My Oregon Coast Adventure!!!

My recent trip to Oregon would not have been complete without visiting one of my favorite places in the WHOLE entire world...The Oregon Coast! There is just something about the cold waves of the Pacific, the rocky tide pools, and the washed up kelp that makes this place one of my favorite destinations. ***The picture above was taken in Lincoln City right behind The Sandcastle Motel (a place we would stay when I was a kid). Although I never did get a black belt in Karate I think I could give Jackie Chan a run for his money!

We drove along the coast and hit some of my favorite towns including Depot Bay the world's smallest harbor. Tourists around the world flock to Depot Bay to check out their famous Gray Whales. These whales have been visiting this place for generations and can be seen at the town's Whale Watching Center. ***Here I'm pictured with the town's mascot!

Our next stop on our adventure down the coast was to Newport's famous Historic Bay Front. Of course my favorite attraction is the wild California Sea Lions that plop themselves up on docks and bask in the summer sun. I felt pretty lucky to even see two of these marine mammals. The majority have migrated to California to meet with the breeding females. ***I guess we could label this guy as a content bachelor!

Ok...I know it's a little rough on the outside but the Dock of the Bay Marina located in Waldport, Oregon is my number one stop when I visit the coast. This small little "hole in the wall" is situated right on Alsea Bay which offers some of the best crabbing around. Although I do not eat crabs they sure are fun to catch!

Alsea Bay

My trip to the Oregon Coast was absolutely amazing. Every time I visit this peaceful place I always come back with new experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.

Magnificent Stellers

What is bigger than a bear, barks, and is endangered? I'm talking about the magnificent Steller Sea Lion. Now don't get confused with the commonly seen California Sea Lions. Stellers are MUCH MUCH BIGGER! Males can weigh in at nearly 3,000 pounds making them one of the largest members of the Pinniped family (seals/sea lion/walrus).

The Oregon Zoo is actually one of the only zoos in the country to exhibit Steller Sea Lions. The reason is because Stellers require large exhibits, eat 25-30 pounds of fish EACH and every day, and can be dangerous to work with.

These large marine mammals are actually quite graceful underwater. In the wild Steller Sea Lions spend the majority of their time on rocky shores in large groups that can number up to the thousands. They will spend their time in the water to hunt, avoid bad weather, or if they feel threatened.

The zoo has two males named Gus and Julius who were both captive born in the United States. I was even lucky enough to watch a behind-the-scenes training session. These daily training sessions are important for daily health checkups, keeper/animal interactions, and enrichment.

Unfortunately Steller Sea Lions are considered endangered due to commercial fishing, oil spills, global warming and predation by sharks and killer whales.

For more information on how you can visit Gus and Julius at the Oregon Zoo please visit http://corbinmaxey.com/http://www.oregonzoo.org/index.htm

Dangerous Hippos

The answer lies right behind me. Hippos' are considered the most dangerous animals in Africa. Matter of fact they kill more people than lions and crocodiles combined! Large males can weigh anywhere from 3,500 - 9,920 pounds! Even though they are unpredictable and dangerous Hippos are one of my favorite animals!

These two gorgeous hippos are enjoying the afternoon sun in their Oregon Zoo exhibit. In the wild hippos will leave their water source and walk sometimes several miles in search of food. They are primarily vegetarians eating various grasses. Even though they are built for water hippos cannot even swim! They move around by pushing off with their toes from the river floor like ballet dancers.

Check out that smile! This is a Dwarf Caiman from the zoo's Amazon Flooded Forest Exhibit. These small members of the crocodilian family only reach lengths of 4-6 feet. What a beauty! They are known to be feisty little animals that have big tempers (kind of like my sister)!

I love this picture that I took of "Sam" the zoo's newest member born into their Asian Elephant herd. You can tell the difference between Asian and African Elephants by the shape/size of their ears. Asian's have small ears while African's have large "Africa" shaped ears.

The Oregon Zoo is involved in many conservation projects including rearing baby Western Pond Turtles until they are big enough to be released in the wild. Western Pond Turtles are considered endangered in Washington and threatened in Oregon. The main threat to these turtles are introduced species like Bull Frogs who prey on the small baby turtles.

Would you ever get between a Polar Bear and his ball?

If you've been following me on Twitter you will already know that this past weekend I had the opportunity to visit the Oregon Zoo located in Portland, Oregon. This was my very first visit to 64 acre zoological park and trust me...it has been LONG AWAITED!

I just had to start today's blog with this picture I took of one of the zoo's Polar Bears. Check out how much he LOVES his ball. This of course is considered enrichment for the bears. It gives them something to do and stimulates their minds. You wouldn't want to take it away from him. Polar bears who weigh anywhere from 800-1500 pounds are considered the world's largest land carnivore. They also are the most dangerous animals at the zoo. How neat!

As soon as you walk into the gates you are awe-stricken by the "Cascade Crest" exhibit which is home to numerous Mountain Goats (pictured above). The reason why I was so fascinated with the exhibit was because it was truly visually stunning.  It featured giant boulders for the goats to climb, grassy hills, and a moat to keep the animals a safe distance from visitors.

"The Great Northwest" exhibit is home to a variety of different animals found in the Northwest including bears, bobcats, cougars, otters, beavers, and eagles. This was BY FAR my favorite exhibit at the zoo. The zoo's location in Washington Park sets the stage for a perfect setting similar to the animal's natural habitat.

Ok...I know it's not the best picture ever taken of a Bald Eagle BUT check out how amazing and majestic these birds really are! Their exhibit features a free flight aviary and a pool stocked full of salmon for the eagles to eat. You can even go below and get an under-water glimpse of the spawning salmon. Bald Eagles who were once threatened with extinction now are found all throughout North America. Congrats!!!

Check out me hanging out with the penguins! The Oregon Zoo is actually world-renowned for their success in breeding Humboldt Penguins.

~ Make sure to check back frequently as I will be posting more pics up soon!

A Species in Peril

During my visit to the Knoxville Zoo I encountered a species that is in peril. A species that once spread across Africa and Asia that is now restricted to only game reserves and parks in Africa and a small part of Iran. I'm talking about the cheetah. These magnificent animals are best known for their title as the world's fastest land mammal being able to reach speeds of up to 70 mph. Back in the 1900's over 100,000 cheetahs used to roam this earth. Now the population has dwindled down to a mere 12,000 making them endangered.

There are a lot of factors effecting the wild cheetah populations. One of them is the genetic "Bottleneck Effect." It is when there is not enough genetic variation to sustain a healthy wild population of a species. It leads to severe inbreeding. Other factors include habitat loss, tourism, and ranchers who shoot them on site to protect their cattle.

Captive breeding programs have been set up all across the country to insure a healthy population of cheetahs. Cheetahs are also constantly used in educational outreach programs to help promote and spread the word about cheetah conservation. There are things that you can do at home to help save the cheetahs. You can join conservation groups that are based in Africa that protect large cats and land. You can also encourage people to never wear real fur. If we all work together and spread the word we can hope to save the cheetah for generations to come. For more information about cheetah conservation please visit this site http://corbinmaxey.com/http://www.cheetah.org/