Keep Your Eye on the Ball February 13, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, Audrey and Roberta, Benny the dog, Central Park Zoo, Grizzly bears Betty and Veronica, Gus the polar bear, kitten bowl, Mr. Pepe, NYC, photography, puppy bowl, sea lion, Super Bowl, wildlife, Zoos
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It is Super Bowl Sunday once again. Thought I would salute all sorts of balls as they are used enrichment and fun in zoos and in my home. Enjoy some fun photos this super Sunday and may your team win. That said – I am more interested in the kitten and puppy bowls. 
Year of the Tiger January 30, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Lunar New Year, photography, Tigers, wildlife, Year of the Tiger, zoocation, Zoos
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2022 is the Year of the Tiger While the Year of the Tiger is just beginning if you were born in any of these years – 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 and 2022 you should start celebrating this Tuesday. Like their eponymous zodiac animal, people born in years of the Tiger are vigorous and ambitious, daring and courageous, enthusiastic and generous, self-confident with a sense of justice and a commitment to help others for the greater good. Go tigers! For those that want to look back at previous lunar New Years checkout these: Year of the Ox-2021
I Was Raised By Wolves January 23, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, grey wolves, Lobos, mexican wolves, photography, red wolves, wildlife, Wolf moon, wolves, Zoos
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Yes, my last name is Wolfe – ergo, I was raised by wolves. My friends can attest that whenever the topic of wolves arises or if we are at a facility that has wolves I always say ‘I was raised by wolves.’ I always get a laugh out of my old joke and my friends roll their eyes. Sometimes it is hard not to be corny. The first full moon of the year is known as the wolf moon, and appeared last week on the evening of Monday, January 17. The moon was named after wolves that were thought to howl more frequently this time of year. Click here to see some beautiful photos of this glorious full moon. Enjoy these photos of wolves I have encountered. Howl if you like. 
Winter Wonderland January 9, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, Central Park Zoo, nature, NYC, photography, Red Panda, Sea Ducks, sea lion, snow leopard, Snow Monkey, wildlife, Zoos
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There is something special about the first real snow fall of the season. Friday’s NYC winter wonderland only lasted a few short hours but it blanketed the city with a pristine, fluffy, white covering. I salute all of the people who have to keep the city running during this type of weather. Me? I do not drive nor do I have to shovel and I take mass transit. So I grabbed my camera and headed to my home base, the Central Park Zoo. It has been about two months since I posted CPZ photos. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Parting Shots January 2, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Butts, nature, photography, wildlife, Year end photos, zoo babies, Zoos
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Today’s montage completes 18 years of my sending out these Sunday photos. By my calculations that’s over 900 photo montages. Oh my! Thanks for coming along for the ride. I think some of you have been with me for the entire 18 years. I am thankful for that. I am not going to harp on what another strange year this has been as the seemingly never ending pandemic continues. That said – I leave you as always with no ‘ifs, just ends and butts’. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year. Let’s start anew in ’22.
A Walk in the Woods November 21, 2021
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, photography, raptors, rehabiliated raptors, travel, Vermont, VINS, wildlife
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I am a city gal. The country frightens me. A good friend of mine (thanks Bonnie) coined the phrase ‘Outside begins with OW.’ I am much more comfortable walking the concrete canyons of NYC than the forests or woods. However, on a recent trip to visit friends in New England we drove up to Vermont to visit the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS.) It is a non-profit environmental education organization based in Quiche, Vermont. Its mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and, avian wildlife rehabilitation. It was a wonderful experience seeing their raptor collection, education center and beautiful, very accessible, forest canopy walk. Am I a convert to the country? No – but every now and then it is good for the soul to get outside of one’s comfort zone. 
Pumped for Pumpkins November 7, 2021
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, Central Park Zoo, nature, NYC, photography, Photography Workshop, Pumpkin enrichment, pumpkins, Red Panda, Sea Ducks, sea lion, snow leopard, Snow Monkey, wildlife, Zoos
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My October obsession with all things bats and pumpkins has come to an end with last Sunday’s adult photo session at the Central Park Zoo. Fun and enrichment was had by all species. I usually post something about our having to turn the clocks today as Daylight Savings Time ends. If you enjoyed those posts – here is the one from last year. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep.
A Return to the Beardsley Zoo October 10, 2021
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, AZA, beardsley zoo, nature, photography, Photography Workshop, wildlife, Zoos
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I got the opportunity to return to the Beardsley Zoo with some good friends this week. I had not been there since 2013. There have been many terrific changes to the facility. The zoo is located in a park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (who also designed our NY’s Central Park and Prospect Park). It is Connecticut’s only AZA accredited zoo. If you get a chance, I highly recommend a visit. The bottom photo of a snow monkey with a pumpkin is not from the Beardsley Zoo but is an oldie but goodie from one of my photo sessions at the Central Park Zoo. We are holding our first photo session since COVID on Halloween day. Click here to sign up for some pumpkin fun. 
Red Pandamonium September 19, 2021
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: International Red Panda Day, nature, NYC, photography, Photography Workshop, Red Panda, travel, wildlife, zoo babies, Zoos
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Yesterday was International Red Panda Day. The Red Panda Network launched International Red Panda Day 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. The very bottom of today’s red panda montage features photos of the Central Park Zoo’s pandas, Jen and Goodwin with their offspring, Scarlet and Rose. I took these photos back in 2004. Other than being absolutely adorable it is almost impossible to take a bad photo of a red panda. Speaking of photos, I am happy to announce the the Central Park Zoo will once again be holding adult photo sessions. The first one is Sunday, October 31st from 8:30 to 10:00am. Click here to sign up. We will obviously be featuring my favorite enrichment – pumpkins! Hope to see you there. 
Six Feet Under September 5, 2021
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Brooklyn, Greenwood Cemetery, nature, NYC, photography, wildlife
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In my quest to try to have a weekly adventure we took a short trip to Brooklyn in early August to visit beautiful Green-Wood Cemetery. I hadn’t been there in about 15 years and thought it deserved a new look. It was founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural cemeteries. Still an active cemetery, the Green-Wood of today is also a cultural institution and an outdoor museum that tells the history and cultures of the borough, city and the nation. Today, Green-Wood’s 478 acres serve as the final resting place for over 570,000 permanent residents. Among the permanent residents are such notables as Leonard Bernstein, Boss Tweed, Charles Ebbets, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Horace Greeley, Margaret Pine (who was the last enslaved African-American in New York), numerous Civil War generals, baseball legends, politicians, artists, entertainers and inventors. I discovered after our visit that Pete Hamill is buried near Boss Tweed’s grave. Next time I go I will have to pay my respects to one of my favorite writers. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and was made a National Historic Landmark in 2006. A magnet for history buffs and bird watchers, Green-Wood is a Revolutionary War historic site (the Battle of Long Island was fought in 1776 across what is now its grounds), a designated site on the Civil War Discovery Trail, and a registered member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System. It is free and open every day of the year. 
While at the Zoo 