St. Louis Zoo - Part 1

Hi!  Remember me?  The blogger that keeps disappearing for weeks at a time?  Well, I'm back...for now.  And I've got lots of lovely pictures to keep you entertained!  I'm splitting this post up into 3 parts...mainly just to drag it out long enough for me to get my act together and get another post done.  Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I spent a lovely day at the St. Louis Zoo.  We are so lucky to have such an amazing zoo right here in our hometown.  The Zoo is located in Forest Park and it's recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education.  Plus, admission is free!!  (And they serve ice cold Bud Light at all the concession stands!  Score!)

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair is credited for the birth of the St. Louis Zoo.  The World's Fair brought with it a walk-through flight cage commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution. St. Louisans fought for it to remain in the city once the Fair concluded. The City of St. Louis chose to buy it for $3,500 (original cost to build was $17,500) rather than have it dismantled and sent to Washington, D.C.  The popularity of the bird cage inspired civic leaders to build a real zoological garden in St. Louis.  In November 1910, the Zoological Society of St. Louis was established. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the St. Louis Zoo.

One special feature is the Zooline Railroad, a small passenger train that encircles the zoo, stopping at the more popular attractions.  The Zooline Railroad offers a 20-minute narrated tour weaving through tunnels and past favorite animal exhibits on a 1½-mile round trip. One of the Zoo's most popular attractions, the Zooline Railroad has transported more than 27 million visitors in the past 40 years. The railroad operates year-round, weather permitting.

The Zooline Railroad is Ryan's FAVORITE part of the zoo.

Can you tell he's a little excited?

We're on our way to "The Wild."  Exhibits in The Wild include: the Bear Pits, the Fragile Forest (home to the chimps and apes), and Penguin and Puffin Coast.  DID YOU HEAR THAT??  PENGUINS!!  The penguins are my FAVORITE part of the zoo.

As we made our way to the penguins, Ryan made up a song to sing to me about the penguins at the zoo.  The "Penguins in St. Louis Song."  It was a good song. :)

 

But before we could get there, we had to pass this guy... yikes!

And these guys. 

It was pretty hot, so they weren't moving much.

But these guys didn't mind the heat at all!

Oh those lazy hazy days of summer.

Speaking of seals, have you seen Andre?  Because you totally should.

As we approached the Bear Pits, we knew we were getting close!  In the 1920s, the St. Louis Zoo replaced barred cages in the Bear Pits with open, moated exhibits. These exhibits represent some of the earliest examples of moated enclosures. Made from molds taken of the limestone bluffs along the Mississippi river locally, they showcase a variety of bear species including grizzly bears and sun bears.

This guy kinda freaked me out with his wonky eyes.

I think the polar bears were hiding.

This big dude was pacing back and forth, back and forth.

And this guy was just chilling.

Finally, we made it to Penguin and Puffin Coast! 

We hung out with the Humboldt penguins outside for a while.

Humboldt penguins of coastal Peru and Chile are outside. Their exhibit is enclosed by a glass wall, and includes a pool and 22-foot (6.7 m) waterfall. These penguins help debunk the myth that penguins live only in the cold, as they can survive the extremely hot St. Louis summers; however, all of the Humboldts' water enclosures are constantly refrigerated. The Saint Louis Zoo is involved in research to protect Humboldt penguins' native habitat.

Aren't they so stinking cute!

I wanted to take this guy home with me and keep him in the fountain in my backyard.

He was willing to go.

I told him he'd have two sisters; a cat and a dog.

He was ok with that.

And I told him we eat a lot of fish at our house.

He was ok with that too.

But then I sang him the "Penguins in St. Louis Song"...

And he gave me this look.

And left.

Whatever.

We made our way inside to check out the other penguins.  Inside Penguin Cove are two spacious domed exhibits, complete with rugged coastlines, towering rockscapes and underwater viewing of lively penguins. Penguin Cove is the first walk-through sub-Antarctic penguin exhibit in North America and takes you through high coastal cliffs, like those of the island of South Georgia, to watch penguins on land and underwater. This watery world is a shared habitat for the small Gentoo Penguin, the agile Rockhopper Penguin and the stately King Penguin.

The exhibit's barrel-vault ceiling features theatrical lighting, which can be used to simulate a colorful sunrise, a sunset over the horizon, or the reversed seasons. Sounds of crashing waves and a sea lion's bark can be heard in the distance. With a constant temperature of 45-50º F., this walk-through habitat is a sure-fire visitor favorite in summer.  It felt amazing!

The King Penguins appreciate music (we know that from Happy Feet).

And remember these Rockhoppers from Happy Feet?

They have a Spanish accent.

(sorry if the majority of my zoological knowledge comes from Disney)

The little Gentoo Penguins...

...they like to jump in the water and splash you as you take their picture with your fancy expensive (not-waterproof) camera.

It's hilarious!

Then, we arrived at Puffin Bay, home to these fast-swimming birds of the Northern Hemisphere. Puffin Bay, complete with rocky cliffs and frigid water, houses both the Horned Puffin and Tufted Puffin.  Other northern water bird species live in Puffin Bay too, like the beautiful King Eider.

I love Puffins!  They're so weird-looking.

Like their penguin counterparts, puffins are black-and-white birds skilled in diving and swimming. They are known as "sea parrots" or "clowns of the sea."

Aren't they funny?

Don't you just want to grab one and cuddle* with it?

*They don't let you do this.  Unfortunately, the Zoo discourages cuddling with the wildlife.  Except for the goats in the Children's Petting Zoo, but who the hell wants to cuddle with a goat? 

Stay tuned for Part 2...



All Zoo information in this post was found on the St. Louis Zoo website: http://www.stlzoo.org/