Bye!

Time to leave the Zoo, as these two animals seem ready to be left alone. The Polar Bear is ready for a nap; the gorilla is otherwise occupied.

Bears on the Prowl

Just over a year ago, Brookfield Zoo added the new Bear Territory and is it worth a look. Three separate pens, two of which have underwater viewing capability, make it easy to enjoy watching the two black bear and the three polar bears.

Brookfield Zoo

Always a great place to catch some shots. Here are two in the gorilla house.

More Animals

Here we look at two more assorted animals, both residents of Brookfield Zoo. A view of the camel and one of the elephant, both shot during 2010, complete our week of looking at the beauty and complexity of several larger animals.

Monkey & Gorilla House

Clearly a favorite, the Monkey & Gorilla House at Brookfield Zoo is always filled with visitors, each looking for that expression or movement which make these animals so interesting to us. Here are a pair of images, one small and one large, from a recent visit.

Zoo Stars

For the next few days, an assortment of zoo animals that have caught my eye. Here we start with the camel, seen at Brookfield Zoo.

Or They May Scare Back

Having seen the Polar Bear rearing up on the distant window, I just had to scurry around to that side and see if he would return. Patience, of course, is a hallmark of photography and it paid off handsomely.

Notice the marks on the glass as the huge bear dominates the view of the window.

Make a note of it: you must get to Brookfield Zoo to see the new Bear Wilderness. Along with all the other features that are there to be seen.

Do Not Scare the Bears

The Polar Bear began to pace, moving back and forth around the pen, and a times rearing up on his hind legs to paw at a full-length window across the way from me. Look closely at the window and see several paw prints all over the glass.
Here he is seen at the window and walking away, hopefully not having been frightened by the young boy in blue!

For Cub Fans

The star of our show, the child of the parents we saw in the previous post, was in the third pen when I first saw him. In his pond, the had interest in a log and as he worked at it, we found eventually that some kind of treat had been tucked into the log for him. Proud of himself, he enjoyed his little snack before climbing out to dry off.

We will see him on dry land in the next post.

Momma and Poppa Bear

The Polar Bear pair found in a second area are the parents of the huge cub we have not yet seen. Looking every inch the equal of the Polar Bear stars of numerous animated Coke commercials, they walk about the area and then locate a comfortable area to rest.

The new exhibit area I saw them in is interesting in that one of the bears was resting in an area he could be seen from outside though not clearly. But walking into the underwater viewing area, I looked back and saw him well-framed as if I was looking out from inside his lair!

500th Post

My 500th post completes my look at the Brookfield Zoo Grizzlies. As we turn from these imposing specimens to the trio of Polar Bears, I was struck with a Chicago Bear analysis. These grizzlies remind me of the football linemen, large athletes with power and grace, overshadowed in some viewers minds by the backs and receivers and linebackers.

The Polar Bears, my equivalent of these noted Bears, will be seen in the next post.

My 499th Post

Coming up to a milestone, the 500th post, we continue to look into the Bear Wilderness at Brookfield Zoo. Here one of the Grizzly Bears is in his pool working on a tasty treat which looked a lot like one of the rawhide toys that bigger dogs gnaw at. At first it looked as if Mr. Bear had nabbed a smooth white fish in his well-kept pond.

One more post, the 500th, will look at the grizzlies one more time before moving, shall we say, to the north?

Grizzly Bears

The new Bear Wilderness features three separate pens, and all three can be home to each of the Bears on a rotating basis. The first pen I came to had the two Grizzly Bears, seen here on the prowl in their large and attractive new home. As you look into the pen, the area to your right has a sizable water feature which the bears can access and which we shall see in an upcoming post.

The size and strength of these majestic animals is much more clearly seen here than in the older, cramped quarters. The bears have plenty of room to move about freely.

Brookfield Wolves & Bisons

Two other species moved to fill out the new Bear Wilderness at Brookfield Zoo would be wolves and bison. The Wolf Woods is not new but it is attached directly to the Bear exhibit. The Bison were moved to where they are on the exterior berms surrounding the east side of the Bear lair.

Here we see one wolf on lookout duty, and two Bison shots. The sand pit is there, according to the signage, because the Bison roll in dirt a lot to relieve bug irritation and in the process are very helpful to the natural ecosystem of the west.

Next post will move to the Grizzly Bears.

Brookfield Eagle

The recently opened Bear Wilderness at the Brookfield Zoo is a wonderful, well-designed opportunity to see not only bears, but three other types of animals. The first exhibit as you enter the new area is a majestic Bald Eagle.

An injured eagle who could not survive in the wild, this eagle reminded me of Lady Baltimore, another injured survivor I saw in Juneau Alaska and depicted in this blog during February, 2009. Their size and strength is immense and impressive.

More images in upcoming posts will show the wolves and bison as well as the five bears now making their homes at the new exhibit in Brookfield.

Two More Large Animals

Our final two images from Brookfield Zoo this trip are the bison and the camel, two of the larger animals that were out in the sun on this wintry day.
In our next post we begin a look at our second straight March trip to Spring Training, with Cubs pictures and some Desert Sunset shots.

Long Drink of Water

Giraffes are fascinating to watch. Their ungainly bodies move and suddenly look not so ungainly but smooth and flowing. The shapes their bodies display are at least as interesting as finding shapes in clouds!

Referees?

In my long career as a basketball official, I was called a zebra more than once. As beautiful and powerful as these animals are, I was not at all displeased.

The King and the Queen

Our final Lion images include a cartoon-sketch shot of the female lion and one of the happy couple together, right in the viewing area.

Closeups of the King

My recent trip featured several opportunities for closeups of the King of the Jungle, including one that looked as if he were hungry.