I’ve been trying to stick to a routine, or create one, anyway, that takes me out of the house, away from the computer for a few hours a day. I’ve recently expanded my driving radius to the zoo, so I can combine continuing to get comfortable with city driving with some good exercise, and the zoo is a great place for walking. Unlike a lot of Toronto, it has good hills that actually provide a decent workout. Of course, that ol’ camera bag adds a little extra weight to lug around, thus enhancing said workout.
From a conversation I overheard, this is the female panda. The male was in another enclosure on the other side of their building, with no fence to obstruct a camera, but, while he was also munching away on a pile of bamboo, he was mostly obscured by a tree. So it was shooting through chain links to get this rather amusing (I think) shot. Doesn’t she look like a little queen, feasting away? Today I heard a couple of people talking about how the female hadn’t been out since she arrived. They were obviously behind in their information.
For two days in a row, I’ve come across the two otters snuggled up in their hammock together. I rarely see them when they’re not zipping from one side of their enclosure to the other, climbing up their waterfall, sliding down it, torpedoing through the water, so it’s interesting seeing a different side of their personality.
Today, they started out in their basket, then sleepily wandered around a bit before heading back to their hammock. I guess even the more energetic creatures need to recharge. Here we see a bit of otter meditation.
Ah, that rare and elusive Canadian beast, the raccoon. This fellow discovered a horse chestnut and did his best to open it up. At times, it was a four-paw attempt, but he just couldn’t crack it open. Finally, he tossed it aside and wandered around his enclosure looking for a snack that was a little more cooperative.
These African Penguins started off in the pool, they got out and lined up along the edge, then they marched up to the door. And waited. And waited. It’s possible that they were due for a public feeding, but, if so, it was some time later and I missed it. I’ll have to check out the times for another visit.
Penguins may not fly through the air, but they do through the water.
Bison are the original posers. Just look at them! Their dark fur can be a challenge to photograph, as it likes to suck up light, but they are just amazingly photogenic.
Today only one panda was outdoors while I was passing by, but this time the feast happened in a more visible location in the enclosure without chain links. It’s always exciting when a sleeping panda moves, let alone gets up, walks around and is active for a while. In this case, he munched on bamboo for a couple of minutes, then wandered back to what seems like a favourite sleeping rock and, well, went back to sleep.
The past couple of days have been short-sleeve weather, which seems to make many animals sleepy and enjoying basking in the sun. The adult polar bears were white lumps on the ground, occasionally rolling over, but overall, disinclined to any more vigourous movement. Baby bear, however, a bundle of energy. He would run around, throw himself on the ground and roll in the dirt, then get up and attack his various toys, and, bascially act like an energetic, rambunctious toddler. He is a joy to watch.