Monday, May 18, 2015

Minnesota Zoo

The blog has become my day-to-day gallery of sorts.
Please see http://monixkap.wix.com/mkaplerphotography for my portrait business.
Thanks for visiting!!
 
 
 
Today my brother and I visited the Minnesota Zoo.
 
 
It's been a long time since I visited, so long in fact that my last visit predates my ownership of an SLR camera. Naturally, there was much photography to be done.
 
Our first stop was the snow monkeys, which are active and social creatures with big personalities.





 
Next we traveled the Tropics Trail. I don't remember what specific variety of monkey this is, but it's sure cute.
 
Komodo Dragon

 

These gibbons are beautiful creatures as well. They casually swing from branch to branch, often hanging by one hand. They seem so carefree. Their arms are almost comically long.



Flamingos


I'm also not sure what type of bird this is, but it was astounding to look at. I enhanced the image quite a bit, but I really wanted to draw attention to all the beautiful colors in the bird's feathers.

Black-necked Stilts
 

Golden Lion Tamarin
 
Ethan finding out his wingspan on the Minnesota Trail.

One of my favorite shots of the day was this intimate moment with a mountain lion. What a beautiful creation. Its eyes are stunning.

This bald eagle found a home at the zoo after a wing injury that did not heal well enough for it to survive in the wild.

Brown bear
 
Another of my favorite animals here is the Amur Leopard, native to northern Russia. This lovely cat is highly endangered. It would be a sad day if the last of these fantastic creatures were driven to extinction.


This leopard was quite intrigued by a group of children to my left who were waving at him.
 
Takin


Prairie Dogs!!





Ethan taking shelter from the cold in what appeared to be an unused snack hut along the outdoor trail. It was unseasonably cold for the middle of May at 40 degrees accompanied by 20 mph wind.
 
Bactrian Camels (just for you, Kara)
 
 
And finally, some local wildlife as we exited the zoo! :)


 
Thanks for visiting!