03 JUL 2009

The Indianapolis Zoo

Today is a national holiday, because Indepence Day is on a Saturday this year. The weather is great, so it is a perfect opportunity to go to the Zoo in Indy with our French friends Marion, Nicholas, and Juliette.

105036F.AVI (2084kB)
We forgot to bring a DVD for the drive, but currently the atmosphere is still good in the car.

105057F.AVI (8098kB)
Perhaps it is less dangerous if the co-pilot does the filming.

115724F.AVI (4541kB)
After a couple of bad turns on the highway, caused by the ridiculous directions posted on the zoo web site, Ginette has gone car sick. She needs to catch her breath. Perhaps the sitting in the back of the car didn't help and also the extremely low blood sugar level she just measured.

123835F.AVI (3294kB)
Even though we only had a few miles left to go, it still took 40 minutes to finally get to the zoo. We weren't the only people to think it was a great day to visit the zoo today.

124120P2336.JPG
The babys need sun lotion. It is really hot today.

124844P2338.JPG
Almost there. Some more waiting to buy the tickets.

130213P2339.JPG
Another 20 minutes and some confusion and the counter later and we are finally inside the famous Indianapolis zoo!

130221P2340.JPG
Let's do a quick group picture.

131535P2341.JPG
And here are finally the first animals. A bunch of lemurs.

131711P2342.JPG
The zoo keepers have certainly done a lot of work to dress the area up with lots of beautiful flowers. A lot of them are blossoming.

131720F.AVI (3389kB)
Marissa shouts miauw to the lemurs but they don't shout back. They're just sleeping. What sound do lemurs make, actually?

131932P2343.JPG
There is an opportunity for Marissa to climb onto something so it must be taken, of course.

134559P2344.JPG
After the long drive we have all gone very hungry. We have reached the restaurant and finally managed to get an order of burgers and fries.

140825P2345.JPG
It turns out the zoo is really quite small. The restaurant was already half-way into the park. It also seems there are more food opportunities than animals in this zoo, but I suspect that that is a typical American thing to get used to. The park is busy everywhere.

140832P2346.JPG

140844P2347.JPG
The girls are behaving really well. It's a lot of fun that they can both walk now.

140849P2348.JPG
Juliette is holding her daddy. Marissa is holding the stroller.

141100P2349.JPG
Flamengos across the water.

141121P2350.JPG
The beautiful flamengos are of no interest to Marissa. The ducks are much more interesting. After all, Marissa speaks ducklish, but not flamengish.

141138P2351.JPG
These tree dwellers can also not grab any attention.

141357P2352.JPG
This friendly duck swims back and forth, probably waiting for some food to drop in the water. Marissa is so exited about seeing a real duck that she tries to slide in the water. It takes quite a while before we manage to leave these ducks.

142253P2353.JPG
Zebras. It seems MArissa recognizes them from baby Noah. At least she does a reasonable job to say 'zebra'.

142327P2354.JPG
A train is passing over a bridge. We should take that train later.

142523P2355.JPG

142612P2356.JPG
I don't think we have treated these animals yet. They are quite boringly just laying there in the high grass.

142624P2358.JPG

142854P2360.JPG
What's much mre interesting in this area is the giraffe. This one seems particularly interested in keeping its head up high.

142921P2361.JPG

142937P2362.JPG

142941P2363.JPG
The giraffe is looking straight this way. Marissa is really interested in this animal. She clearly says it's name.

143140P2364.JPG
I forgot the name of this huge bird.

143320P2365.JPG
I discover that there are 3 more giraffes. They are hiden in the back eating klandestine foliage over the fence.

143349P2366.JPG
Back to that first giraffe. It is dangling it's tongue out of its mouth. Too warm?

143515P2367.JPG
The rhinos are just being fed. Perhaps Marissa recognizes these animals too.

143733P2368.JPG
The girls certainly seem interested.

143800P2369.JPG
Munching away on that hay.

144052P2370.JPG
I spotted an ostrich.

144509P2371.JPG
The much anticipated lions are really boring to watch. They are far away and more or less hidden in the grass.

144724P2372.JPG
Baboons are always fun to watch. This family is probably affected by the heat as they are relatively slow.

