Turtle Back Zoo at 50 June 9, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: 50th anniversary, big cats, essex county nj, nature, photography, travel, Turtle Back Zoo, wildlife, zoocation
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Essex County’s Turtle Back Zoo is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend. We took a short trip out to West Orange to share their joy. I am sure that my Jersey friends have many sweet memories of childhood trips to the zoo. Turtle Back is a growing Zoo with something for everyone. Happy Anniversary to you!
St. Louis Zoo – St. Louis, MO June 2, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: photography, St Louis Zoo, travel, wildlife, zoo babies, zoocation, Zoos
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Zoocation 2013 ended with a bang at zoo #6 – the all encompassing, totally terrific, St. Louis Zoo. We did not have any special access at this facility but still managed to spend seven hours wandering around enjoying every minute. The zoo is beautiful, well tended, exciting, with great sight lines for both photographers and casual visitors alike. There is no doubt we will be back again. A special shout out to my college roommate Michelle and her husband Allen for being such great hosts while we were in this very special city. We have already started to plan Zoocation 2013 – Part two, for the fall.
Dickerson Park Zoo – Springfield, MO May 29, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: Aldabra, Dickerson Park Zoo, hippo, nature, photography, Springfield MO, travel, vacation, wildlife, zoocation, Zoos
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The penultimate zoo of zoocation 2013 was the fabulous Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield MO. A huge shout out to Erin Sorensen and Pam Gwin for making our visit so very memorable. They were super generous with their time and spirit. We got to feed Henry the hippo, tickle a few black and white ruffed lemurs, hold a joey and nuzzle an Aldabra – memories that will last a lifetime. This zoo packs a big punch and if you are in the area I urge you to visit.
Kansas City Zoo – Kansas City, MO May 26, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: curator, Kansas City Zoo, photography, travel, vacation, wildlife, zoo babies, zoocation, Zoos
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Zoo #4 on zoocation 2013 was the enormous Kansas City Zoo. A special shout out to Tim Steinmetz , KC Zoo’s Animal Curator for giving us such a warm welcome upon our arrival. His tips helped us to navigate and save some steps. The zoo has almost every species you might expect and their soon to open state of the art penguin exhibit cries out for a return visit.
Blank Park Zoo – Des Moines, Iowa May 22, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: baby animals, Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines Iowa, marine mammals, photography, snow monkeys, travel, wildlife, zoocation, Zoos
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Zoocation Zoo #3, the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa was a delightful 22 acre surprise. Lots of terrific habitats, including adorable baby snow monkeys, free range joeys and active marine mammals. Their Africa Savannah was not quite open due to recent flooding but when it is open the zoo will be even better. If you are in the area – I recommend a visit.
Minnesota Zoo May 19, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: Apple Valley, baby animals, Minnesota Zoo, Penguin Chicks, photography, sea otter, travel, vacation, wildlife, zoocation, Zoos
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I credit good friend Jamie with our idea for zoocation 2013, when she relocated to the Minnesota Zoo, to become their Bird Supervisor. Zoo #2 on was an all access pass with Jamie and her colleagues as they showed us their fantastic zoo. We got an up close and personal visit with their two adorable penguin chicks, a behind the scenes visit in the enormous tropics trail aviary, the Grizzly coast, the sea otter area, Minnesota trail and much more. Looking forward to revisiting with Jamie in the coming years as we watch this already enormous zoo grow bigger and better. A big Lobo shout out to Jamie!
Como Zoo and Conservatory – St. Paul, Minnesota May 15, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: Como Zoo, conservatory, photography, St Paul MN, vacation, zoocation, Zoos
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Zoo #1 on last week’s zoocation was the small and jam-packed Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul Minnesota. Lots of ongoing construction promises future visitors an even greater experience. Did I mention that it was snowing in Minnesota in May? Yikes!
Happy Mother’s Day – 2013 May 12, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: baby animals, Mother's Day zoo animals, photography, Snow Monkey, travel, wildlife, zoocation, Zoos
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My mother, Lillian Wolfe, is long gone, but her advice, warnings and general ‘Lili-isms’ live on in my daily life. She taught me to fight the good fight and to write letters to City Hall when I was pissed. She also gave me my moral compass – one glance from Lillian told me instantly whether my behavior was acceptable or not – and I got a lot of glances. My sister Terry and I remember many childhood events differently but we both agree that our mother was a pistol. Here’s to Lillian Wolfe and all of the other mothers, caregivers, nurturers, pamperers, surrogates and loving coddlers out there. You make it all work. And a huge salute to all of the Zoo mothers in today’s photo montage.
Zoocation 2013 has come to an end. It was a zoo-sastional. Stay tuned to see six new montages from our latest zoo-venture.
You’ve Got to Have Friends April 28, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: Benny the dog, Central Park Zoo, Madsion the cat, photography, term friendship, wildlife, zoocation
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While at the zoo you can easily see many species hanging out with one another for mostly breeding purposes. But every so often interesting alliances are formed. At the Central Park Zoo, where all of today’s photos were taken, we have a few odd friendships that have developed. Is it for comfort? Is it for Safety? I am not sure – but you can check out a few of those bonds in today’s montage. At Casa Lobo, Benny the dog and Madison the cat have developed a relationship that is cautious, yet leery. Check out their photo at the bottom of todays post.
Watch Larry the Anole and Beemer the Dog share a long term friendship on the beautiful island of St Croix – taped in 2008.
Lastly, my zoocation buddy, Mary Schwalm and I are off on an adventure next week. Six new zoos. Be back soon.
Flip, Flap and Fly April 7, 2013
Posted by judylobo in Traveling.Tags: accredited zoos, Central Park Zoo, nature, Philadelphia Zoo, photography, travel, wildlife, Zoo Lover's Day - April 8th., zoocation, Zoos
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Today’s beautiful animals were all photographed at my favorite zoo, the Central Park Zoo. Enjoy!
Tomorrow, April 8th, is Zoo Lover’s Day.
– It is estimated that over 600 million people visit zoos each year.
– There are more than 2,800 zoos and aquariums in the world.
– Germany has more zoos than any other country – 414!
– The US has more than 350 zoos. The total number of AZA accredited zoos and aquariums is 221.
– Over 30 US zoos have more than 1 million visitors a year. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has the most with 9.5 million visitors each year.
– The Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest zoo in the US. It opened on July 1, 1874.
– The oldest running zoo in the world is the Vienna Zoo in Schonbrunn. It was founded in 1752.
– With over 1,500 species, Germany’s Berlin Zoo has the largest variety of animals in any zoo in the world.
– The largest zoo in the US is Red McCombs Wildlife with over 12,500 acres.
Why not go out and visit your favorite Zoo, enjoy the outdoors and see some amazing animals?
While at the Zoo 