The Bounty of Summer

The bounty of summer brings out the inner veggie lover in me.

Zoo Master Plans

TO the surprise of no one! Ha ha ha... I have a collection of Master Plans for zoos.  I enjoy reading about the ins and outs of zoo designs and aspirations.  A summer project was to organize them into notebooks.  Then I decided to make spines for them. 

VOLUME ONE

Zoo Master Plans

1) BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA)
2) Biohabitat Design Firm (Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
3) Blank Park Zoo (Des Moines, Iowa, USA)
4) Brandywine Zoo (Wilmington, Delaware, USA)
5) Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA)

Featured Species

1) Blue Poison Dart Frog
2) Reticulated Giraffe

VOLUME TWO

Zoo Master Plans

6) Denver Zoo (Denver, Colorado, USA)
7) El Paso Zoo (El Paso, Texas, USA)
8) Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA)
9) Erie Zoo (Erie, Pennsylvania, USA)

Featured Species

3) White-faced Gibbon
4) Monarch Butterfly
5) Southern White Rhinoceros
6) Caribbean Flamingo

VOLUME THREE

Zoo Master Plans

10) Fresno Chaffee Zoo (Fresno, California, USA)
11) Greenville Zoo (Greenville, South Carolina, USA)
12) Hamilton Zoo (Hamilton, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, New Zealand)
13) Henson Robinson Zoo (Springfield, Illinois, USA)
14) Zoo Idaho (Pocatello, Idaho, USA)

Featured Species

7) Alpaca
8) North American Gray Wolf
9) Western Pond Turtle
10) Scarlet Macaw

VOLUME FOUR

Zoo Master Plans

15) Jackson Zoo (Jackson, Mississippi, USA)
16) John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA)
17) Lake Superior Zoo (Duluth, Minnesota, USA)
18) Little Rock Zoo (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA)

Featured Species

11) Bobcat
12) Meller's Chameleon
13) Lesser Kudu
14) Common Chimpanzee

 VOLUME FIVE

Zoo Master Plans

19) Louisville Zoo (Louisville, Kentucky, USA)
20) Maryland Zoo (Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
21) Menominee Zoo (Menominee, Wisconsin, USA)
22) Miller Park Zoo (Bloomington, Illinois, USA)

Featured Species

15) Giant Panda
16) Malayan Tapir
17) Nine-striped Skink
18) Red Kangaroo
19) African Penguin

VOLUME SIX

Zoo Master Plans

23) Minnesota Zoo (Apple Valley, Minnesota, USA)
24) Moonridge Animal Park (Big Bear Lake, California, USA)
25) Naples Zoo (Naples, Florida, USA)
26) NEW Zoo (Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA)
27) Niabi Zoo (Coal Valley, Illinois, USA)

Featured Species

20) Pink-backed Pelican
21) African Elephant
22) Black-footed Ferret
23) Alpine Goat




VOLUME SEVEN

Zoo Master Plans

28) Oklahoma City Zoo (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA)
29) Oregon Zoo (Portland, Oregon, USA)
30) Perth Zoo (Perth, Western Australia, Australia)

Featured Species

24) Golden Lion Tamarin
25) Major Miller's Cockatoo
25) Arabian Oryx
26) African Lion
27) Common Ostrich

VOLUME EIGHT

31) Potawatomi Zoo (South Bend, Indiana, USA)
32) Potter Park Zoo (Lansing, Michigan, USA)
33) Reid Park Zoo (Tucson, Arizona, USA)
34) Rosamond Gifford Zoo (Syracuse, New York, USA)

Featured Species

28) Grizzly Bear
29) Giant Anteater
30) California Sea Lion
31) Bactrian Camel

VOLUME NINE

Zoo Master Plans

35) Salisbury Zoo (Salisbury, Maryland, USA)
36) Seneca Park Zoo (Rochester, New York, USA)
37) Sequoia Zoo (Eureka, California, USA)
38) Smithsonian National Zoo (Washington, DC, USA)
Zoos South Australia
39) Adelaide Zoo (Adelaide, South Australia, USA)
40) Monarto Zoo (Monarto South, South Australia, Australia)

