Memphis Zoo

Erika and I went the Memphis Zoo. It's the first time I had been since college, when I was one of several Arkansas State University interns for the National Press Photographers Association's annual convention. It seems they have changed a lot about the zoo, but maybe it's just been too long since I've been.

They did not have a polar bear, seal, or panda exhibit when I was there though. The polar bear wasn't even talked about, but there was a very, very bad panda bear announcement. I remember there was a large cage with a life-size animatronic panda inside, but the electrical substitute wasn't even turned on. This time I got to see two of them in a large, glassed in cage. One was trying to get some rest, while the other was munching on bamboo reeds. I was disappointed that I could not get a good photo of the polar bears or the seals though.

On the other hand, I was quite lucky with the orangutan. The ones at the Little Rock Zoo have never really done anything. They pull a blanket over their body and lay there like a giant trash heap, sometimes reaching out for nearby lettuce. The one at the Memphis Zoo didn't do a whole lot more, but I was quick enough to grab a photo before he stopped. He had been perched up high on the zoo's "fort," and he put his blanket in his mouth to hold onto while he climbed down the ropes to sit on the ground.