Smashing Pumpkins October 27, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, banded mongoose, Central Park Zoo, Mr. Pepe, NYC, photography, Pumpkin enrichment, pumpkins, Red Panda, Sea Ducks, snow leopard, wildlife, zoo babies, Zoos
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My October obsession with all things bats, birthdays and pumpkins has almost come to an end with this Sunday’s photo montage. Enjoy (with me) some fun pumpkin enrichment from this year and from the past years at the Central Park Zoo.The bottom photo is of my dog, Mr. Pepe with his small pumpkins that I call ‘Pepekins.’ 
Presidential Pets October 20, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: AKC Museum of the Dog, animals, Art exhibit, photography, Presidential Pets, White House
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It is said that President Harry S Truman uttered “If you want a friend in Washington DC – Get a dog.” Not sure if that is true but it still gets a laugh.The Museum of the Dog has a timely exhibit called ‘Presidential Dogs’. Most United States presidents have kept pets while in office. Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office (however, Johnson did take care of some mice he found in his bedroom). Outdoorsman Teddy Roosevelt was known for his love of animals had the most pets owned as a president at 48. He owned a few strange pets including a black bear, a badger, a hyena, and even a three-legged rooster. President Abraham Lincoln allowed his sons, Tad and Willie, to keep as many pets as they wished. The result was a menagerie that included rabbits, turkeys, horses, and even two goats. According to legend, John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in the White House for several months. More than 30 hounds were listed in George Washington’s journals, including Sweet Lips, Drunkard, Tipler, and Tipsy. Billy, was a pygmy hippopotamus, given to United States President Calvin Coolidge. Thomas Jefferson owned two grizzly bears. William Howard Taft had two cows. President Calvin Coolidge owned two raccoons, a donkey, a bobcat, lion cubs, a Pygmy hippopotamus, a wallaby, a duiker, an antelope, a black bear, and 13 Peking ducks. John Quincy Adams owned silkworms and an alligator, which some posit may be a myth. However, Benjamin Harrison did own two alligators who lived in the White House conservatory. He also kept two opossums as pets during his presidency. Nothing screams American pride like owning a Bald Eagle, which President James Buchanan had as a pet. Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs, but Congress ultimately forced him to donate them to a zoo. Founding Father Thomas Jefferson owned two grizzly bears. George W. Bush had a longhorn cow. President Woodrow Wilson owned 48 sheep and a ram at one point during his time! While all the previously mentioned presidents had a wide assortment of weird pets, most of them also had dogs, cats, and what most consider to be other “normal” pets. 
September Visit to the National Zoo September 29, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, nature, photography, Sand cats, Smithsonian's National Zoo, travel, wildlife, Zoos
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Washington DC is a great town to visit. I am lucky that my friends live in the Watergate and I have open invitations to visit. And so I do. This three day visit included amazing art exhibits, yummy food, long walks (everything is further away than you think) and of course The National Zoo. Our zoo experience was abbreviated due to planning way too many things on our itinerary but an always fun visit. Enjoy my photos and see your tax dollars in action.
Who doesn’t love a red panda? September 22, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, baby animals, Central Park Zoo, International Red Panda Day, Nashville Zoo, nature, photography, Prospect Park Zoo, Red Panda, wildlife, zoocation, Zoos
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Yesterday was International Red Panda Day. Their habitat is being destroyed by deforestation, agriculture, and human settlement, and they are also hunted for their fur and body parts. International Red Panda Day was initiated by the Red Panda Network in 2010 as a way to raise awareness and promote conservation efforts for red pandas.It is celebrated to spread awareness about a species that is near extinction. The day was launched by the Red Panda Network in 2010. At that time, 16 schools and a few zoos participated in red panda activities. Currently, more than 60 zoos around the world participate, with over 100,000 visitors on Red Panda Day. On our many zoocations we have come across lots of red pandas with Tennessee seeming to have the most. Other than being absolutely adorable it is almost impossible to take a bad photo of a red panda.
The Great Elephant Migration September 8, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, art, Art exhibit, Meatpacking district, NYC, photography, The Great Elephant Migraton, wildlife
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If you watch the CBS Sunday Morning show you probably saw last week’s story about this exhibition and these wonderful animals. Well, they are now here in NYC (in the Meat Packing District) and they are a marvel. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face as you wander through this life size herd. You get close to — and even touch — 100 life-size sculptures of Indian elephants which are beginning a cross-country journey. The Great Elephant Migration traveling art exhibition aims to spread awareness about conservation efforts. The herd consists of replicas of real-life elephants personally known to The Coexistence Collective — the community of around 200 artisans in southern India who made them. Conceived a decade ago by The Coexistence Collective, a nonprofit that helps protect Indian wildlife, the sculptures were first shown in London and India before coming to the U.S. They were in Newport, R.I., before arriving in Manhattan last week. From here they will head to Miami, the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and finally Los Angeles.The organization is planning to sell the elephants off to raise funds for 22 conservation organizations around the country as the tour progresses. Organizers said 30 sculptures had already been sold off, with prices ranging from $8,000 for a baby elephant to $22,000 for the largest tusked specimen. Sales at each site also help support a local nonprofit organization; in New York, it is the Wild Bird Fund. The enormous, life-like sculptures are made out of lantana camara — a tough, invasive weed that’s been encroaching heavily upon the elephants’ natural forest habitat, pushing the animals onto tea and coffee plantations where they live in much closer proximity to humans. Ruth Ganesh, a trustee of Elephant Family USA hopes visitors will learn more about how important it is for animals and humans to negotiate shared space, as more places become uninhabitable for both owing to direct human destruction and the impacts of human-caused climate change. I am sure I will revisit exhibition many times before they move on October 20, 2024 to their next destination. I included a map to help you negotiate. While in that neighborhood you can easily check out the always terrific Whitney Museum and my favorite walk, the High Line. 
