosting, I sat and chatted for a bit with marketing master and science whiz Andrew Bleiman and portrait painter (fall-off-your-chair talented) and photographer Chris Eastland, the creators behind Zooborns.com.

If you've never gone to this website, YOU NEED TO, immediately (well, as soon as you finish reading this of course). There you'll find a daily dose of pictures, videos and news of baby animals born in zoos all over the world. It's a great way to show the good work is being done in zoos and conservation, but it's also just good squee.

Not long ago, they featured the pictures of the Houston Zoo's 6 tiny meerkat kits.The only pics I've seen that were cuter were of the baby hippo (click link to see) and the baby otters (below), both found in these fabulous books.

Simon and Schuster made the smart decision to publish their material; as a result Zooborns have have two new books coming out. Zoo Borns!, a book for kids age 2 and up, on sale starting October 19th, and ZooBorns, a picture book with animal facts, available November 2. But, you can order them now, right here on Zooborns.com through Amazon.

10% of the sale profits go to the AZA's Conservation Endowment fund, which makes a good thing better. And they were so kind as to give me a signed copy of each to auction off at the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center's Open House in Houston, on October 15. Good Karma and great success is clearly in line for these two guys.

Look for the books --At $12.99 each (even less at Amazon.com), they are perfectly priced for all those kiddie birthday parties your child is invited to, for your Godkids, nieces and nephews, for holiday gifts, baby showers or sweet 16-- and it's not just for kids. As we well know, just about everyone swoons over baby animals. It will cheer a friend in the hospital or anyone you know who's blue; it could be a hostess gift or be an original way to say thank you, or just make any average day that much brighter...

I'll be stocking up on a few to keep in my gift arsenal.

You can also follow Zooborns on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo credits: Zooborns.com

An Enchanting Story

Hey everyone --
Hey Everybody!

One of our fellow bloggers, Bindu, whose blog is fantastic (called Transient Lives), wrote a blog post when I first dicsovered her, that I never have forgotten. I asked her to write it up for me and send the pictures she'd taken so I could re-post it on the Houston Zoo's blog as a guest blogger. Having just read it again, I am still feeling the journey of the story. It's so well written, I just thought you might want to read it. Trust me, it's worth the click!

See the Post HERE.

And if you care to, please leave a comment and support a fellow blogger! We all live for comments!

Click The Link

Happy Sunday to all. Last day of the Olympics. With the ever-changing weather conditions I'd say they ALL have had their own Adventures in Nature.

If you take a break from your TV and are looking at your computer screen instead, please click this link and come on over to my newest post on the HOUSTON ZOO BLOG. Any and all comments would be very welcome and much appreciated.

Anything for a Bite of Green

At The Zoo, the resident herd of giraffes are very well fed, and quite loved and pampered. So it is not from hunger that on occasion I have seen one doing this when there are no visitors on grounds...It's just because they're orally fixated!

Isn't this what long necks are for? But long legs certainly don't make this so easy. To be this close and see them do it is surreal. They are such gentle beings.

Your Comments, if you Please

I have a new post up for the Houston Zoo blog which you can find here. While it's not about animals but a volunteer there (she is very dedicated, scoops elephant poop once a week and was able to watch one of our baby elephants being born!), if you would be so kind as to check it out and leave a comment, I would be very grateful. Here is the link:

http://houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/

Thanks. I have several other posts up there .. you can click on my name I guess to find them. Have never done it but I think that's how to find them. I mention this because I know we are a community of commenters, and while many people read there, it's really nice for comments to come through. Thanks!!

And in the mean time, here's today's giggle:

Really!

One morning I was at the zoo and I actually caught an early bird getting a worm (and if you look closely you'll see her snatch a little insect or something as an appetizer just before digging for larger fare).

Looks like a Robin Red Breast to me, though I am not a birder. Anyone know if I'm right or wrong on that one?

Check Out the Houston Zoo Website!

Good Morning Everyone!

I have some good news to share. I've begun to write for the Houston Zoo's website, as they have recently started several blogs. I'll be writing some pieces as a docent would for the educational blog, and will be interviewing and profiling other volunteers and staff alike-- there are so many interesting people who are drawn to contribute to the world of animals...

I'm really excited about it, as it's such a natural fit. I have many ideas, and will be looking forward to hunting down new stories, learning and sharing about more animals, and taking photos and BETTER video than I post here to go along with it!

