Through My Lens -- Asian Lantern Festival

Zoo Babies

It's spring!! We set off to do our zoo walk around the other day and ran into a zoo volunteer who asked us if we'd seen the new babies yet. No, we hadn't and didn't know there were some. She quickly pointed out that there was a new baby sloth bear and a baby reindeer and where they were. I love zoo volunteers! If she hadn't shared with us we wouldn't have been looking for them.

The baby sloth bear was about a month old, born in March. He/she could be seen clinging to mom's back. The two were coming and going from their shelter. We had to wait a few minutes for them to appear but it was worth the wait.

The sloth bear is from South Asia and feeds on insects and fruit. Their favorite food is termites and they dig into termite mounds with their long claws and then suck the insects out. Guess that long nose helps.

Our next stop was the reindeer area and right before us was mom and baby. This baby was quite young, born early April according to the volunteer. Mom stationed herself between us and the baby so it was a little difficult to get a good shot at first. Eventually she moved away and tried to coax the little one to follow her.

Eventually we wandered around to the Australian outback area of our zoo and saw another volunteer standing there (knitting with hands that had to be cold--it was chilly) and I decided to ask if there were any joeys (baby kangaroo) this spring. She smiled and quickly pointed to a small kangaroo near us who had a joey in her pouch.

Maria, the kangaroo mom had produced a baby the year before but had rejected it. Fortunately the grandmother kangaroo accepted the baby and raised it. The volunteer said they were happy to see that this year the kangaroo mom had taken good care of her little one. His head popped out several times but he wasn't ready to leave the warmth and comfort of mom's pouch yet. Soon though. He was really getting too big to carry around.


The snow leopard cubs, the spring babies of last year, are getting big. Still cute and beautiful.

It was quite a good morning for us. When you have interesting things to look at, exercising isn't so bad.

What's New At The CLE Met Zoo?

It was a chilly day but a beautifully sunny day and too tempting to pass up a chance to take a walk through the Cleveveland MetroParks Zoo. It's one of our favorite ways to get some exercise and fresh air and be entertained at the same time. What we didn't expect was how crowded the zoo would be. It dawned on us that it was spring break week for many but that just made it more entertaining. Nothing evokes smiles more than seeing parents with young children handling all the questions and energy. We can look back with fond memories since we are past all of that now.


As we neared the Fulton Parkway bridge over Big Creek, we noticed a fellow with a big lens on his camera pointed at the underside of the bridge. As we neared the area where he was, we saw a brand new sign and stopped in front of it. It was information about a pair of peregrine falcons that have nested under the bridge. Apparently they are the fastest animals on earth. They can fly between 40-60 MPH and when diving for their prey, can reach up to 220 MPH! I hope they have good brakes.


It was time to test out my new camera. When we spotted the bird I zoomed in and hoped for the best. The bird, which our camera friend said was the female, was a bit in the shadows but I did catch a fairly good shot of her. Our friend, who was obviously a bird enthusiast and somehow involved with the zoo or the birds or both, said that they had put up a nesting platform for the birds to build on. It will be exciting to watch a new bird family.


Another new to us animal in the zoo was the takin. I don't recall seeing them before. They look like real characters. I think they come from the Himalayas and are also known as gnu goats. Big goats!


Most of the furry large cats were just being lazy and enjoying the warm sunshine and no one woke up the bears. We spent about an hour and a half and then decided to head home.

 Lots to look forward to as the weather warms. Have I told you before? I love the zoo.

Lanterns And Leopards, Oh My!

The Asian Highlands exhibit at our Cleveland Metroparks Zoo opened just before I was to have my surgery. With all the busyness at the time, we didn't get a chance to visit then. But as luck would have it, that worked out well because three little snow leopard cubs were yet to be on display. This past week, they were presented to the public. Needless to say the cuteness meter was on high.

I was still having trouble walking far but wanted to stretch as much as I could. We started out by taking the tram to the wilderness stop and walking up past the tigers to the Asian Highlands. The exhibits are still being finished up but it is quite nice. Two adult snow leopards were snoozing in the refreshing summer day. One was tucked back into a nook and the other was stretched out on a walkway that crosses over the pedestrian path. A great lookout spot where you could snooze and then raise an eyelid every so often to see what was going on.

