For Amanda: a giraffe! And maybe a hippo.

[urbpan]

I received a donation for AAZK with this note: "I am fond of elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and hippos." Who isn't? Our giraffes are a big hit with our guests, impressive beasts that they are. They are our largest animals at the zoos, with only the Bactrian camels coming close to the same size. Unfortunately, we don't have a winter exhibit for them, and they are very sensitive to cold temperatures. Fortunately, I do have cause to go into the giraffe barn every now and then! Here's Jana, our female Masai giraffe.



Isn't she pretty?

But what about the hippo? In our Tropical Forest exhibit, we have a pygmy hippo. Her name is Cleopatra, and she is about the size of an adult pig. The more familiar Nile hippo is a much larger creature--we don't have any of those. Pygmy hippos are from the dense rain forests of Liberia in West Africa where they do most of their feeding at night, on land. Cleo is exhibited with a pair of Rüppell's Griffin Vultures, beautiful carrion birds that hold the record for highest recorded altitude of any bird.



Here she is as seen from the main walkway, below one of the vultures (I can't tell if it's Sam or Tanya).


Here she is in the water--she doesn't go in a lot, just for quick dips. She spends much of her day dozing in a bed of straw, looking like a shiny purple pig. But when she goes in the water you can get a really cool view of her:


Down in the Hippo theater the backdrop is a viewing window to Cleo's pool! There's actually a big tank full of Lake Victoria Cichlids in between the pool and the window, so it gives the illusion that there are fish in the pool with her:



Cleo came from another zoo and she was one of the first animals I took care of while she was in quarantine. I would characterize her as smart and gentle, but we did use dangerous animal protocols with her. She occasionally yawned to show off her tusks, which was a good reminder to give her her space.



Thanks for your donation, Amanda! I'll be sending the stickers later on.

If you have a request for a zoo animal you would like me to photograph, simply click the button and donate $5.00 to the New England Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers! Thanks!

Still to come: Lemurs using their hammock.

Comments

[pagawne.livejournal.com]

Giraffes have the softest mouths in the world, I think. I actually got to hand feed one at Glen Rose one magical afternoon. (No I didn't "stay in the car" she wanted to be fed and couldn't reach.

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

I saw giraffes "doing it" in Tanzania in 1976. They were swinging their long necks around the whole time and made an incredible sound that I have no way to describe. They are such freakishly beautiful creatures, their siloettes on the plain seems to define an environment and sadly, an era.


Great photo!

[plantmom.livejournal.com]

Cleo is beautiful!