Hello there and welcome to My Zoo! I am an avid visitor of zoos, aquariums, wild game preserves, and any place that may have wildlife to be learned about, looked at and seen up close. Since I was a young boy, I always wanted to have my own zoo/ aquarium, and to have the 'rarest' animals on the planet displayed, taken care of, and if possible, population increased so as to keep a species or sub-species of animal from going extinct.
Here on the internet, in My Zoo, I hope to share what amazing animals I've found in zoos on my visits, raise awareness of some of the ones still in the wild that will most likely never have the benefit of a re-population program in a zoo, and any 'new' animal species to be found, which would be labeled 'cryptids' or 'cryptozological'.
Also, not all zoos and aquariums are situated equally. There are some very large, well established zoos that are members of the AZAA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association), and some privately held zoos that do not have the facilities that more supported ones do. I will be giving my opinion/ assessment of these zoos here on My Zoo, as well. My hope is that as a visitor to other zoos in places you may have the chance to visit, you will know a little bit of what to expect and look forward to. Some zoos maybe tiny, but house a specific animal species that no other zoos may have for several states, if in the US, at all. An example is the last family of Barbary Apes found in America, at the Southern Nevada Zoo in Las Vegas , or the Mexican Red Wolf pack found at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. Many zoos have a unique lay out and may be more wheel chair/ handy capped accessible than others. Prices for admission and seasonal hours usually vary, and what you may see exhibited can be quite surprising from zoo to zoo. Also, amenities, such as food, benches to sit on, gift shops, etc. are good to know about and be aware of.
So, with my limited amount of pictures, and a brief amount of information, let's begin our journey!
In order of appearance above, are: The Woodland Park Zoo African Savannah exhibit featuring Grant's Gazelle (Gazella granti), Burchelle's Zebra (Equus burchelli), and some Fringe - Eared Oryx (Oryx gazella callotis). Picture 2 is brought to you from Oregon Zoo at Washington Park in Portland, Oregon. It is a Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis). The rest are from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. Picture 3 is the world's smallest fox, the Fennec Fox (Fennecus zerda). 4th is a male Spangled Cotinga (Cotinga cayana) of South America. The Common or River Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) comes in 5th here and can be found at the African Savannah exhibit at WPZ. They have a relative that lives in and around the country of Liberia in West Africa, the Pygmy Hippopotamus ( Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis), which can be seen in other zoos. Lastly is the Lowland Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) from Indonesia. They are one of two species of Anoa cattle, the other being the Mountain Anoa (Bubalus quarlesi).
This is a very brief opener for My Zoo, but my intention is to have pictures and informative facts on the animals found in the zoos I've been to. Perhaps this can grow into an on line encyclopedia of sorts for people to gain knowledge and help in their pursuits of animal and wildlife awareness!
And now for more pictures!
Above, some amazing salt water fish in a group tank, an African Clawed Frog(
Xenopus laevis) and some Sand Dollars! Below, the chilly waters of Puget Sound of the Pacific North West.
Until our
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