The three cubs though were frisky and fun and we stood as long as I could and watched them play. I haven't heard if they will all stay or be exchanged with another zoo. It will be fun to keep an eye on their progress for as long as we can.

Along with the opening of the Asian Highlands, an Asian Lantern Display is set up from July 19 to August 19. The lantern displays are huge and impressive during the day. I can only imagine how magical they are in the evening. There is also a special craft fair and entertainment with the special evening ticket that you can purchase. It's very tempting but I may have to rent one of those scooters. Don't know that I'm strong enough just yet to walk the whole way.

Through My Lens - Spring At The Zoo

Our favorite lunch spot in the Rainforest,

New exhibits coming soon!

Baby Lulu

I Don't Make This Stuff Up!

Being a novelist you might think that some of my posts sound like fiction. Some are but I always tell you when it's a short story or I'm promoting a book. This story is true and happened last week when Bob and I decided to get a little exercise at one of our favorite places, the CleMet Zoo. (By the way, the photos are of the new Asia Highlands exhibit under construction.)

We sort of have a route we take and we had just stopped by the medical center to see if any of the animals were getting a root canal or other procedure. There was nothing going on so we continued toward the bridge that goes over the creek and up to the tiger exhibit. There were several kids with their moms on the bridge running back and forth and looking in the water. As we started on to the bridge we heard the loud call of a monkey.

Hmmm, I thought. Is there a new exhibit nearby with a monkey in it? There are some changes going on at the zoo. New exhibits being started so it was possible. Most of the monkey and gorilla population though is way up on the top of the hill quite a ways from where we were.

As we passed the kids who were still a little excited and one of the moms Bob said to her, "I thought all the animals were in cages." He was being funny as she was trying to obviously gather her kids together to move on.

Her face pinked a bit and she said with a smile, "My son asked me to make one more monkey call."

"That was you?!" I said with amazement. "You could have fooled me!"

I'm not making this stuff up--but I am saving it in the file. It's sure to fit into a story somewhere.

It's A Zoo Day!

In the several years that we have purchased a zoo membership to our Cleveland MetroParks Zoo we have never regretted it. It allows us to go as often as we like and we never feel like we have to see everything in one visit. As a matter of fact, sometimes we just go because we want to walk around and get some exercise and, well, of course see what the animals are up to.

That was our goal on our last visit a few days ago. It was a beautiful day. The temperatures were in the 70s and the humidity was low. My kind of an August day. We started out as usual going past the Colombo monkeys and the checking on the rhinoceros and then stopping in to see if there were any animals in the Sarah Allison Steffee medical center that were being looked at, operated on, or getting a check up.

As luck would have it there was a small kangaroo having a routine medical exam. He was obviously sedated although he didn't have his eyes closed. I think they were looking closely at some spots on his skin. One of the best observations we got to make there a few years ago was when one of the monkeys was having a root canal. It's always fascinating.

Our route took us up to the new tiger exhibit that is always a pleasure to see. This day though there was only one tiger and he was sleeping on one of the tiger passages over the top of the walkway. I wondered if he was the new arrival, Hector.

The grizzlys were out enjoying the sunshine and several of the other bears were enjoying some treats including the sloth bear who was working to get a coconut out of a tire where his caretaker had hidden it. They do that to challenge the animals and keep them interested in new things in their environment. She was disappointed that he took the coconut inside his habitat to crack it. We couldn't see it but we could hear it as he worked to get it open.

The giraffes were enjoying all the kids who were feeding them. Our little giraffes are growing.

We passed the outdoor koala and decided to forego the Australia exhibits for the day. Instead we opted to visit my favorite merkats who always entertain us and then sit for a spell and watch the elephants "delicately" pull together mouthfuls of hay and stuff it in their mouths. They each consume between 100-400 pounds of food a day. I can't imagine how they eat all that dry stuff without taking a drink of water now and then.

We had to detour from our usual walking route and for a good reason. There's something new coming! It's just been fenced off and equipment is beginning to be put in place. Just as we enjoyed watching the progress of the tiger exhibit and before that the elephant exhibit we will enjoy checking up on this new one that will be for the leopards and red panda. More reasons to take more zoo days!

Cleveland's Countdown to RNC - Sprucing Up The Zoo

Sporting a new set of antlers.

On our visit to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo last week we checked up on all the projects that were going on over our warm winter. We thought the new tiger exhibit would be done. It's close but still has a ways to go.