International Primate Day September 1, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, baby animals, Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Kansas City Zoo, Memphis Zoo, nature, New Zoo, photography, Potawatomi Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Staen Island Zoo, Toledo Zoo, wildlife, zoo babies, zoocation, Zoos
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Today is International Primate Day! The order Primates is one of the most species-rich groups of mammals, third only to Bats and Rodents. Over 500 species belong to the primate order, including lemurs, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes! Two thirds of all primates can be found in just four countries – Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Primates mostly live in the jungles of Central & South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. However there are a few unique species that live in temperate areas, where there are warm summers, but winters can become very cold and snowy. Most primates are found living near the equator. Primates, ranging from charismatic chimpanzees and the gentle gorillas to the elusive monkeys that share a unique connection with humans due to their striking similarities in behavior, intelligence, and genetic makeup. More than one-third of primate species are considered critically endangered or vulnerable according to the IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature). Primates serve an important role in maintaining healthy forests and ecosystem, which is why protecting them is so important. It was fun putting together today’s montage and revisiting many of the zoos that we have been happy to visit. Enjoy today’s post my fellow primates!
World Painted Dog Day August 25, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, Bronx Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, nature, Oregon Zoo, photography, Potawatomi Zoo, travel, wildlife, World Painted Dog Day, zoo babies, zoocation, Zoos
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Tomorrow is World Painted Dog Day. These majestic creatures are also known as African wild dogs or African hunting dogs, which are wild canines and natives of sub-Saharan Africa. Their prey is gazelles, impalas, wildebeests, warthogs, and other small animals. Painted dogs are extremely vulnerable to human encroachment and agricultural expansion, which has been destroying their habitats. They are quite social and intelligent. Within the pack, these canines have a unique social structure. They cooperate in taking care of the wounded and sick members, there is a general lack of aggression exhibited between members of the pack, and there is little intimidation among the social hierarchy. Today, fewer than 7,000 African wild dogs survive in the wild, and only 1,500 of these are adults. Their priority is always to protect their pack; pups get first feed after a kill, ‘aunties’ act as pup-sitters for other mothers, and if a wild dog becomes ill or injured, their pack-mates rally round to care for them. Wilde dogs have also been seen mourning lost family members. Loss of quality habitat and poaching represent the biggest problems. Unless we take action to address these threats, painted dogs will become extinct in our lifetime. All of today’s photos were taken at the following zoos: Potawatomi, Bronx, Oregon, Brookfield and Fort Worth.
Balloon Story August 4, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, art, Art exhibit, Balloon Story, NYC, Park Avneue Armory, photography
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My pal Robyn convinced me to accompany her to this exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory. Truth be told, I thought it would be a 15 minute hokey experience but boy, was I ever wrong. We were both wide-eyed and amazed by the color, creativity and fun around every corner. We ended up spending about 90 minutes in this wonderful world of balloon fun. There are 600,000-plus balloons that have been shaped and squeezed into sculpture. The installation is called “Balloon Story.” Erica Domesek, its creative producer, said the idea was to “balloonify” the armory. ’ She said ‘the concept was to take something everybody knows, a balloon. It puts a smile on people’s faces. One balloon can do that, but imagine if you took 600,000 or 700,000 balloons.”All of the balloons in “Balloon Story” were made of latex and were tied by hand. The balloons are filled with air, not helium. They are staying in shape for the eight-week run of “Balloon Story” with help from a biodegradable liquid that was sprayed in before they were inflated. The liquid forms a coating inside the balloon that holds the shape. On the last day — Saturday, Aug. 24 — attendees can pop as many as they want. Domesek said they will be given protective eyewear and “an item that’s safe but will pop balloons.” And the pieces? “They’ll get a second life,” Domesek said. “They will get recycled and made into dog toys.” What fun we had.
Dogs as Muses July 28, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, art, Art exhibit, Benny the dog, Jack the dog, Mr. Pepe, Muse, NYC, photography, Timothy Taylor Gallery
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All I can say about this wonderful exhibit ‘Dog Days of Summer‘ at the Timothy Taylor Gallery is it was a-DOG-able! Artists usually create alone and often use a Muse for artistic inspiration. One’s dog (or cat, bird, etc) can easily fill that need. Here is an article that features some of the greats with their companion Muses. This exhibit features 60 artists’ dogs. I have taken the liberty of adding four of my own works that have been inspired by my dogs. The very top picture is of Jack (before he became One-eyed Jack) and the bottom three pieces are of Mr. Pepe (my present Muse), sweet Benny and Donald (my very first dog). This exhibit is on through August 24th but the gallery has some weird hours in August so please check with them if you want to go. Woof!
Ya Gotta Know When to Fold ’em (Part two) July 21, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, baby animals, banded mongoose, Central Park Zoo, nature, NYC, photography, Red Panda, retirement, Sea Ducks, sea lion, snow leopard, Snow Monkey, wildlife, zoo babies, Zoos
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As I said last Sunday, knowing when to move on is important. I share Part Two of some of my favorite Central Park Zoo photos taken over the last 35 years. I could have created 100’s more photo montages of my CPZ photos but as I said – you gotta know when to move on. Thank you for so many lovely notes, emails, texts, etc about my retirement from the zoo. They mean a lot. Enjoy!
While at the Zoo 