Featured Species

32) Spur-thighed Tortoise
33) Emerald Python
34) Cheetah

VOLUME TEN

Zoo Master Plans

41) Sunset Zoo (Topeka, Kansas, USA)
42) Toronto Zoo (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
43) Utica Zoo (Utica, New York, USA)
44) Washington Park Zoo (Michigan City, Indiana, USA)

Featured Species

35) Amur Tiger
36) Clownfish
37) Polar Bear
38) Common Raven
39) American Bison
40) Burchell's Plains Zebra

I Am An Atheist In Good Company, Fifth Quote

Goldfinches Faded Restoration Project

My little flock of goldfinches has succumb to the UV rays deleterious effects on pigments.  I am presently restoring them and they all see to find the transformation of the first among them quite worth their curiosity.

 

Eastern Black Swallowtails

It's been a good summer for this species...

Maryland Zoo Adventure

Took a dear friend to the Maryland Zoo yesterday and got to share one of my favorite places with her.  We took our time and got to see many of my favorite aspects--as with all zoos, you're always at the mercy of the animals.  Here are some pics.

AFRICAN PENGUINS

"You lookin' at me, kid?"

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

The Maryland Zoo's African Elephant herd consists of four animals: The adult bull, Tuffy (36), two adult females, Anna (44) and Felix (36), and one adolescent male, Samson (11).  Samson was born at the Maryland zoo to Felix and Tuffy.  While both genders of African Elephants grow tusks, neither Tuffy nor Felix have them.  Below, Samson is participating in a keeper healthcare check, and Anna has come over to keep him company.  As the Matriarch of the herd, Anna, is very deferential to the feelings of the others.

The elephant's home at the zoo has just undergone a $20,000,000.00 upgrade that has nearly tripled their available space and made it possible to potentially increase the size of the herd.  Hear, Felix is exploring a rock for a hidden treat possibly.  It is hoped that she and Tuffy will again produce a second offspring.

COMMON WARTHOG

"How's the wallow today, darling?"  "Divine, my dear, do join me!"

Our Warthogs are companion animals.  Keewee was born at the Maryland and Hoda was transferred from the Detroit Zoo to join her.

ADDRA GAZELLE

The Maryland Zoo was home to three of these critically endangered members of the gazelle family: Mukuru, the male, and Wren and Pipit, females.  Then this past autumn we welcome two new members as both Wren and Pipit gave birth.  Happily Merle and Magpie joined the flock.

LESSER KUDU

Lemon and Meringue are our two adult females. 

VON der DECKEN HORNBILLS

The female has the black bill and the male's is red and yellow.

BLUE DUIKER

 Lucky is arguably our lucky little male Blue Duiker.  Arriving at the zoo from the NEW Zoo in Wisconsin on a breeding recommendation of the AZA's Species Survival Program, he and Flower successfully saw the birth of their first offspring earlier this month.  A little female, yet to be named.

Blue Duikers live in arboreal habitats and are a little larger than a well-fed domestic cat.

SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS

Yes, Stubby is a white rhino and not an orange one.  But thanks to his love of his orange clay wallows, you'd be forgiven for making that assumption!  Stubby was born at the Knoxville Zoo and came to us at the age of 3 in 1996.  I am a stubby fan, period.

SANDHILL CRANE

I wonder if she is nesting.  I have never seen one adhere themselves to the ground in this manner before.

LITTLE GREEN HERON 

Romeo's Recovery

Romeo is my rescue dog from Costa Rica.  He's been with me for just over 6 years.  He's 7 1/2 years old.  About this time last year he started to show signs of physical distresses.  I began a series of appointments that were variable in their success.  Eventually, he started on a path toward his present diagnosis of the chronic condition known as Cushing's Disease.  At at 6-7, it's an atypical onset of what it turns out is not that unusual of a condition in dogs (cats, even horses!). 

Settling on the proper pharmaceutical protocol can be nearly as daunting.  However, about 6 weeks ago now, we seem to have hit the sweet spot.  One side effect of the ailment is a profoundly swollen, potbelly.  Here are images of Romeo from around June 20th, and then one take a couple of days ago after the latest adjustment to his medication dosage. 

 NOW

THEN