I try to go to SeaWorld, the Zoo, and the Safari Park each week, and I really don’t like to miss one of them. Thus I start early in the week so that if work gets in the way, I’ll have as many done as possible. Today’s trip was to the San Diego Zoo, and it was one of the best visits I’ve ever had. The animals seemed to know that I was coming today and were being very photogenic. And animals that are rarely seen — fishing cat, Andean condor, maned wolf — were out and about. Enjoy!
Gimme some tongue, Baby!
Rhinoceros at the San Diego Zoo
Red kangaroo at the San Diego Zoo
Capybaras (world’s largest rodent) at the San Diego Zoo
Maned wolves at the San Diego Zoo
Polar bear at the San Diego Zoo
Andean condor at the San Diego Zoo
“I love you.” “And I love you, too.”
Malayan tiger at the San Diego Zoo
Albino Burmese python at the San Diego Zoo
Fishing cat at the San Diego Zoo
Coronated fruit dove at the San Diego Zoo
Gharial and reflection at the San Diego Zoo
Baby flamingo at the San Diego Zoo
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Russel Ray Photos 
I thought albino meant white with no pigment, pink skin…not yellow jazzy patterns! LOL
“.”
Cat
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All it really means is pink eye. Pink eye, albino. No pink eye, no albino.
As an example, if you saw my pictures of the white peacock, it did not have pink eyes. Therefore it was not an albino. It was simply a white peacock.
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Thank you so very much…I truly appreciate the info, Life is about learning and you do a wonderfully interesting job of it in all of your post and sharing!
“.”
Cat
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Absolutely fantastic…I loved the albino python, but I think the polar bear was my favorite. Oh, who am I kidding? They were all terrific and brought a smile to my face.
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Love the polar bear! He looks so relaxed!
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I love to go zooing with you. Thank you very much !
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Is that the baby giraffe that was born in June? The mama was startled when we all started applauding as the baby dropped out. She looked at us as if to say “What did I do, why are you applauding?” It was her first baby.
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Actually, that is mama! I couldn’t get a picture of the two-month-old baby this trip around because it was hidden amongst the legs of all the bigger ones.
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A rather provocative title!
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I know where you’re mind is at. Of course, my mind was at the same place when I thought of the title………lol
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Love the photo and reflection of the Gharial! Great catchy title too Russel! Hugs my friend! I live vicariously through your photos of life in your neck of the woods!
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I love all the photos and cannot identify one i like more than the others … thank you for the share…
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Great City!
Visited it once want to do so again
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Fantastic shots!!! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
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Oh, lovely shots. Just which way round does the baby flamingo think he is?! Zoey and the fishing cat look to have a lot in common.
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The Rhinoceros was very photogenic today. Maned wolves were taller than I expected. They look like a fox with wolf legs. Awesome pictures that I enjoyed viewing. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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love your photos.. my favorite is the magnificent andean condor..
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I think the python looks gorgeous. Love the fishing cat
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I didn’t know what to expect with that title but… what a brilliant photo! And I had a warm fuzzy moment when I saw the fishing cat – looks like my boy Harry, just a bit bigger 😀
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p.s. that shot of the gharial is exquisite.
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I love the capyberras! So cute!
Hey, question … I enjoy the zoo too. What’s a good answer to people when they say they don’t go to zoos because they feel the animals are “trapped.” (I disagree, but I need a good answer, please help!)
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I would just make sure that those people who don’t believe animals should be in Zoos don’t have any pet dogs, cats, snakes, rats, mice, birds, lizards, fish……
If we didn’t have Zoos, we wouldn’t have any California condors left, or white rhinoceroses, or……… too many to list.
Google “Why have zoos” and read throught the pros and cons. A great majority of the cons were valid decades ago. They are not valid anymore mainly because of the leadership of the San Diego Zoological Society and the founding of the Zoo’s Safari Park in 1976 when animals from the same habitat were first put together (except for carnivores). Personally, I hope that the people who visit Zoos will see the magnificence of what Mother and Father Nature have created and be a little more judicious in taking care of the Earth so that humans and wildlife can continue to exist.
