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/

Bears, Beavers, Pandas OH MY!

I had the wonderful opportunity just a few days ago to visit the Knoxville Zoo located in Tennessee. This zoo was one of my favorite places to visit when I was just a kid and the memories there are still so clear in my mind. Since I had not visited the zoo since I was ten A LOT of things changed (for the good)!  I am so excited to share with you all some of my favorite pictures I took during my visit. ~Enjoy

The Knoxville Zoo is WORLD FAMOUS for their Red Panda breeding program. They have had more panda births than any other place in the Western Hemisphere! I was so happy to see the pandas in their brand-new exhibit called "Red Panda Village." Unfortunately Red Pandas are considered endangered and are being effected by human expansion and poaching.

If you follow me on Twitter you will know already that my absolute favorite exhibit in the WHOLE zoo was Black Bear Falls. It was visually stunning complete with waterfalls, tall trees for the bears to climb, and a pool (with underwater viewing). You get so close to the bears that you almost forget that there is a 3 inch piece of glass separating you and these magnificent animals. This bear is enjoying some browse for enrichment.

This animal is on my "Wish List!" You are looking at an Alligator Snapping Turtle. These large turtles can weigh up to 175 pounds giving them the title as the world's largest freshwater turtle! They are primarily aquatic and use their "worm like" tongue to lure in fish. Unfortunately they are disappearing in North America due to human expansion and collection for their meat and eggs.

My favorite animal by far at the zoo was this North American Beaver. You seldom see beavers in zoos and when they are on exhibit they usually are sleeping in their den. The Knoxville Zoo re-created the beavers' natural habitat complete with streams, a pond (with underwater viewing), and a den. I Loved this little guy! For more information on how you can visit the Knoxville Zoo please visit their website http://corbinmaxey.com/http://www.knoxville-zoo.org/index.htm

Jungle Island

One of the many places I had the opportunity to visit while I was in Miami was Jungle Island. To be honest I had never heard of such a place but was excited all the same. When I entered through the gates I was greeted instantly by these magnificent macaws. Jungle Island has dozens of these birds designated throughout park.

One the many park highlights include "The Tale of the Tiger." This show features tigers, a lion, a skunk, a baby gibbon and much more. What I really enjoyed about this show was how much they stressed conservation. I also enjoyed watching the audience and how they were more receptive and caring towards tiger conservation after seeing a real tiger up-close and personal.

Of course my favorite animal I visited at Jungle Island hands-down had to be their Albino Alligator. I have never seen one in person so I was ecstatic to see one in the flesh. You can tell an albino from a "white or leucistic” alligator from the color of their eyes. Albino's have pink eyes white's have dark blue or black eyes.

Jungle Island is the only place in the world where you can see a trained Cassowary. These large birds are native to Australia and kill more people than crocodiles! They have a mean kick and can use their "helemet" to ram any potentail predators. How amazing!!!

Look how big this Aldabra Tortoise is! Jungle Island is home to three of these ancient reptiles who can live to be over 100 years old!

Visiting Jungle Island was a great experience. I really enjoyed their collection of birds and reptiles. I also enjoyed their tropical plants and flowers that surrounded the whole park.