Wednesday, October 07, 2020

Kicking Up My Heels at the Wildlife World Zoo

I told you last Friday that Denis and I spent some glorious free time at the Wildlife World Zoo, and here is the photographic proof. This zoo is way out in Litchfield Park at the western edge of the Phoenix metropolitan area, but we prefer it to the much much closer Phoenix Zoo. It's a lot bigger; consequently, it has lots more critters to observe and more room for 2020's all-important social distancing.

I hadn't been off the property to do something "frivolous" since January 31, so you had to know that I was absolutely ecstatic to take part in our carefully considered outing. Now it's time to let my photos do most of the talking!


Denis and I always visit at mid-day and at mid-week. As you can see by the lack of people in this photo, we didn't have any trouble keeping our distance. I'd bet the farm that you can't say that on the weekends!


There's Denis in the plaid shirt and tan hat taking the African Train Ride. The Wildlife World Zoo also has an Australian Boat Ride, a Flume Ride, the Skyride, and a tram. We're going to let Daisy handle the Soaring Eagle Zip Line the next time she visits!


Since it was mid-day and at least 100° we found most of the critters taking advantage of the shade-- like this American Alligator. There's nothing like a mudhole and some shade on a hot day.


This mama was standing guard. I've been watching the zoo's babies grow on Facebook and Instagram. It was so much better to see them in person!


These Australian Black Swans were watching every move I made. When I looked around me, I realized that it was because I was standing right next to a feeding station. Doh!


This Black-Handed Spider Monkey was definitely enjoying his apple.


When I realized that the monkey was feeding the carp, I tried to remember how to record video on my camera, but I took too long, darn it. If you look closely enough, you'll see a carp nose poking out of the water. It had been so long since I'd used anything other than the camera on my phone that my "real" camera "forgot" some of my settings!


The cheetah is my favorite of the big cats. I first saw this beauty when it played peekaboo with me over a huge boulder.


I just had to share another photo. All my cheetah photos were taken through wire, and you can't even see that it's there. I love this camera (even when I don't remember how to record video)!


Have you ever seen a dromedary camel yawn?


Meerkat Snooze Time


Plains Zebras


The newest exhibit at the zoo is for a pair of pygmy hippos. They were playing in the water, then dashing out to chase each other around in the grass and mud before diving into the water again. Denis' very short video is next.



Did you know that President Calvin Coolidge had an assortment of exotic animals-- and that all pygmy hippos in the United States are descended from his pet, Billy?


A Red-Crested Pochard


Although there were zoo employees all over the place, when I looked around to ask one why this reticulated giraffe was licking the paint off the barn wall, I couldn't find anyone. Typical, eh?


This Stanley Crane came over to say hello. Perhaps it just liked my lemur mask. All the zoo employees did.


This wallaby had plenty of grass and shade for its naptime.


I don't know when our next visit will be, but I hope it's soon. This did my emotional well being a whole lot of good!

22 comments:

  1. What wonderful photos. I love the babies. And a monkey feeding a fish, amazing. Had no idea they do that.
    So glad you got to take that trip after months of being cooped-up, although having many projects and hobbies. It's so nice to see animals.
    And I love cheetahs, too.
    It's good just to see the photos.

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  2. Oh, those 'photos are just so uplifting, Cathy! They're great shots, and they really were a tonic to see. I'm so very glad you and Denis got to take such a great trip, be outdoors, see the animals, etc.. How rejuvenating!

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  3. I really enjoy your blog Kathy - I'm fairly new subscriber, and love that your offer the RSS feed. RSS seems to be going by the wayside these days, but its very helpful for me.
    Great zoo outing you had was terrific! I enjoyed going along.
    I'm curious, perhaps I overlooked it, but what camera are you using, and post-processing software. Your images are nice and sharp when viewed full screen.
    Stay safe and healthy - Ev

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Ev!

      My camera is a Nikon Coolpix P900 with 83x optical zoom and built-in Wi-Fi. With a zoom that large, it's heavy, so it's not for everybody, but I'm no professional photographer, so I need a digital camera with my favorite bells and whistles. Since I love wildlife photography, that means as much zoom as possible.

      I wanted the Wi-Fi feature to make it easier to post photos to places like Facebook and Instagram. Normally, I just hook up to the Wi-Fi, transfer the photos to my iPhone, and do any editing on my phone. I also have an ancient version of Paint Shop Pro that I use to edit photos here on my computer. I'll use it as long as my computer lets me because I'm a big fan of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

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    2. Great minds I guess Cathy...
      I too am a point and shoot nature/birds/wildlife photographer. Earlier in the year I upgraded from the P900 to the P950. Also for butterflies/dragonflies and when I don't think I'm going to need the big zoom I use a Panasonic-Lumix FZ1000 - 1" sensor. If the time comes for a different photo editor - highly recommend the free FastStone Image Viewer and/or PhotoScape X.

      Thanks and look forward to your writings and photos.

      Ev
      https://evsphotos.smugmug.com/

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    3. Thanks for the recommendation, Ev. I have to laugh... my other camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70, and I also love to photograph dragonflies, damselflies, and butterflies. Great minds indeed!

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    4. Now that I'm back from SmugMug, I have to say that you've taken some fabulous photos. I'll be going back to enjoy some more!

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    5. Such a nice coincidence about the cameras Cathy. Appreciate very much the kind words about my photos. Funny, I didn't have much interest in photography until I discovered the superzooms.

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    6. My interest grew with the advent of digital cameras. As I was growing up, money was extremely scarce, and Mom couldn't afford to buy film for me to tinker around learning how to take photos.

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  4. Glad this escape to the zoo did you good, Cathy. I love the tidbit about the pygmy hippo and Calvin Coolidge!

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    1. I can't remember where I learned that, but it certainly stuck in my mind and was one of the reasons why I wanted to visit them as soon as I learned the zoo had a new exhibit featuring them.

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  5. These were great, Cathy, and I'm so glad you guys got out and visited your animal friends. Loved the camel yawning!

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    1. I thanked that camel for the photo op, I'll have you know! LOL

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  6. Love every one of these photos! Now I want to take a trip to our nearby zoo! That was a very interesting fact about President Calvin Coolidge!

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    1. My knowledge of Coolidge didn't extend much past his nickname of Silent Cal, so I really appreciated learning this critter fact.

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  7. Love the photos - so glad you were able to go and enjoy!

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    1. Now I'm wanting to go back so much that I'm almost vibrating! LOL

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  8. Great photos. I love zoos that are well run and in which the animals appear healthy and relatively content. Looks like yours is doing a good job.

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    1. Yes, it is. It took me decades to warm up to zoos because the first one I visited as a child had almost all the animals in small barred cages and seeing them pace back and forth endlessly and look so unhappy broke my heart.

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  9. So fun! I feel like I learned a lot. The monkey feeding the carp is so cool. What a fun adventure!

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