Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens LA Zoo snow day

Arizona Docent

Arizona Docent

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
March 14 and 15 (Saturday and Sunday), 2009, Los Angeles Zoo hosted a special snow day. I was able to fly out for Saturday (flew out that morning and back that night - thank you Southwest Airlines for cheap nonstop flights from Tucson to LAX). Four exhibits had a good amount of snow blown in by a snowmaking machine prior to opening: snow leopard, takin, tiger, black bear. Although I spent most of my time at the snow leopards, reports from other photographers who came and went said other three animals enjoyed it quite a bit.

Zoo was packed. Maybe it's always that crowded on weekends, but when I left at 3pm (15:00 for our Eurpoean friends), there was still a long line at the admissions window of people waiting to buy a ticket to get in.

My cousin, a zoo member who was with me, sent me this link to a video clip from a local news channel. The end has a brief crowd shot at snow leopard and you get a one or two second glimpse of the back of Arizona Docent (I'm the one wearing the large camera backpack with film canisters lining the center and a dark baseball cap). When I get the slides developed and scanned, I will post a couple pictures in the gallery. Now here's that video clip:

Video Library - cbs2.com
 
When did you go? I was there on Saturday volunteering at the enrichment table by the tigers and bears. I'll upload some photos later on.
 
mstickmanp said:
When did you go? I was there on Saturday volunteering at the enrichment table by the tigers and bears. I'll upload some photos later on.
Click to expand...

My cousin and I were at the snow leopards, without moving at all, from 10am to 12:15pm. After lunch, however, I did see the enrichment table (maybe around 1:30pm?). I took a couple photos of it, since that is something I am interested in as a docent.
 
Arizona Docent said:
My cousin and I were at the snow leopards, without moving at all, from 10am to 12:15pm. After lunch, however, I did see the enrichment table (maybe around 1:30pm?). I took a couple photos of it, since that is something I am interested in as a docent.
Click to expand...

I may have seen you then because I went to the snow leopard exhibit at least 2 times from 10 am to 2 pm. I was also at the enrichment table the rest of the time.
 
Somehow we forgot to update this thread for last year, 2010. I did get to meet MstickmanP and PolarBear at that one.

Anyway, the 2011 snow days will be this weekend, Feb 5-6, 2011. Although I went the last two years I will not make this one. Show us some good pics MstickmanP and BlackDuiker and PolarBear!
 
I went yesterday but didn't have time to see all the animals, just the Tigers, Snow leopards and Elephants. From what I heard from other volunteers the Giant and NA River otters, and the black bear also received snow. I only managed to get photos of the Elephants with snow due to the huge amount of people in the tiger and snow leopard exhibits.
 
I spent most of my time with the tigers, who were very playful, although I did check out the other animals who had snow. I didn't see either the Giant Otters or the North American River Otters in the snow, although I did see one set of Giant Otter footprints in the snow - the male was in the exhibit alone and apparently went in the snow a short distance and quicky went out again. Attached are a couple of images. There are additional images in my LA Zoo Snow Day Gallery which contains images from the last several years in addition to this year.

Snow Day at the Los Angeles Zoo - wildlifeimages' Photos
 
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So they gave the snow leopard a dead rabbit? That's pretty cool. Good tiger picture too - you just have to tell people it's a siberian tiger and not a sumatran.

Also, some great shots in the link you provided, especially some of the snow leopard cubs from last year.

According to MstickmanP it was still quite crowded. I wonder if that is why they announced this one at the last minute, to try to keep the crowds a manageable size. I know the last two years I went the entire snow leopard viewing area was filled with photographers like myself, some with tripods or monopods. Visitors who showed up late with small children were frustrated because their kids could not see.

A zoo spokesperson I talked to at the exhibit last year said they were considering doing a special early session for photographers this year for an extra fee, to alleviate this problem. Obviously they didn't, but I really think they should. Photographers would be happy to pay the fee for some private time, so they would be happier, the regular visitors who come later would be happier, and the zoo would earn extra money. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
 
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Thanks for the compliment Arizona Docent.

I went both days. It was very crowded on Saturday, but less so on Sunday. There were a few photographers with tripods/monopods this year, but not as many as there has been in years past. The big draw is Elephants of Asia. There are dozens of billboards throughout the area and they are really bringing in the crowds. Weekend days have been crowded since the elephant exhibit opened.
 
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