Sunday January 26 - Seattle Zoo with a chatter

Another excellent day today! Went to the Woodland Park Zoo with Becca, another friend gained through FFRC! Today was the coolest day I think I have experienced since being in this part of the world but I know there is MUCH colder weather ahead on my travels!! I am gradually getting my body acclimatised to the cold, or at least I hope so!

Becca picked me up at the hotel and it was only about a ten minute drive to the Zoo. We entered by the West Gate and our first stop was at the Penguins where they were being fed. The keeper knew all their names and told us that each one is different in looks and personality! A grey heron was also hanging around for any leftovers! The feeding reminded me of breakfast at FFRC as the Penguins followed him around and all crowded together to be fed. The keeper made sure they all got what they needed and called them by name before he threw the fish. Many of them, I suspect, may know their own name sound!


We then moved along and found the Jaguar Cubs (hardly small as they were born over a year ago!). They were tucked away out of the cold and all snuggled up together as you can see. 

We then passed an Ocelet it was very sleepy and lying on the branch of a tree. After this we moved along to the Golden Lion Tamarins, they are so pretty and everything is in miniature, almost seems as if they have faces like little old men!!


Then we passed through the Tropical Rain Forest and saw some of the beautiful birds that are present n that environment. Lots of bright colours in the undergrowth.

We then stopped at the Colobus Monkey area where they were being fed. The food is special "Monkey Chow" that is soaked in water and apple juice. Their tails are very long and bushy as well as quite beautiful. The keeper explained that they are trained to recognise various hand signals and the latest younger monkey has learned four since November, this is a very good rate of learning. This is done for several reasons, for example to aid in health checks and to control any aggressive behaviour. One keeper trains them and then teaches a secondary trainer the correct signal. The monkeys learn that some behaviours are unacceptable!!

The Gorillas were in the next area we stopped at, one old, greying Gorilla was fast asleep but the other was eating breakfast. Others were also sleeping!

The adult Lions were next on the agenda and they were sound asleep as many of the animals were on this cold morning. Their cubs are now parted from their parents as they are old enough to be separated, they will appear a bit later. 

We then moved on to the Sloth Bear and the inevitable reference to the Seahawks!!! There are reminders all around us, the Super Bowl is certainly a huge event!!

The next area was both fascinating and fabulous. We went to Willawong Station, Australasia. We saw some Kangaroos, Wallabies and Emu but most were still sleeping. We then went into the bird area and I have never seen anything like it apart from seeing wild parrots etc in Australia. 

There were double doors into the area and then we found ourselves in with the birds. People can purchase ice lolly type sticks with a small area of seed on them to attract the birds but they were landing on us as soon as we entered the area.

Australian native birds tend to be brightly coloured as many in the area were. One particular species was extremely beautiful as you can see. There was also a young Honey eater that was being trained to eat from a syringe! One of the hazards is that the birds go down to the floor to eat the seed so we humans have to watch where we tread!! 

Then it was on to the Snow Leopard but it was not to be seen. The Grey Wolves were visible but, guess what, they were asleep!! So we followed the Northern Trail to see a Snow owl, a pair of Sea Eagles that unfortunately have not mated yet and the Brown Bear which was huddled up in its den. On our way back when we were heading for the Raptor showing we discovered the Wolves were just waking up, yeah!!

So it was on to the Raptor showing. The keeper told us that first of all two Peregrine Falcons of different species would be flying. The shows are part of the birds' exercise programme. 

She also asked us what the three things are that make a bird of prey part of the Raptor "family" - forward facing eyes, curved beak and long talons!! 

She whirled the lure very rapidly and the birds fly fast to try and capture it, the Peregrine can fly up to 200 mph so is the fastest animal on earth!! 

The birds are not allowed to catch the lure too soon so that they get the proper exercise. Once they do, they are allowed to hold it for a while, then they are picked up on the gauntlet and fed. 

We were then shown a Bespectacled Owl, she is 22 years old and has been at the zoo since she was a baby.

The next bird to be flown was a Turkey Vulture named Lulu, a real show girl!! These vultures look less like a vulture than most not having the long "sagging" neck that many have!! Vultures have a very strong stomach acid which helps them to digest rotting meat! Lulu is a character and took her time leaving one feeding post to return to the keeper! She also has some tricks, one of which was to pick up a small cardboard cup and place it in a trash can!

We then made our way to the Elephant Barn and caught most of that keeper's talk. There are three Asian Elephants at the zoo, the one we saw very much prefers human company as she has come from a "Petting Zoo", the others seems to prefer the company of other elephants. 

Both African and Asian Elephants are under real threat due to the market for ivory. Poachers earn very good money meeting the huge demand! such a pity! 

It was interesting to watch the way the trunk is used, just like a multi-purpose tool and so sensitive. She also used her feet to help break up the bamboo to get the leafy end off but then broke the stems up and ate some of those. The elephants are washed very regularly to keep them healthy and in particular their feet need constant attention. In the wild they walk miles which keeps them trimmed so that needs to be done often. When it is cold they only get a foot wash rather than a complete bath.

Because they are not ruminants, they only get about 40% of the nutrition out of what they eat, that is why they need to eat so much. Elephants in the wild, who are walking much more, need to eat a lot more of course.

Then we followed the signs to the African Savannah, stopping to view Giraffe , the sun was in the wrong position so not many useful photos of these. 

We also found the lion cubs, big babies now!!

Then we paused to watch the Hippos in their large pond area.At first it appeared there was only one but then the second one popped its head up with a rather loud snort!!

Finally, we went back to see if the Snow Leopard was out and about and there it was in the afternoon sun, so we did get to view it after all!

I am rather impressed with the Woodland Park Zoo. It has been involved in the saving of many species and the animals are obviously well-cared for. the number of offspring being produced by the different species also suggests they are relatively stress free. The animals have good areas to live in, inside areas as well as outside and the latter provide a variety of stimuli. there are many streams, small waterfalls and ponds throughout the exhibits. At the end of the day, Zoos the world over are now heavily into conservation and it is the only way many species will survive man's effect upon the environment.

Becca then drove us to find somewhere to eat, it was now mid-afternoon, and we ended up in a busy pub opposite the Green Lake area. Although the afternoon was cool there were lots of people out including many families. Then it was back to my hotel and I would like to thank Becca for an interesting and excellent day out in good company!!