Though I will link here the posts that may be of more interest to you --mainly the ones about cute animals, conservation efforts, habitats, Keepers, etc -- I did want to share this one with you just because it's the first. It's just a little roving reporter bit. That said, you should definitely click on the name TOBY that I mention in it though. He is the brand new red panda at the zoo and he definitely earns the title of Cutest Animal in the World! (after your own dog/cat/hamster/fish/bird that is!).

http://houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/2009/08/everyones-a-winner/

OR JUST CLICK HERE!

And you must know that any comments you leave there would be greatly appreciated. Even just a word or two.

Just Ducky!

Look at this face!

Who couldn't love a face like this? I see this picture, or this one...

(even if it's a little blurry, the comedy still comes through)

...and I just have to SMILE

This fawn and white Indian Runner duck belongs to the zoo, and is the first animal I took out on grounds for the visitors to enjoy after I completed my animal handling training -- the last part of the close to 9 month training process it takes to become a proper docent.

This breed is aptly named, because they don't waddle, they run, and when they get where they're going, they often stamp their feet as if they are very excited, or had a lot of Starbucks. There is only one Runner in The Park, and I took a shine to him right away because of these charming antics. CLICK HERE to see him.

While this one is trained to be held, I found he was more comfortable when I set him on the top of his carrier. Think about it. Ducks are low on the food chain, and anything bigger than it, trying to hold it is akin to being caught to be eaten. While this duck was doing fine in my arms, I wanted him to be as comfortable as possible, and he was very well behaved while standing. I was impressed!

I've grown to LOVE love LOVE ducks and geese after spending quite a bit of time with them at The Park next to my house, where they reside in abundance. I've gotten to know who hangs with whom and what their personalities are like, what each pecking order is, etc. In fact, between my time there, The Zoo and The Rehab Center, I have come to have a real respect, love and appreciation for all kinds of living being that I never thought I'd feel that way about.. all because I have spent some time learning about them and observing them.

They say you can't hate someone who's story you know, and I believe this is true for animals as well. It's one of the things that attracts me to educating folks about them. The more people know about any animal, the more they may be respectful to them, teach their children and grandchildren to do so, and hopefully that will extend to caring about preserving them and their natural habitat.

It takes a lot to get a duck to trust you. This one was delightful -- well behaved (though he tried to pluck off my buttons and name tag repeatedly til I hid them) and very responsive to what I was asking of him. It's been in the triple digits here for most of the last three weeks (CLICK HERE). Though we stayed close to where he lives and I parked us in the shade, after 20 minutes he looked so hot, I packed him up to take him back for a dip.

And I think it was just the right thing to do. Without delay, he walked up his little plank and posed at the edge of his personal pond.

I took a little movie for you to see how he cools off.... At 100 degrees, I was ready to join him.



That quacking has quickly made the short list of my favorite sounds.

I look forward to taking this one out again and introducing him to many more people. And now that I've introduced him to you, what do you think?

Worship at the Church of the Orally Fixated

A ways back I may have mentioned that there is a young giraffe at the zoo who always sports a mohawk. It looks like someone put hair gel down his mane from the crown of his head allll the way down that really long neck. It sticks straight up, day after day.

Then I heard about the Auntie who apparently has deemed herself his hairdresser. Keeper stories abound about this comical turn of events. But then the other day I saw one who looks much shorter doing this to a taller one. Perhaps the tables have turned. Take a look.




You'll notice that the one being groomed is ALSO licking the tall fence post that surrounds the habitat. When you think about it, it's pretty normal behavior for them. In the wild they'd be using that long dark tongue to tear off leaves from the tree tops and pull them to their back teeth to chew. They probably had to graze all day long, because you never know when the next tree will come along... But at the zoo, they get their food from their keepers, regularly so... no one goes hungry. And yet basic instincts like these don't just disappear. Now, it seems to serve to pass the time, and much to my amusement! Here's all that a little closer up.




So funny. I will be sure to ask the keeper about this again to see if I have my facts straight when I go to the zoo this week to volunteer.

More of the Baby Giraffe

He's grown taller since I took this, but here is a little look at the newest baby giraffe at the zoo, back by popular demand! Here he was only about 24 days old and darling darling darling.



Today he's a few months older, and very much taller. And more news-- there's another giraffe who is expecting. She'll deliver anytime between Fall and January -- yes, their gestation is so long it's that big a window for a due date. There have been sonograms on the mother and the baby is in there, though you can barely tell to look at her. I attribute it to their long legs... or the fact that the mother's belly is so far above my head that it's an optical illusion, LOL. Could you imagine if the doctor gave human parents to be a 6 mo. Window for a due date???!

