Lowry Park Zoo

Friday, 25 July 2014

2 months ago, I googled for a zoo to spend my birthday and I was grateful that the Lowry Park Zoo (1101 West Sligh Avenue, Tampa, FL 33604) gives free admission for birthday guests!   I am also grateful that my employer granted me this day off so that I could visit the zoo.    So we only paid $22.95 (for seniors 60 and above) and saved $24.95 (adult).















There were a lot of children in the zoo today, since it is still school break.  So there were school groups and family groups outings.

We had a wonderful time at the zoo.   We were thankful that it didn't rain while we there for 6 hours!   Isolated thunderstorms was forecasted for yesterday afternoon.   Many trees shaded us from the sun.   There were 7 free zoo rides and we got on the "expedition Africa guided safaris".   Got to touch a lama, stood close to a owl and touched stingrays.

Touched a lama, for the very 1st time in my life!

Beautiful owl.  We were warned not to touch it or else we would be hurt by the bird.

If we hadn't looked up, we wouldn't have saw her, nesting!

I think it is a mongoose.

Initially there was only the lone female elephant feeding at the pile of hay, where the mother and baby elephants were feeding in this picture.    The lone female picked up a big bundle of hay, with her trunk, and walked quickly to the left when the mother and baby elephants came up!

This is the most favourite part of my visit - the manatee.   I have not heard or learnt about manatee until now.    1st manatee we saw was one swimming with its back out of the water.   The sign board said:

Quote:

Why is that manatee floating?
The manatee that you see with its back out of the water is suffering from an injury caused by a boat strike.  Its ribs were broken, which punctured a lung, causing its body cavity to fill with air.

What will happen to it?
It is receiving veterinary and supportive care until the lung can heal and hold air again.  The trapped air will then be tapped out or absorbed by the body and barring any infection it should make a full recovery and be released back into the wild.

Unquote


We were able to see other manatees.   It was so interesting to watch them.   They are so gentle.   We were told they will eventually be released into the wild.

We saw this statue at the entrance but I didn't care for it until after the visit to the live manatees.   I thought the statue looked worn out and dull.   Took this picture when we were making our way out of the zoo and I am so glad I did.

Don't remember what snakes they are.  There were two of them sleeping together.

Who is the hunter here?

A young water buffalo playing with a can.

Touching stingrays was a first time for me too.   We were told verbally.   There were also written posters on the pillars of the bay stating that we use only our 2 fingers to touch them on their fins.   They feel so soft and silky.   I really enjoyed seeing them swim and flagging their fins.   Neither Mike and I took any pictures of this interaction.   I guess we were both carried away with the beauty of the stingrays.   If I recalled correctly, there were 17 of them.

Just love the zoos and being with God's creation and nature.

Little Rock Zoo

Monday, 3 June 2013

Visit to the Little Rock Zoo again!

Little Rock Zoo

Thursday, 25 April 2013

One of the favourite places of interest that I like to visit - the Zoo.    It was $8 admission fee for Mike and $10 for me.   And $2 for parking.

The snakes of different colours.

The birds.  The white swam had a nest!

The fishes

Some of the animals

It was interesting to watch the giraffee knocking on the wall with his leg not just once but continuously.   I guess he was telling the other something.   I thought it was a female giraffe inside but later realised it was also a male.

Mike said let us take a picture

Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

2nd time visiting this Zoo.   Unlike 1st visit on the 6 August 2011, today wasn't as hot.

Praire dogs














Flamingoes











Bear

Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Today was Dollar Day at the Tulsa Zoo (6421 East 36th Street North, Tulsa, OK 74115)! Normal admission is $8, car park (weekends only) is $2, train ride is $1.50 one way. Total normal weekend admission & car park would have cost us a total of $18. But today we saved $15 because we only paid $1 each for the 2 of us and the car park was $1. We didn't go on the train ride.

Months before 31 July, the website said free admission on the 1st Saturday of August. At least they were getting in some money today. I am sure it is expensive to maintain a zoo. If they don't have a free or dollar day, we would still visit one day. The zoo is one of my favorite places to visit.

Entrance



Trashcan Man


Eastern diamondback rattlesnake


Tropical American Rain Forest





Fiji Banded Iguana


Komodo dragon


"Charity" - a penguin of the 2002 "Penguins on Parade" - a Tulsa Zoo fundraising project

You can find pictures of other "Penguins on Parade" in another blog - Irene's A Different Kind of Hunting

Lesser spot-nosed Guenon


African penguins



Giraffe, the tallest living animal? There were 3 of them in the enclosure. I guess the tallest was the father, under the shed, while the one in the sun was the mother. The shortest one was busy chewing leaves from a broken branch in a corner.


A Mammoth scene


Asian elephants.


"Maverick" who died in 1993 when he was only 7 years old.


150 cm ball black stone, spinning non-stop on a bed of pressurized water.


Exit!


Mike said "the animals are smart, they are in the cool, the people are stupid, they walk in the heat".

Yes, it was a hot day but not that terrible because there were resting and cooling stations along the tracks. Yes, most animals, that were kept in the open, were resting in the shade and so we didn't get to see them. On the whole, we enjoyed the 3-1/2 hrs there. The Zoo and living museum was great. Beautiful zoo! An interesting way to get your exercise by walking on the 78 acre land. Worth visiting for all their normal fees.