Philly Zoo in October: DUW!!

[Archimedes]

Thought folks might like to see what things look like in my neck of the woods... got some pretty neat shots, so without further ado:


The elephant statue that greets you as you enter the zoo. Philly no longer has elephants, as they have been rehomed to sanctuaries where they have more space to roam (Philly Zoo is much too small for animals of their size, and the small "herd" was split anyway, as the two African elephant females would bully the Indian elephant female whenever they got the chance.)


Antelope Fountain!


A neat photo of a Cottonmouth mid-shed. Right next door was the vivarium for the Northern Water Snake, but he was out of exhibit, hopefully only temporarily. It's important for folks to see and identify the differences between these two critters, for their own safety and for the snakes'!

And a close up of the shedding process, I couldn't resist.


Eastern Box Turtle in hiding.


This was something I found mildly problematic, so you'll have to tell me what you think.... A Timber Rattler and a Copperhead being cohabited in what I can only hope was a temporary situation. It raised a few questions in my mind.


Took me three attempts to get a good shot of this Standing's Day Gecko, he was moving so fast! Finally he held still for a second or two


Gotta love those Gaboon's, huh?


Forest Cobra.... Man these
guys are so incredibly beautiful.


ETB...


And a particularly hungry-looking GTP!


This was the King Cobra, apparently feeling shy that day.

Shift Two coming up in a moment!

[Archimedes]

American Alligator. He's a good bit smaller than the one they used to have, but still huge!


Crocodile Smile...


More crocs.


Green Anacondas. They had Retics directly behind the viewer's perspective, but none of them were in sight to take a photo of.


And now for some goofy goats... I spent a good deal of time in the Children's Zoo to visit a friend who's interning there. =]






It was a unique day in the goatyard....


A service dog came into the yard with her owner, and the goats weren't really sure what to make of it. Finally, the goatkeepers were able to get one brave goat over to the wheelchair, and though the dog was anxious for her owner's safety, she stood by while her owner fed the goat. It was neat.

Okay, I'm tired now.... But I can post a few more tomorrow, I think I have one decent photo of the baby orangutan!

[AlexisFitzy]

Love the pics I haven't been to a zoo in forever! Thanks for sharing, can't wait to see more.


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[Kam]

Nice pics.


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[Pyrate81]

Nice pics.

To answer your question about the rattler and copperhead, assuming that is a local species of copperhead they share the same habitat in PA so it shouldn't be an issue provided there is enough space for each to have a territory.

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[thinkbig317]

Great pics! Love the Philly Zoo!!! Go at least once a year!!!

[jessica87]

Nice photo's, me and wife went there in April. We had are chance of seeing the King Cobra that day, it was pretty dam long. I never knew a western diamond back was actually a pretty cool snake just loved how mean it look and the pattern to blend perfectly into the sand.

The elephant statue that greets you as you enter the zoo. Philly no longer has elephants, as they have been rehomed to sanctuaries where they have more space to roam (Philly Zoo is much too small for animals of their size, and the small "herd" was split anyway, as the two African elephant females would bully the Indian elephant female whenever they got the chance.)

That is a shame but I do agree, a lot of animals their are bunch up together

[CloudtheBoa]

You did get a few ID's wrong. You got the GTP and ETB switched around, and the little crocodile appears to be a Cuvier's dwarf caiman. But nice pics, I would like to visit a nice zoo again. It's always fun seeing the variety of animals they have, and it's even better when the zoo lets the visitors handle the snakes.

As long as the zoo provides several different spots where they can warm up and cool off and not compete as much and they feed them separately, it may work out. I still don't like the idea because I saw one person post photos of a zoo's Amethystine python pair that had cut each other up pretty bad in what they said was a breeding attempt.

[Archimedes]

You did get a few ID's wrong. You got the GTP and ETB switched around, and the little crocodile appears to be a Cuvier's dwarf caiman. But nice pics, I would like to visit a nice zoo again. It's always fun seeing the variety of animals they have, and it's even better when the zoo lets the visitors handle the snakes.

As long as the zoo provides several different spots where they can warm up and cool off and not compete as much and they feed them separately, it may work out. I still don't like the idea because I saw one person post photos of a zoo's Amethystine python pair that had cut each other up pretty bad in what they said was a breeding attempt.

Thanks for the corrections, the two arboreals never stay straight in my mind, and I bounced between them for a few minutes perfecting the photo setting, so I'm not surprised that I mixed up the IDs. I don't believe the Philly zoo has Cuvier's, I believe the labels on this guy said West African Dwarf Crocodile.

Sounds like they attempted to breed two males if they both looked roughed up, lol. It wouldn't surprise me, some zoos are goofy. Philly Zoo does pretty well for the most part, but they do have some severe space limitations, so when I see species cohabbing it gets me a little on edge.

Their education collection is impeccable though. The volunteers and interns all get trained on everything from Madagascar hissing roaches to the huge birds of prey if they prove themselves ready. And their behind-the-scenes racks are amazing.

[John1982]

Took me three attempts to get a good shot of this Standing's Day Gecko, he was moving so fast! Finally he held still for a second or two

Ain't no gecko. Looks like one of them plated lizard types.