The baby primates are growing up quickly, out playing on their own.
I caught the youngest elephants playing a while before they noticed someone else was watching them. It was great to see them running around, playing together.
A lazy one.
A hooded merganser couple swimming close to the glass in the manatee exhibit. It’s rare to see them this close.
It’s nice to go the the zoo when the weather is cool. The animals are active and I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out.
I was looking in the spoonbill exhibit and noticed a wild spoonbill on top of the exhibit looking in. I think he wanted to join the party inside for some treats.
Some wild birds at the zoo: a Carolina wren, 2 black vultures preening each other, a house sparrow working on a nest in the gift shop sign and a baby duck in one of the ponds.
Elephants playing in the first picture with the 3 legged impala watching.
Grumpy old bird (that was just born this spring). Marabou stork.
Making faces with Mom.
Showing off on a tree branch.
I was tempted to join these ladies who looked like they were having too much fun but I didn’t have the right color shirt or hat on.
My sister and I made a stop at the Lowry Park Zoo while she was visiting from South Dakota. When we got to the primate section, there was a zoo employee with a long lens taking pictures of an orangutan in the back of the exhibit. It’s not often you see employees out with a big camera taking pictures of the animals so I took a closer look and realized she was holding something. Is that a head tucked under her arm???
The head finally moved and it was a baby! The baby orangutan was born 2 days earlier on 12/20. It was amazing to see the mother holding the baby like that.
This was the mother’s fourth baby so she is an expert. One of the siblings came over to check things out.
It was amazing to watch the baby climb around on Mom.
The baby started nursed for a while. This was a great treat to see the newborn baby the week of Christmas. Orangutans are endangered due to loss of habitat from palm oil plantations. You can read more about the family and the baby’s birth at Lowry Park Zoo here.
