Alaska Zoo Feb 2003
 This is Chloe, one of two harbor seals at the zoo. Like many of the animals in our zoo, Chloe was an orphan unable to survive by herself in the wild. She's been at the Alaska Zoo since 1994. |
 Here's Chloe with the newest addition to the zoo - Jabba. He arrived only last week from Washington where he was rescued as an orphan. Jabba is totally blind, but gets on well in his new home. |
 A very nice shot of Chloe, with Jabba head sticking out of the water in front of her. |
 Chloe swimming. Many times when you visit Chloe, she really acts like a ham, getting close to the glass when she knows you're taking her picture. |
 Chloe again |
 A pile of river otters! I'm not sure if this is Turbo, Frisky, or Whiskers. They all look alike to me. |
 This is our polar bear Ahpun. She came to the zoo as an orphan in 1998 and was raised alongside one of the Kodiak bears - Oreo. The zoo used to have two much loved polar bears named Binky and Nuka who passed away several years ago. Binky was famous for stealing a shoe from an Australian tourist. |
 One of two grown moose at the zoo. I don't know if this is Kenai or Campbell. He's knealing down on his front legs so that he can nibble on some low-lying vegetation. |
 This is Wilbur, one of two wolverines at the Alaska Zoo. He did not want to have his picture taken and kept giving us very sullen looks. |
 The zoo has two very talkitive ravens named Sam and Grampa, but I'm not sure which is which. They were both brought to the zoo with wing injuries. |
 Sometimes when you visit the zoo ravens, you'll see wild ones hanging around their cage. There weren't any when we went this time, but I have seen that on previous trips. The zoo people say that sometimes Sam and Grampa will share their food with the wild ravens. |
 This picture is just to show how unnaturally bright and green the horsetail ferns are already, so early in the year. This is NOT what February in Alaska usually looks like! |
 I believe this is Taska, one of the two bald eagles at the Alaska Zoo. The other eagle's name is Tiska. They were both brought to the zoo with injured wings and could not survive in the wild. While we were there, one of the eagles was very noisy, often making high pitched chirping sounds that you could hear all over the zoo. |
 This is Steve, one of our Siberian tigers! The Alaska Zoo specializes in not only Alaskan animals, but those from northern or high altitude climates as well. The other tiger's name is Al, and he is Steve's brother. I couldn't get a picture of Al, because he was being lazy and hiding too far back in the enclosure. |
 Another picture of Steve. He seemed very restless while we were there, pacing back and forth the length of the front of the enclosure. But he was also moving quickly, so it was difficult to get a good picture of him. |
 For all you macrophile and foot fetish people - a shot of Steve's paws from behind! |
 And a paws shot from the side. I was having no luck getting a picture of a fast moving tiger's feet, but Dino managed to get this one. Just goes to show the mystic bond between macrophile and big plooshy paws. |
 This has to be the oldest sign in the world. |
 I guess this shot if for LD5 members who like hanging and pendulous tummies. Methinks that Stever might have it a little too good at the Alaska Zoo. |
 A very nice profile of Steve. I wish I could have gotten some better shots of him, but he refused to cooperate with me. Dang tiger. |
 Ducks! Lots of mallard ducks winter over at the Alaska Zoo. I am very fond of ducks and have been since I was a kid, so I was sure to get lots of pictures. |
 Here's the little inlet off the main big pond where all of the ducks and the two swans are hanging out this winter. The swans are also wild and simply staying at the zoo over the winter by choice. |
 The two swans. I'm not sure if they are tundra swans or trumpeters. The two species are very difficult to distingush from each other. |
 The world's cutest duck! |
 Another shot of the water with all the birds. |
 A very nice shot of one of the swans. I am quite proud of this picture because I think it turned out wonderful. |
 Two ducks at the zoo feeder. |
 This is our elephant Maggie. What is an Alaskan zoo doing with an African Elephant, you ask? Well, way back in 1966 a local grocer won a radio contest in which the prize was $3000 or a baby elephant. He chose the elephant. That elephant was an Asian Elephant named Annabelle. The Alaska Zoo was essentially created to care for her. Maggie arrived in 1983 as acompanion for Annabelle. |
 Annabelle was famous for being a painting elephant. Her paintings have sold all over the world. Unfortunately Annabelle passed away in 1997 at the age of 33. Since then Maggie has been the only elephant at the Alaska Zoo, but she does have company. The zoo's Bactrian camels, Boris and Tula, are often brought to visit her |
 In harsh winter weather, Maggie stays inside, but since she's lived in Alaska since she was an infant, Maggie is well acclimated to the weather and is often taken outside on mild days to play in the snow. |
 The zoo has two dall sheep, Wilma and Athena. I think this might be Wilma, but I'm not sure. I'm very proud of this picture because I think it turned out really nice! |
 Okay! Here is one of our newest additions, Kaz the snow leopard. He and another leopard named Molly live in a newly revamped double enclosure and the zoo is hoping to eventually mate them as part of a conservation and breeding program. Molly wouldn't come out for pictures, but we got lots and lots of shots of Kaz! |
 Kaz was sitting very patiently at the front of his enclosure when we arrived, watching the woods opposite from him. The habitat is so well designed that we were only about six feet away from him. |
 Another shot of beautiful Kaz |
 For the macrophiles - a picture of Kaz's big plushy feet! |
 Another picture of Kaz's paws! |
 A close up picture. I like this one a lot! |
 Same shot, a little further away so you can see all of Kaz. He's very young. I'm not sure exactly how old, but I know that snow leopards get larger than this. I can't wait to see him when he's grown up! |
 A rather annoyed expression. Actually, he didn't pay any attention at all to us. |
 Another nice shot of big paws. |