A Manor for the Meerkats

At the zoo they treat the animals like GOLD I tell you. Every day there is something different done for enrichment, which helps animals do the things they would normally do if in the wild. Some enrichment is geared to stimulate their senses, others recreate natural behaviors, some make them think and some are just for pure fun.

Here is a cardboard box that some kids in a special zoo program turned into a "Meerkat Manor". These curious little fellows go straight to work, exploring every crevice in their comical way.



Oh yes, they are busy! But look what happens when a plane goes by (which you can easily hear amid the din of excited zoo visitors).



All the action stops and they snap to attention and peer up at the skies. Are you a fan of the meerkat?

FUNNY BUNNY LIPS!

OOOOH, are you ready for a chuckle? A little glee? Recently I did a day long animal handling class at the zoo, as a part of being a docent. We learned how to handle everything from a goat (that's THIS GENTLE ONE, who I now can take around the zoo on a leash for the children to pet) to a ferret and everything in between -- a chicken, a rock dove/pigeon, a lizard, a snake, a pretty white rat, a gerbil, a Welsh Rabbit, a Running duck.... I'll stop now.

All the while this giant Welsh Rabbit was sitting there in a cage at eye level, doing hysterical bunny things with his soft, gray bunny lips. I caught a few moments of him drinking and knew it would be fun to post here.

(Unlike photos you can enlarge with a simple click of the mouse, you are forced to see a reduced version of these mini-movies on blogger. If one of you knows a trick I don't to make this happen, do tell!)

Turns out I am terribly allergic to bunnies, so my lungs closed up, my eyes watered and I coughed and wheezed for three days after! I was in an enclosed room with several of these while we trained on the other animals. I guess I won't be taking one of them out to greet the public. 

Are any of you animal lovers also allergic to animals? Which one(s)? Do any of you have or ever had a bunny?

It's a Long Story.....

Been meaning to mention for OVER A YEAR that in addition to all the animals I listed on the Snow White post, there is a hen in the Park too. That's right, a lone hen. Someone must have dropped her off there and she'd been managing to live there for gawd-knows how long.

I was astonished when I first discovered her, thanks to a homeless man who pointed her out to me, happy to be talking to someone, someone who clearly loves animals as much as he does. The guy, looked like he could not feed himself, but I've seen him often wandering the perimeter of The Park with a bag of peanuts in the shell (the most economical thing to feed the squirrels). He pointed toward the vine covered, ramshackle shed where the children's train was kept at night. There in the side was a hole, and hovering at it's entrance was a black hen!

She tentatively peeked from the safety of her shelter when I tossed some bread her way. But she would not come out to eat until I stepped way back. When I did, she pecked what I had brought. So I started to go by to feed the chicken on my rounds.

Last Fall, The Park started a remodeling project of the very area where the hen lived. Construction trailers, tractors, shovels, cement, metal poles, spools of heavy wire, bright blue Port-a-pottys and lots and lots of men in work boots and hard hats invaded the grounds and dug everything up. I approached the foreman and asked if he was aware of the chicken, which he said was. I asked if I could bring some chicken scratch by he said they'd be happy to give it to her, but that they also fed her (I assumed, pizza scraps). I liked the thought of all these big bruisers caring for the girl. I continued to check every time I visited the park or the zoo, and most times I'd see the chicken in the area near the trailers. As the site morphed, I noticed at times she was penned, so they were making an effort to protect her.

Flash foward to last weekend, opening day of the new park area. I was driving on the heavily trafficked road between the Zoo and the golf course and I spotted a large black bird at the edge of the curb. I made a stop in the lane so I could get out (no one was immediately behind) and throw her some bread. OK, I have to say it. The chicken was about to CROSS THE ROAD, and I was tossing the bread in the other direction, to lure her away from the edge. Why WAS this chicken trying to cross the road? To get to the golf course? Not on a busy Easter week Saturday on the main drag near the Zoo! After all she'd been through, as described above, she could not end her life as road kill.

Had I been able, I'd have taken time to scoot her back further, to the safety of some kind of bushes at least... and I had to summon the strength to let it go as I drove away. But you bet your arse I was back there the next day, and with food.

She must have gotten used to people and loud noise and chaos, because when I saw her, she actually came running up to me. I had cracked corn in my pocket. Plenty of it! I was SO HAPPY to see she was still alive... We'd also just had two days straight of monsoon-like rain and thunderstorms. Half the area was flooded. This one's a survivor for sure.



