Nice day today, so I decided to head over to the zoo.
Panda’s Er Shun and cubs were restricted to the indoor exhibit, as there was maintenance being done in the outdoor exhibit. Part of that maintenance looked to ne the installation of a Telus webcam for the outdoor section of the exhibit. Allowing for viewers to toggle between the indoor and outdoor viewings will definitely help with the overall viewing experience online.
Snow Leopard, Ena was on exhibit. Pretty active after she broke out of her trance on a visible Chamois across the road. She’s always a joy to watch when active in the exhibit.
Nothing particular interesting going on in the Tundra Trek, so much so, that I’m finding the area to be more of a chore with little payoff in seeing animals. I understand that it’s not completely the Keeper’s fault for the lack of animals, but some animals can be handled better to avoid people looking at the Trek being a complete waste of time. Polar Bears being the main example. In the mornings that I’ve gone, the second yard is usually empty, which most people around me get pretty ticked off about. I feel the exhibit needs to be occupied more often with the bears. Too often they are indoors, for any number of reasons, which just isn’t great for the public. On multiple occasions I’ve seen people avoid the Trek due to past experiences of seeing nothing interesting.
Also, they need to do something with the old Arctic Fox exhibit. When people see Snow Geese in the exhibit, they for the most part just keep walking, especially since they just saw Snow Geese in the Snow Geese exhibit. The Reindeer exhibit is another one that needs more happening. It’s just so big and empty with only one Reindeer. Currently seems like a waste of space.
The America Pavilion, specifically the indoor Primate area, is undergoing some cosmetic renovations. The wall across the exhibits are being painted with a mural along with what looks like tree stump seating.
Also in the America Pavilion, the Spiny Softshell Turtle exhibit is still under construction. The Softshell Turtle was moved to the Midland Painted Turtle exhibit, where, today it was harassing any Painted Turtles that went in the water. A Keeper that noticed the harassing kept an eye on things, later deciding that one of the species will have to be moved from the exhibit if it continues.
Saw the Barn Owl out of his little box for the first time today. This may have been confirmed before, I just can’t remember, but I can safely say that he’s missing about half of his left wing, thereby making him unable to fly.
Jaguars and Spider Monkey’s were not out today. There were fences blocking the pathway behind the waterfall and the entrance into the Jaguar building. Signage mentioned exhibit maintenance, but weirdly enough there was a danger sign, which you don’t usually see when sections are blocked off for maintenance. It was almost as if 1 or both Jaguars were being moved out of the enclosure and into a vehicle, although I can’t confirm that, as it’s just speculation on my part. Flamingos and Macaws were on exhibit.
White Rhino Tom is still with the girls, for anyone wondering.
New Zebra filly was on exhibit for the first time today with mom Tori and females Lori Anne and Leia. Tori was very protective of her newborn, keeping the other girls away with kicks and biting, although for the most part, there was no contact. Leia was extremely interested in the new filly, often trying to assert her dominance. Tori would chase Leia away, as the filly ran for safety behind Tori. There were Keepers on watch all day making sure everything went well.
White Lion cub, Hank, is under veterinarian care after he tried going after Fintan’s food, I’m assuming on exhibit, as they’re fed separately off exhibit. Fintan apparently injured Hank to the point that Hank was limping around.
Panda’s Er Shun and cubs were restricted to the indoor exhibit, as there was maintenance being done in the outdoor exhibit. Part of that maintenance looked to ne the installation of a Telus webcam for the outdoor section of the exhibit. Allowing for viewers to toggle between the indoor and outdoor viewings will definitely help with the overall viewing experience online.
Snow Leopard, Ena was on exhibit. Pretty active after she broke out of her trance on a visible Chamois across the road. She’s always a joy to watch when active in the exhibit.
Nothing particular interesting going on in the Tundra Trek, so much so, that I’m finding the area to be more of a chore with little payoff in seeing animals. I understand that it’s not completely the Keeper’s fault for the lack of animals, but some animals can be handled better to avoid people looking at the Trek being a complete waste of time. Polar Bears being the main example. In the mornings that I’ve gone, the second yard is usually empty, which most people around me get pretty ticked off about. I feel the exhibit needs to be occupied more often with the bears. Too often they are indoors, for any number of reasons, which just isn’t great for the public. On multiple occasions I’ve seen people avoid the Trek due to past experiences of seeing nothing interesting.
Also, they need to do something with the old Arctic Fox exhibit. When people see Snow Geese in the exhibit, they for the most part just keep walking, especially since they just saw Snow Geese in the Snow Geese exhibit. The Reindeer exhibit is another one that needs more happening. It’s just so big and empty with only one Reindeer. Currently seems like a waste of space.
The America Pavilion, specifically the indoor Primate area, is undergoing some cosmetic renovations. The wall across the exhibits are being painted with a mural along with what looks like tree stump seating.
Also in the America Pavilion, the Spiny Softshell Turtle exhibit is still under construction. The Softshell Turtle was moved to the Midland Painted Turtle exhibit, where, today it was harassing any Painted Turtles that went in the water. A Keeper that noticed the harassing kept an eye on things, later deciding that one of the species will have to be moved from the exhibit if it continues.
Saw the Barn Owl out of his little box for the first time today. This may have been confirmed before, I just can’t remember, but I can safely say that he’s missing about half of his left wing, thereby making him unable to fly.
Jaguars and Spider Monkey’s were not out today. There were fences blocking the pathway behind the waterfall and the entrance into the Jaguar building. Signage mentioned exhibit maintenance, but weirdly enough there was a danger sign, which you don’t usually see when sections are blocked off for maintenance. It was almost as if 1 or both Jaguars were being moved out of the enclosure and into a vehicle, although I can’t confirm that, as it’s just speculation on my part. Flamingos and Macaws were on exhibit.
White Rhino Tom is still with the girls, for anyone wondering.
New Zebra filly was on exhibit for the first time today with mom Tori and females Lori Anne and Leia. Tori was very protective of her newborn, keeping the other girls away with kicks and biting, although for the most part, there was no contact. Leia was extremely interested in the new filly, often trying to assert her dominance. Tori would chase Leia away, as the filly ran for safety behind Tori. There were Keepers on watch all day making sure everything went well.
White Lion cub, Hank, is under veterinarian care after he tried going after Fintan’s food, I’m assuming on exhibit, as they’re fed separately off exhibit. Fintan apparently injured Hank to the point that Hank was limping around.