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Great answer! Thank you! What I’ve been saying was it’s educational, keeps kids off the streets and in some instances the animals are more protected.
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Nice photos, when in the Everglades I was told the place is being taken over by rapidly reproducing pythons that people have dumped there. Don’t think I’d want to run into one, albino or not.
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Unfortunately, pythons love the Everglades. It’s amazing how rapidly they are reproducing there. Although I’m sure some people have dumped their too-large pets there, genetic testing indicates that the original wild population came from a pet store that was destroyed by a hurricane many decades ago.
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Whatever the source, I hiked anticipating pythons everywhere. No very relaxing.
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If you’re hiking, I can guarantee you that the pythons are hiding. They are not social and pretty much run away from humans. They also like to hide during the day and hunt at night. Even if you were to come upon one, you’re not really at risk because they really just don’t like you.
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Whew, Thank you. I rarely hike at night and I will not be insulted if they don’t like me.
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The “Polar Bear at rest” knocks my socks off. I bookmarked this page for 7yr-old granddaughter Brittany; she will love it.
Blessings to you, Russel – Maxi
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Yay! The red kangaroo ears were my fave. I’m a sucker for cute animal ears. : )
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An ear fetish, huh? Gives me an idea.
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LOL! And, tails. : )
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Now you’re really giving me ideas. That could be bad, you know…….lol
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Absolutely stunning photos
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Thanks!
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Great post title. Great photos. Love zoos.
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I don’t know you well enough to, as you say, “give you some tongue.”
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They sell tongue in the grocery store………….lol
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Awe.. them turtles.
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We’ve been to the zoo a few times, my favorite is the meerkats, here they are sunning their tummy’s in late afternoon sun.
http://www.picture2life.com/Explore/Sunnydaye/17196166
I liked your Kangaroo pic, a little unexpected…love that.
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Fishing cat & baby flamingo were my favorites, but honestly I loved ALL of your photogenic pets! 🙂
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Fun shots! I love the kitties and the water turtles! AHAHA
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The pix are so lovely and the little flamingo has stolen my heart 🙂
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Love the turtle pictures!!
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Absolutely awesome!
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I am curious about you going to these places every week. How did that come about? How long do you stay? What do you get out of it? You must know the individual animals quite well.
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How it came about: The first time I went to the Zoo back in 1999 I enjoyed it. I saw that an annual membership cost only twice what one visit would cost. With an annual membership there is no need to go early and stay late in order “to get my money’s worth.” I could go whenever I wanted and spend as much, or little, time as I wanted.
How long I stay: Since I don’t like large crowds, I usually go at 9:00 a.m. and leave by noon. Another advantage of going early in the morning is that all the wildlife get breakfast or have just had breakfast, so they are up and moving instead of sleeping or hiding. I also use the Zoo as a refuge from traffic whenever I’m downtown and have an afternoon home inspection that ends during rush hour. Why sit in traffic stressing out and wasting gas? Off to the Zoo for a couple of hours.
What I get out of it: Exercise and stress relief. I use the Zoo as a way to escape from the computer; my doctor and optometrist like that. The Zoo and the Wild Animal Park are very hilly, so a walk around them is extremely good exercise. Much more fun to walk around them than it is to walk around the neighborhood.
As I became rich and famous (ha!), I added to my annual memberships other places that I like to go: SeaWorld, Maritime Museum, Natural History Museum. Add those to the Zoo and Safari Park (which is actually part of the Zoo but 45 miles away and 20 times larger), and I have five places I can go each week, one each day, to get escape, have fun, relieve daily stress, and get exercise.
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Excellent way to spend time. Thanks for replying so thoroughly to my questions.
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