The Rosebrough Tiger Passage will be home to the Zoo's two Amur tigers, Dasha and Klechka. Their species of tigers is found in the Amur River region of Russia and sometimes in nearby China. The new exhibit which replaces the old 1960's one will more than double the space the tigers had. It will also allow for vertical space-areas where the tigers can climb. The vertical spaces are designed to allow the tigers to actually pass over the heads of the visitors below. Heated rocks and pools of water will provide a respite in winter although the tigers are a breed that survive the cold Russian winters. Dasha and Klechka however were born in captivity so perhaps they need a little extra pampering. Opening of the exhibit should be an exciting event for both animal and visitor. Projected finish date is in June.



The seals have a refurbished habitat with clear windows for viewing. There is a main pool and a smaller one. A hot tub? Who knows. They did look quite comfortable but then they usually do gliding through the water and turning somersaults.

One of the greenhouses has been removed and in it's place is a small 4-D theater which according to the zoo volunteer will be an immersion into the movie that will be shown. I'm guessing it will be something like an IMAX only on a much smaller scale. There will be an extra charge for it as there is for some of the other special features in the park.

Also new to the Zoo is Doc. No, he's not a new veterinarian in the animal hospital. He's a new addition to our lion pride. I thought when I looked at him he was just a teenager and the article I found in my Cleveland Zoological Society magazine confirmed it. He is a two year old male African lion which explains why his mane is not full yet. We saw several male adolescents in the pride that we followed on our Safari in 2015. He comes to Cleveland from Texas where he needed to be moved away from any conflict with his father.

The Sarah Allen Steffe Center for Zoological Medicine is always an interesting place. We have watched several procedures on animals large and small through the observation windows--even a root canal on a Mandrill monkey. This day they were set up for something and when we asked, it turned out they were offering some sort of free testing to volunteers and zoo personnel. There is always an animal or two out and about for you to get a closer look and we made friends with a kookabura. He was in the hospital to try to get his beak straightened and the point fixed. Don't know what he ran into but it had to hurt.

Amid the smell of fresh mulch, flowers and trees were blooming and budding out. When it comes time for the RNC in July it will provide a nice retreat from all the activity downtown. And if what we saw on our visit is any indication, there will be some new hatchlings and the promise of a few new animal babies in the months to come.

Through My Lens - Springtime at CleMet Zoo

Last week we had a beautiful sunny spring day and decided to take our morning walk at one of my favorite places, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Most people go just to look at the animals but I enjoy the garden spots as well. I especially like seeing the tulips in spring. I have given up on tulips in my yard since they seem to be quite a delicacy in the local deer diet. Here's some of what we found.

A Walk In The Park. . .er, Zoo.

Please don't groan. Yes, it's another zoo post. Bob and I like to walk and one of our favorite places is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. We spent a morning last week walking around and since the weather was a little cooler, saw some new-to-us animal actions.

The wallabys were hopping around. The bears were all out and moving around. One grizzly went over to the other and batted at him until he woke up.

The new giraffe encounter was interesting and crowded. There were lots of people in line wanting to feed them. You don't have to feed them to get out on the observation platform but you do stand in line so that the platform is not overcrowded. The giraffes get right up to the railing. Only one seemed hungry enough but he was certainly getting his fill of lettuce leaves.

Cool weather also gets the wolves up and moving. One was circling the pond near the observation shelter and another was right up against the window. It's the first time I've gotten a real close shot of one. My camera was home but my iPhone did a great job. So that's probably the reason for this post. I wanted to show off my wolf picture.

Okay, now you can groan.

Through My Lens - Zoo Fun

As zoo members (visitors, not caged residents) we often spend a couple of morning hours walking through the zoo and then having lunch. It's a good walk. Our zoo is challenging with hills and lots of walking paths. This time through I grabbed my camera just in case we saw something unusual. I promised myself that the next time I photographed these kind of animals it wouldn't be through cage bars. Our safari will be coming up next year!

There's gotta be a salmon in here somewhere.

What!? Nobody smokes a camel anymore.

A kid's eye-view of an elephant's eye.

There's always gotta be one who's different.

Honey, is dinner ready yet?

Maybe Santa won't see me here. Enough with the sled already!

You hop for the visitors. No, you hop! No, you hop! No. . .

Oh dear, I think my deodorant failed me.