144727P2373.JPG

144732P2374.JPG
Grooming

145028P2375.JPG
Here's an animal I didn't know about. It's a wild dog and they are indigenous to Indiana. Of course there are only a few left in the wild.

145140P2377.JPG
An exiting thing just happened and I missed the moment with my camera.The wild dog turned around.

145259P2378.JPG
The girls in the meanwhile have taken on the hobby of rock climbing. They aren't very good at it.

145317P2379.JPG
Marissa taking a tumble. It's a good thing she hadn't reached any height yet.

150033P2380.JPG
Some other lion food.

150055P2382.JPG
Another flower with some bees on it.

150146F.AVI (3761kB)
Here we spot the elephants. There is a baby elephant and two adult females.

150238P2383.JPG
The elephants have a beautiful habitat.

150301F.AVI (2053kB)
I just missed the moment where Marissa tried to climb over the fence.

150415P2384.JPG

150424P2385.JPG
A nice close-up. I have a 250 mm lense after all, so I may as well use it.

150430P2386.JPG

150446P2387.JPG
The elephants leave behind fairly impressive heaps.

150459P2388.JPG

150706P2390.JPG
A beautiful farscape of the elephant family. It's almost like a real savannah.

150847P2391.JPG
Interesting color.

150859P2392.JPG
Hey, you can see downtown Indy from here.

150910P2393.JPG
The elephants have a beautiful waterfall to swim under.

150949P2394.JPG
The little one is rolling around in the dust. Aagh, just missed it with the camera.

151003P2396.JPG
In the meanwhile Ginette is calling me over, because the other elephant is going into the water.

151013P2397.JPG
Ok, fortunately I didn't miss the moment.

151130P2398.JPG
Wait for it...

151151P2399.JPG
Of course the stick must be moved out of the way first.

151336P2400.JPG
Oh come on are you kidding me?!

151338P2401.JPG
This is absolutely disappointing. I'm through with these elephants!

151344P2402.JPG
There goes another one of those trains.

151349P2403.JPG
Finally some action.

151354P2404.JPG

151357P2405.JPG

151359P2406.JPG
Ok, that was good stuff. Thanks elephants.

152240P2410.JPG
As we briefly take a break in the shade in a quiet spot I notice the strange hurd behavior of the people. All of a sudden we are surrounded by people.

152523P2411.JPG
Then the entire hurd moves on.

152536P2412.JPG
The hurd then massively waits in line to see the komodo dragons.

152630P2413.JPG
In a separate area we spot another elephant.

152655P2414.JPG
This baby is having a baby, I hear a child shout out. Not quite right.

152739P2416.JPG
The way it reaches all the way to the ground it looks like this elephant has two trumps.

152826P2418.JPG
It doesn't only like like a second trump, it is just as manouverable. Watch this: both trumps down...

152835P2419.JPG
...both trumps up!

152836P2420.JPG
It seems it is reattaching to the belly button. That's an impressive trick.

152942P2422.JPG
The bull notices the attention from behind the window and makes a little parade. Now that's just showing off!

154841P2423.JPG
Fortunately, Juliette will not be scarred for life. She is sleeping through the whole penis show.

154859P2424.JPG
Marissa is looking the other way.

154902P2425.JPG
Close your eyes!

155502P2426.JPG
As I squat down to take this picture I hear a lady shout 'oh look what a beautiful flowers'! Apparently some people can't observe stuff for themselves. They need someone to point a camera at it first to be noticed.

155916P2427.JPG
That's a bamboo, tells some mother to her child. Ginette feels conflicted to tell the not so intelligent lady that that is the sign for the plants, not the animal.

155920P2428.JPG
In fact, this is a red panda. It eats bamboo.

155951P2430.JPG
In the distance we spot a tiger. It is looking for a spot to lie down, away from the gazing looks of the crowd. Eventually it lays down where nobody can really see it. Quite dissapointing if you have been training the tiger call for months with your baby.

155951P2431.JPG

155953P2432.JPG

160331P2437.JPG
A couple of otters run by in this habitat.

160429P2438.JPG
In the same habitat is a pair of gibbons.

160434P2439.JPG

160930P2440.JPG
This is all we get to see of the tiger from the other side.

