Showing posts with label Snow Leopard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snow Leopard. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Zoo Pumpkins of October

Anana and her pumpkin




October is just wrapping up. Every weekend for the past month, the animals of the Cincinnati Zoo have been treated to real and papier mache pumpkins as enrichment and just for the fun of it. Pumpkins are good nutrition too.



Anana retrieves her floating pumpkin


Polar bear super couple Little One and Anana are separated right now, maybe in preparation for denning season. It also means that no one has to share, or worry about another bear running off with their pumpkin, so they can enjoy it at their leisure. The keepers like to throw the polar bear pumpkins into the water, and then the bears have a time of it getting the pumpkin open.

This pumpkin hit the rocks and broke, so it was easier for Anana to eat





The big window gives us a good look at polar bear teeth, as Anana bites

Anana runs off with a piece

Still dripping

Enough!

A pumpkin picnic






A paw to steady the pumpkin

Needs whipped cream



Good pumpkin



Keeper of the Arctic Foxes gets the feast ready



Each of the two foxes ran away to keep the treasure from the other


Looking for a private place to eat

Pumpkins just our size




No one will see me here

Something good on the top
No pumpkins, but it was nice to see the baby twin Rad Pandas
 on their first day out


Chester the old Andean Bear was just getting his bed all arranged with it was time for pumpkins

Not a real pumpkin. The papier mache pumpkins, made by zoo volunteers, are filled with treats.

It looks like peanuts!

Chester likes it




The Andean Bear is also called the Spectacled Bear because they seem to be wearing glasses



Chester takes a nap after a REAL pumpkin


Little One retrieves his pumpkin from the water

Carving out a face

The pumpkins seemed to have something yummy smeared on them, for the bears wanted to lick them clean





I think my jack-o-lantern is finishted

Maybe later...



Some of the zoo employees dressed up in costumes too.
 Bob Ross, the iconic TV painter, fills in at the face painting booth 


Spotted near the polar bears

It was trick or treat at the treat stations at the zoo, and there were a lot of little witches running around

Connie the White Handed Gibbon got some apples while Henry was getting his pumpkin

The other White Handed Gibbon, with the treat.
They are Henry's noisy and annoying companions
Henry the Sumatran Orangutan carries his pumpkin to his favorite spot


Henry was expecting his lunch inside the pumpkin and was mad that the pumpkin was empty. He had already had his lunch, but never mind.
He still wanted a stuffed pumpkin.



Small bites





Meercats got a jack-o-lantern too

Big enough to hide in his mouth, if you are a brave meercat

The meercats did not approach the pumpkin monster.


Schottzie got all the pumpkins. Jati looked but couldn't find any.


Trunks are good for carrying the pumpkin and crushing it too.

Snow Leopards Renji and Nubo got pumpkins too

Carving the face

Using the paw to steady my work

Mmmmm. Tastes like pumpkin

Creative design by an artistic snow leapard



White lionesses Prosperity and Gracious got pumpkins, and just rolled them around like balls, knocking them off the platform. They are cats, after all.


Made for the White Lionesses

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Santa's gifts to the animals at the Cincinnati Zoo

 
Santa outside the brand new gorilla home
 
Every year, Santa listens to the wishes of the children who come to visit him at the Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo. Then one day, just before Christmas, he visits some of the animals of the zoo to bring them some special enrichment. This year he brought his animal surprises on Friday morning, December 22.


Santa brought sweet surprises in a plastic container wrapped in a jute bag
 This year he visited Gladys, M'linzi and Samantha at the new gorilla house, the cougars and the snow leopards at Cat Canyon, and the Komodo Dragon, who often is forgotten about as he is tucked away behind the lemurs.


Carrots make a nice wreath decoration at the new gorilla enclosure
Santa brought carrot wreaths and jute bags filled with sweet surprises for the gorillas. Long after the fruit is gone, the gorillas will have fun with the gunny sacks, playing with them, wearing them for hats, and dragging them around.


The cougars are excited by the paper mache toys

The cougars got paper mache candy canes, for they love to play with paper mache. The cougars rubbed their faces all over the candy canes and got the red paint on their fur.

Rubbing and rubbing

Keeper takes a photo


The cougars got two paper mache candy canes from Santa

Mine!


The red stripes are rubbing off

Still playing

Santa watches the cougars rip apart their paper toys 
The snow leopards received paper mache stockings, and played with their new toys too.


The snow leopards got paper mache stockings

Too pretty to rip up?
Local TV stations sent cameras to cover Santa's special visit


The kids loved it

The Komodo Dragon was given a wrapped up snack
The Komodo Dragon had a hard time getting into his Christmas gift, a wrapped box with meat snacks inside.

Almost open. There were pieces of meat inside.


Santa watches the Komodo Dragon open his gift

Santa promised to return Christmas Eve with presents for all the animals.

Santa promised to return on Christmas Eve with presents for everyone, including little Kendi, the baby Black Rhino.

Anana keeps her distance from Little One

Little One dreams of a White Christmas

No, not Christmas dinner. The meercats keep warm in a bowl

Bibi and Fiona have already gotten gifts, and no doubt will get more from Santa on Christmas Eve.