A muddy rhino is a happy rhino.
Bison (Bison bison)
This is what happens when you use the Bison Brush extension in Photoshop.
Red Panda Intern
I was attempting to get a photo of the zoo intern on her last day of work.
Bactrian Camel
This is the sort of shot that you can get at a wildlife park that you really can’t get at a zoo.
The Wilds
At the bigger zoos, you can choose to spend the night on site. This is most useful in places that are far away from regular hotels, like the Durrell Park on the Isle of Jersey, the San Diego Safari Park, and here, at The Wilds.
It’s not a cheap place to stay, but when you factor in the cost of travel, it’s not unreasonable. It is rather relaxing to have a place to just drop your gear after a long day of shooting.
I was staying in the one in the center of the shot. It was more isolated than the others and, other than a tree that get in the way, gave me a nice view at night.
Wooly Bear
This was taken with entirely the wrong lens. One should really use a macro lens to take a nice up-close photo of a caterpillar. Alas, all I had was a telephoto. So I took this shot from about five meters away.
Wilds
The Wilds is a place much like the Safari Park out in San Diego, except that it’s on reclaimed strip mine land in the middle of Ohio. To see the good things, you have to take the ride on the special truck. Unlike the Safari Park, though, there is no way to get one all to yourself, so you have to basically shoot around people which can be annoying.
Because each animal is relatively free to roam, and there are no enclosures, the feed trucks are sent out in the morning and the animals sort of congregate upon them. This is both an efficient way to feed the animals and it trains them to not be afraid of the trucks.
Turkey Vulture
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Trumpeter Swan
Even after you’ve been married for years, do not ask your swan to remove that neck ribbon.
It will not end well.
Przewalskii’s Wild Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii)
Remember, always plant your horse seeds the right side up.
Ostrich
“Did you bring a second sandwich?”
Grévy’s zebra (Equus grevyi)
Sometimes even grass can be morally ambiguous.
Wolf
“Can you stick out your tongue and touch … never mind.”
Horse
Due to their size, playing tips with horses is both harder and more dangerous than with house cats. Some of them, though, take your comfort into consideration and add fur.
Wolf
“You can’t see me. I’m a weed!”
Red Panda
✓ Move eyes to the front
✓ Evolve grasping hands
✓ Become bipedal
_ Discover tools
_ Discover fire
_ Use cuteness to lull humanity into a false sense of security and strike when they least expect it!
Bactrian Camel
Unlike their one-humped cousins, bactrian camels offer a choice between regular and chocolate milk.
Red Panda
When playing live-action Go, green often wins over red.
Bactrian Camel
Zoos typically re-align their camels on Fridays so they look pretty for the weekend.
Prairie Dog performing Hamlet
“O, I die, Horatio;
The potent poison quite o’er-crows my spirit:
I cannot live to hear the news from England;
But I do prophesy the election lights
On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice;
So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less,
Which have solicited. The rest is silence.”