I felt bad, that she must be very hungry. I wish I had a yard, because I'd love to catch her and give her a good home. I know she's survived all this time, now without a shelter. Maybe she likes it, and is an independent single....um,... chick... but maybe she's scared and lonely. I can't claim to know. Do chickens think? (that's another post)

Here she is running up to me. This time I hope it's that she's been totally socialized, not that she's starving under the fluff of all those feathers.

Oh, and did you hear that crazy mechanical kind of wind up to the long tailed grackle behind her? I am so glad to finally get that on film. I'll write about it in the next post.... back to the chicken. OUTRAGEOUS is it not?!?!?!

I went back today on my bike with more grain, looking for her, but didn't see her. I'll try again in a few days. She's obviously getting along just fine, but of course, I worry.

What's THAT?

Now here's an animal I'd never seen before volunteering as a Carnivore Keeper Aid at the zoo. It's called a fossa. It is the size of a really large cat and while feline in appearance in many ways, he has more of a doggie nose, and is incredibly strong. He also is quite agile. Related to the mongoose, not like that's very common either, but at least I'd heard of those.

If you've seen the animated film Madagascar, you've seen a fossa, who co-starred. I just recently saw it, because when you are educating children about animals (which I do at both the zoo and am training to do as a volunteer for the Wildlife Rehab and Education Center), it helps to see every modern animal movie out there so you can help them relate.

We do have clown fish at the aquarium, and when I say "Who here knows what Dora was" all the kids shout, "A CLOWN FISH". But that 's another post....

Take a look.




I love this little guy. On the mornings I worked in the Tiger House making breakfast for the lions, leopards, tigers, cougars and the fossa, he would rapidly pace around in the shape of a figure 8. You see, his little indoor house was right across from the kitchen door and he could see me cutting up and weighing meat for everyone, including him. We used to give him a big white rat on certain days (they are pristine, bread for food and not at all as funky as it sounds) and he'd playfully flip it up in the air over and over. I thought he was starving but apparently he just wanted to party.

As you've guessed, he's a carnivore. And in doing research I've read that they live up to 20 years in captivity... and oddly, can live 60 years in the wild. I'm not sure about that figure, as usually it's quite the opposite. Life is extended in captivity, for obvious reasons -- quality health care, protection from predators, loving care of devoted humans. I have no idea if that's right, but if I get a chance to ask his keeper at the zoo (the guy you hear talking), I'll report back.

My question is, have you ever seen one, and regardless, do you like this one?

More Hitchock

There's a time of year when the trees are laden with black birds, chatting up a storm. Here is a movie I took of a few trees full at night around the theater district in downtown Houston. This was taken about a month ago and I never got a chance to post it.



I don't know if these are grackles coming back from somewhere from mating time, or if it's a similar looking group of birds migrating through on their way to some other destination.

I have come to love the long tailed grackles that are so common here, which I had never seen in other cities I've lived before.
This time of year they build their nests and have babies, and they sing in a way I don't hear in the fall. It's created a Pavlovian response in me... I hear it and am filled with all kinds of pleasant memories and feelings, as they were the first animal that really caught my attention upon moving here. Previously, living in NYC, I had very little contact with nature, and if I did, it was in the form of grass and water and sunsets on the island's outer edges or from dogs passing on the city streets. The very first baby birds in their nests I've ever seen were when the grackles built them in the trees just below my apartment deck in the high rise I lived in 2 years ago. Their song woke me up at 5 AM every morning in the spring. I'd go bleary eyed into the misty gloaming before sunrise and peer down, often with binoculars, to watch the babies and their progress.... that led to the park, which led to the zoo, which led to the wildlife rehab and look at how much animal interaction I have in my life now!

And it all started with a black bird in a tree....

To read more about black birds click HERE and grackles click HERE and HERE.

What a Treat.

Oh, yes it was. The day after I posted that there was a new baby giraffe born at the zoo (click here to read) I got to go in and say hello up close. Really, how lucky can a Naturegirrrl get?

At the start of the little vid below you can see him standing in his little pen, part from the adults, who you can clearly see a are quite a bit larger than he is. His dad is 17 feet tall, and the baby is only 5'9 (STILL, that's a few inches taller than me!).  The giraffes you see behind him are not the tallest ones in the group.

Keep in mind, that I was able to get this close by virtue of what I do with the zoo.  They are very careful to protect these animals as well as the people that visit them. 

I had an amazing day today at the Wildlife Rehab Center feeding the tiniest baby .... well, I don't want to spoil it. Please stop back tomorrow and see.

If you could visit up close with a baby animal, which would it be?