A New Zoo

I went to the Fresno Zoo a couple of days ago with Janie to see the new African Adventure they just opened and it was really great. I could remember the zoo from when I was a kid and it used to be all concrete and cages and little else, and now it is green plants everywhere and really so much nicer. And of course, I took pictures. But first, fortification for the day:

We have arrived:

 

The zoo had a graveyard:

 

 

We learned that these are Asian elephants and they are about 45 years old.

 

So I took a selfie with one...though she didn't realize it.

 

This tiger was new to the zoo and getting used to his new surroundings by pacing.

Gotta take pics of the flamingos:

 

And this is what we really came to see:

 

 

This is Tim-the-Rhino. I like this picture because it looks like that ostrich is on top of Tim's back.

 

Here too even more so.

 

Tim was ready for his close-up.

 

Then we saw cheetahs. Just made you want to pet them.

 

One of my favorite animals, the giraffes. Just something about them I love.

Isn't she cute?

 

There were these female lions that had their separate part, but they can lay on this rock and just stare out at the "African plains" and see the other animals. Makes you wonder what they are thinking (well, when they aren't asleep on the rocks (which are heated for their comfort) ).

 

This guy had his own little outside enclosure and he just stared at me, almost begging me to take his picture. So I did.

 



 

The zebras were way in the back...thank goodness for a great telephoto lens!

 

My other favorite zoo animal is the elephant.  Just something about them too...maybe because they are just so big and have those sweet elephant faces. This one came right up and looked like he was posing for me. I love it when animals do that.

 

Yeah....I took a few pictures of them. There were three of them altogether, and these ones come from Africa. This one was the male, and the other two were females, a mother/daughter duo. The zoo placed them together because they are hoping the male will mate with them so there will be baby elephants.

 

This guy was in the process of trying to train them by throwing fruit to them to get them to come to him. African elephants don't like to actually get in the water which is why they didn't come up to him. The one on the left is the daughter elephant and she is still pretty young and doing what she wants to do. The mom elephant was at the end of their enclosure being trained by another zoo employee.

 

 

 

Isn't he adorable?

 

From one end to the other.  And if you enlarge it you can see all three elephants.  The interesting thing was the elephants can't cross over and vice-versa because in the middle of that little lake under the water is a 10-foot wall to prevent it .

 

 

Off to Sea Lion Cove.

This was a cute couple.

 

 Why it is named:

 

Selfie time without any animals.

Geez you would think Janie would look a little happier.

And that was it.  Well, not really, I took many, many more pictures than what is on here but I don't think you want to see them all.

We wanted to go to Storyland, which has been here forever and they just renovated it, but alas, it is only open Thursday - Sunday. Dang it. Another day then.

 

These guys were on the outside of the zoo but what the heck. Hopefully they will stay on the outside as a zoo employee told us that a goose had landed in the lion's enclosure and those lions were FAST and  that goose was a goner.  Poor goosen.

 

And that my friends, was my day at the zoo.  Can't wait to go back.