Ring Tailed Lemur

Ok, I have to tell a story here about this guy, and I have to be honest with you guys, Yes, I had to go back a second time (well, it didn't cost me anything!) to see if I could get a better look at these guys. I got several shots of these lemurs and this one has a story behind it, that I have to share. I walked around the whole zoo this day, actually twice (and it's a huge place!) and came upon the Ring-tailed lemurs. First trip I couldn't see much, just alot of trees, and no lemurs, well, maybe a small glimpse up in the trees. Maybe frightened by the little kids that came running through! So I passed them up and about an hour or so later, on my way out, I turned around and went back and did another walk through. It was late in the afternoon and most everyone was leaving, so the crowd was gone. I came upon the Ring-tailed lemurs exhibit again and there they were......In plain view! I walked very slow up as close as I could to the fence, I didn't want to spook them in anyway. They sat and played and this one watched me for the longest time and it's like they knew who I was and what I'm all about. Okay, call me crazy, but this is my story, ok? Anyway, afew minutes later two of them kind of walked away and headed back up into the tree, but this little guy stayed behind....he's the one that was watching me. I didn't have a clue how to call a lemur, or what to say, or even if he'd understand me, so I just started talking in a low, soft voice and then there it was. He was making little sounds, very low, almost like a kitten. Every time he did this, I would say something back and it's almost as if he understood me.. And yes, I have to admit that I turned around every few seconds to see if anyone was coming up behind me to tell me I was crazy! This was one of the most unforgettable experiences I have ever had with any type of animal, even though a fence stood between us. I almost cried as I walked away because I feel like I could've stayed there forever with this little guy and I wondered so much what it would be like to hold the little guy. But then I remembered, these are not pets and they are wild animals, and that is where they belong......Out in the Wild, not in a zoo, not in a cage or in someone's backyard.

Clouded Leopard

Well you'll see afew shots of this guy. An awesome Clouded Leopard! I love these animals and watched this one for close to an hour while I was there. There are trees all around the exhibit here and the viewing area consist of a two-way glass about 8 x 6ft, so that gives these guys plenty of privacy. No watching the kids gawking at them and snapping pictures. I do want to add that I use a Olympus digital camera, and never, ever use my flash around these animals. The pictures still turn out really good and the animal goes undisturbed!

Tiger In A Tub

Got some decent shots of the two bengal tigers, well, considering the distance there was between me and them. Here the white tiger lounges in a tub. It was 90 degrees that day and very humid and sticky conditions....even for a tiger!

Dwarf Caiman

Marine Toad

Red Knee Tarantula

Ok, I promised one of my friend's that I would post some more pictures of some "creepy, crawlie" things, so here you go! To start off we have the famous Red Knee Tarantula!
Once commonly known in the pet trade, this species is now protected by CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species).

Blanchard's Milksnake

Rock Rattlesnake

Memorial Day at the Zoo

Hi and Welcome to another blog from Tigerkitty42. I spent my morning out at the local zoo here in Nashville, which is about 5 miles or less from where I live. I got there right as they were opening up and still had to wait in line in almost 90 degree heat and sweltering humidity! This is phase one of my pics and watch for phase II coming soon! Enjoy!

Petting Zoo

This is mainly for the smaller kids, but with supervision of course. There are signs hanging everywhere that indicate that these guys are known to Nibble!

Ring-tail Lemurs

This one was a huge let down. I was actually looking for the Red ruffed lemurs and this is all I found and these two guys were sleeping in the tree, these are Ringtail lemurs.

Ok, can you spot the White Tiger? hah! This is the best I could do in a pic, but I was able to see him better than the camera allowed. I was told if I wanted to get a closer and better look to come back just around sunset, like after 5pm. But this much I already knew.

Bengal Tiger Habitat

Here is a picture of the Bengal Tiger habitat. There are currently two Bengal tigers here, and this does include one White Tiger. Unfortunately, due to the heat and the high humitity, I was unable to get a picture of these guys. If you really want to see some Tigers up close and personal, visit the Tigerhomes.org Website for live animal cams, and yes, they have Tigers!

Cheetah

MeerKat

Snakes, Snakes, Snakes

And this is actually small for this type of snake, the Anaconda! Wow was this snake awesome!

And this one is for Val, where ever you are!

BATS, BATS, BATS!!!

This is for my friend at Tigerhomes, Alex, who is a HardCore Bat Lover! Sorry, Alex! This is the best pic I could get of these guys!

Cougar

I got to see a Cougar in person for the first time ever today and what an awesome experience. Unfortunately, there were several "Grown" kids trying to make noises and get this one stirred up and you can tell this one was alittle bothered by the noise. Much to my surprise, he sounded almost like my grown cat when he opened his mouth! It was so awesome to hear a cougar for the first time ever!

Red Panda

While I was there I watched the Snow Leopard, also known as a Tree Tiger, for almost an hour. I was awed at this amazingly beautiful and stunning creature.

Clouded Leopard

This is a picture of the Awesome Clouded Leopard. Wow! I was so stoked that I was less than a foot away from this beautiful big Cat and the only thing seperating us was about two inches of glass!

Memorial Day at the Zoo

Posted below are some pictures I took today while on a photo shoot out at the zoo. First I do want to say that this is the first time I have been back to the zoo in about 6 years. Over the past year I have been an active member of the tigerhomes.org website and in that time my views of the zoo and how I view their operations have changed dramatically. I have always been a lover of Wildlife every since I was a child growing up and have always been most fascinated with tigers and Wolves. There's a part of me that feels close to them and I can relate to them in many ways. Many people will read this and think this is pure craziness, but it is how I feel and how I've ALWAYS felt. Visiting this website and becoming an active member, just brought all those old feelings back to reality. Wild animals, are just that, wild, and that is where they belong. Their habitats should remain, untouched by human hands, as they deserve their own place to live. Unfortunately, due to man, many of their homes and surroundings are being destroyed every day and lost due to man's greed and their "wants", not giving a second thought to these awesome animals, and not worrying at all what happens to them. You can check out my other blogs about the Tigerhomes sanctuary located in South Florida or visit them at their website at www.tigerhomes.org . I have learned more over the past year from these guys than I have in my life to date, and they are truly a one-of-a-kind place. Their website has tons of information on wild exotic animals, over 30 live web cams where you can take your own snapshots of the animals, they have a gift shop, and a forum where various discussions take place. They are operation soley on donations from people like you and me and I sincerely hope once you visit, you will feel it in your heart to give a donation.
Ok, now for my trip to the zoo! There are several animals that I was mainly focused on, but due to the extreme heat and humid conditions, some of them were not in range for getting good pictures, but here you will find what I got to see today.