Bronx Zoo, NYC
And now for a completely different take on my “Animals in Captivity” series, I present to you a polar bear, who we got to see having the MOST fun playing, swimming, jumping, and full out frolicking.
And now for a completely different take on my “Animals in Captivity” series, I present to you a polar bear, who we got to see having the MOST fun playing, swimming, jumping, and full out frolicking.
Here is one of my favorite shots (and favorite animals!) in my portrait series of animals in captivity. On one hand, we have a gorgeous elephant full out SMILING, in the most bashful manner. On the other hand, why is she stuck in a tiny wooden paddock? Bittersweet.
Here is the second of a long string of animal portraits that I took at the zoo last week. More to come. Thanks for checking them out.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure if this picture makes me incredibly happy or incredibly sad. I think that really, it’s a bit of both. This week, I was lucky enough to visit The Bronx Zoo, and their AMAZING array of animals, including this super adorable baby gorilla. The Bronx Zoo does an amazing job of creating proper habitats for their animals, many of whom are endangered species, who could certainly use a protected environment in which to thrive and grow. However, there is something fundamentally sad about seeing an animal behind bars or glass. Particularly when the animal is as intelligent and as human as the gorillas, who I spent a lot of time watching. There will be many more animal portraits to come, but I couldn’t wait to post this particular picture. The little baby gorilla saw the kids that were touring the exhibit, came RUNNING down to them, and placed his hand right up to where their hands were waiting on the glass. I was lucky enough to have my camera at the ready so that I could catch this fleeting connection (which, I should add, thrilled the baby gorilla almost as much as it did the children!).
No quote to go with this, just one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever seen. This artist was sitting next to the glass of the expansive orangutan habitat. She was sketching these two orangutans, who were sitting, and watching her intently. Every once in a while, she would hold up her pad of paper to show them her progress, and then return to sketching. They would study her drawing, and then go back to sitting quietly and continue to watch her sketch. This went on for at least 45 minutes.