Lions and Tigers and Bears!
The Detroit Zoo was fun, but it was a lot of walking! Here are some of the amazing things we saw.
Lions: We saw a female lion, but forgot to take her picture!
Tigers: This is what Benji thinks he looks like.
Bears: We saw some in a fountain...
and one in the water!
Upon entering the Arctic area, we find the rare Steveus Webbus, studying the architecture of a traditional Inuit house in case something happens to our home AND we find several whale ribs, just waiting to be made into a snug little home for the four of us. He said he already has rope.
I thought this was a sea lion, but the girls corrected me and told me that it's a seal. If it had been a sea lion, I would have counted it as a "lion" picture.
In the Arctic area of the zoo, there is a tunnel through which people can view the polar bears and seals as they swim. After waiting for at least 15 minutes with no sign of the polar bear, we decided to leave, thinking we would stop by later. Just then, the bear decided to go for a swim. It was amazing! Its feet were huge and they spread out as it walked on the tunnel. The bear looked so graceful and at ease in the water.
This bug looks so cheerful in red, and so harmless, too. Hmmm...
These sweet girls wished they could be in the water, swimming with the seal and polar bear.
lazy kangaroos
girls acting like prairie dogs
American Bison, also known as the American Buffalo. While we were there, his watering hole was emptied, cleaned, and refilled by the zookeepers. He immediately soiled it.
anteater
Reticulated giraffes - here is the bull giraffe with his mate in the background. The male is called Jabari (Swahili for "brave one") and the female is called Kivuli (Swahili for "shadow"). Kivuli had twins last year, but they didn't make it.
Up close and personal!
Fun fact: giraffes rarely sleep more than 20 minutes per day!
He's waiting for feeding time, when visitors get to feed him leaves. We enjoyed this so much, but it went too quickly!
Here we are in our very own "Giraffe Encounter" as hosted by the zoo (funding provided by the parents!).
Mama pea hen with her babies. Look at those peacock feathers already starting to grow on the little ones!
Lydia was so hoping we would see an elephant at the zoo. Sadly, there are no live elephants kept at the Detroit Zoo any longer, apparently because the temperature extremes are too much for the elephants to handle well. Lydia found this elephant that was willing to hold still and let her feed it, though.
Hey, Peacock! You're not the only one who looks great in two shades of blue!
There is a misting station at the zoo for people to walk under to cool off. After standing there for a few seconds, our hair looked white with all the little water droplets! Madeline is making a sour expression here, which is her impression of an old lady.
scarlet ibis
boat-billed heron
kangaroos
peacock
African pygmy goose
Two super-cute and much-loved girls, who do not belong in a zoo, but wish they did.
