Late Fall At The Zoo Part II

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, I went to the Denver Zoo this past Saturday afternoon to walk around and take a few photographs. And for once, one of the clouded leopards came out of hiding, and I was able to snap the photograph of it on the left. One of the parents was telling their kids that it was a baby, but I think it is actually the female that rotates it's compound with the male clouded leopard. They used to share the space, but once again, it is the same old story: after the kids left home, they spent all their time fighting, and after many sessions with the zoo's animal psychiatrist, they decided to split up.

The male orangutan was out and about on Saturday, too. This gentle looking beast is always willing to look right into the lens of the camera and pose for a portrait, God bless it. Whom I haven't seen yet is the new baby orangutan and its mother. That baby was born at the end of August, but mother and child still seem to be keeping a low profile. As regular blog readers will remember, the last orangutan baby born at the zoo was cared for by the male featured in the photograph on the right, after the mother unexpectedly passed away, which I guess never happens in the wild. Hopefully, this time the mother and baby will stay healthy.

There is also a new mandrill baby at the zoo, which is much more visible, I'm happy to say. Last time, the mother was sitting right in front of the viewing window, more or less showing off her new baby to zoo visitors, and I able to get a good photograph of the two of them. This time, they were in the back of the compound, although I was able to get a profile shot of them, as seen in the photograph on the left. I think the mother was looking out past their cage to the outside world, and explaining to her child why they could never leave. Sad.

And, of course, I was able to get a photograph of the giraffe, as seen on the right, while I was standing on the platform which is used by zoo visitors to hand feed the giraffes, if they register in advance and pay an additional fee. It is rare that anyone else is allowed to enter the area, but there were two docents present answering questions about the animals, and so I guess it was just a one-time deal. And no doubt, that poor creature thought I was going to give it a snack. Sorry guy!