161334P2443.JPG
As we sit down to have a drink, I hear something suspicious rustle in the woods. Oh it's just a bird hunting for insects.

162153P2444.JPG
Anise sage. That sounds like an interesting mix. I rub my fingers over a leave and indeed it isn't quite sage and it isn't quite anise. The black and blue refers to the flowers. These plants are supposed to have flowers all summer long, but this plant is probably so young it doesn't have any.

162201P2445.JPG

162207P2446.JPG
They really have a diverse selection of plants in the forest part of the zoo.

162241P2447.JPG
Ok, it's time for some action. What is hiding here?

162249P2448.JPG
This is an Alaska inspired habitat.

162324P2450.JPG
They have two grizzly bears in it. Marissa immediately says 'beer' when she sees these pictures.

162328P2452.JPG
One of the bears is sifting through the stuff that runs through the gully. I guess it isn't salmon season right now, sorry.

162330P2453.JPG

162408P2454.JPG

162416P2455.JPG
All it could find was a toothpick.

162702P2460.JPG

162708P2461.JPG

162725P2462.JPG
While the other bear is playing in the water, the other is striking poses for the camera people.

162733P2463.JPG
That's also a nice pose.

162754P2465.JPG
As the first bear swims over to the other side of the water, I get a chance to get both in the same picture.

162800P2467.JPG
Why don't you join me for a swim? The water must feel ridiculously warm for these animals.

163004P2470.JPG
Enough of those bears. It's time for the next staple of American wildlife: the bald eagle.

163041P2472.JPG
This animal has absolutely no posing skills.

163136P2474.JPG
As a professional photographer you expect to see a little bit more professionalism of the zoo animals. I have to take a shot from a not so ideal camera angle which shows more fence than eagle.

163709P2479.JPG
Our next stop is the underwater observatory of the bottle nose dolphins.

164018F.AVI (1096kB)
They are doing a show right now, which is really special to see from below. The dolphin is doing some tricks and gets thrown a fish for each.

164055F.AVI (809kB)
The dolphin is blowing some air torusses. I'm not sure if that's a trick or just how they breath out normally.

164251F.AVI (980kB)
Marissa is looking around. She probably doesn't completely understand what she is looking at.

164327F.AVI (2138kB)
The dolphins swim all the way to the bottom and then accelrate to jump out of the water. Pretty spectacular!

164432F.AVI (2615kB)
They line up nicely for the finale of the show

165232F.AVI (2008kB)
In another tank is a walrus bull. That guy is huge!

165503F.AVI (1427kB)
When the girls are getting tired we do the stroller swap trick. Being in another stroller makes them happy for a little while longer.

170042P2481.JPG
Sure, I believe it.

170118P2482.JPG
This bird must have escaped out of its cage.

170301P2483.JPG
This seal is clearly very tired.

170407P2484.JPG
It looks like we're in luck that it woke up. Quick let's get the camcorder to record the action!

170429F.AVI (1128kB)
Well, the seal gets tired of moving real quick. That's what you get from evolving your limbs into swimming flippers.

170743F.AVI (835kB)
This aquarium features a large number of cownose rays. It's always so graceful to see how these animals "fly" through the water.

171139F.AVI (1157kB)
Marion is holding Juliette up on the ledge. Marissa wants her to lift her up to.

171230F.AVI (3367kB)
Marissa is clearly impressed with all these colorful fish.

171253F.AVI (1121kB)
There's a giant moray eel in this tank.

171508F.AVI (948kB)
And more of those.

172000P2486.JPG
Jelly fish in a tank with with black light. Pretty difficult target to photograph.

172056P2488.JPG
Look at this feller.

172147F.AVI (661kB)
They have a basin where you can touch the sharks.

172158F.AVI (338kB)
They feel soft when you stroke towards the tail and really rough towards the head. Evolution is an amazing inventor.

173331P2490.JPG
Last animal on today's list: the polar bear.

173556F.AVI (1416kB)
The polar bear is trying to chill out, but all those flies on his nose must be itching like crazy. It look like the bear is about to sneeze.

192728F.AVI (3502kB)
After the drive back home Marissa needs to stretch her legs. She has skipped her afternoon nap and must really be tired. I'm sure she will sleep well and have great dreams about all the animals.