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Tandala Mkubwa's Zootography
Topic Started: 16 Mar 2014, 04:45 (489 Views)
Tandala Mkubwa
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Hello everyone! I figured that now that I have made a return to the community with my new zoo, Heart of Africa, I would try and become more involved throughout the forums as I once was and start a topic to share my photos from my various zoo visits! (:

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Without further ado, I will start with a few photos from my most recent visit to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, an evening in late November for the zoo's Festival of Lights. There are only three photos from this visit as my camera was unfortunately not fully charged.

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Kea (Nestor notabilis)
The zoo's flock of 11 kea spend the cooler winter months on display in the zoo's walk-through Lorikeet Landing enclosure, and throughout the winter months "Kea Encounters" are held, during which keepers give presentations about the keas and the zoo's conservation efforts with the species. Donations towards kea conversation are encouraged during these presentations, and the kea have been trained to deposit dollar bills into a donation box when visitors give one to them.There are only 36 kea currently kept in the United States, and eleven of these are held at the Cincinnati Zoo; they breed regularly here.

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Southern cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus)
The night of my visit was very pleasant for late November, and much to my surprise, the zoo's cheetahs were actually on display; it was an incredible experience to see the cheetahs slinking about in the darkness. The Cincinnati Zoo is famous for their work with cheetahs and for their "Cheetah Run" encounters. "Sarah", one of the zoo's many cheetahs, was featured in National Geographic when she broke the land speed record. For the past several years, the zoo's cheetahs could only be seen in the Cheetah Run encounters, but this past summer new yards for cheetahs and lions were built as a part of the zoo's ongoing Africa expansion.

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In December, I attended a reception and open house for the zoo's donors within the CREW (Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife) building, where the zoo conducts its world famous research and where its CryoBioBank is held, and I bought these two ornaments painted by "Harapan" the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). The event was fantastic - filled with refreshments, meet and greets with CREW scientists (including Dr. Terri Roth), a tour of the CREW facilities, and, of course, a few animal ambassadors.
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In the next update I will start showcasing some of my photos from my most recent visit to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.


Edited by Tandala Mkubwa, 16 Mar 2014, 04:46.
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"Life is funny and sad - sometimes both at the same time." - AMY WINEHOUSE
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Dp197
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The Tandala Mkubwa's Zoo's photo album looks very good, I like it
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Gracias Tifón Por El Set
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Tandala Mkubwa
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Thank you very much! :)

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Without further ado, I'll show my first bout of photographs from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium! The first few set of photos highlight the inhabitants of the zoo's North America region, the oldest and largest (until Heart of Africa opens in May) region.

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Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is one of a handful of zoos to house the pronghorn, and they have a decent sized herd of them. The zoo usually takes on a few new orphans each year.

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American bison (Bison bison bison)
The zoo's herd of pronghorn are kept in a large, horseshoe-shaped yard in the center of the North America region with a pair of American bison.

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I will continue with some addition photos from the North America region of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in my next update!

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"Life is funny and sad - sometimes both at the same time." - AMY WINEHOUSE
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Tandala Mkubwa
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Now, time for the next update! :) This update will still feature the North America region of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

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Alaskan moose (Alces americanus gigus)
As I've just mentioned, the moose enclosure is my favorite part of the North America region, and is home to a small herd of Alaskan moose (Alces americanus gigus) and a single eastern moose cow (Alces americanus americanus). The enclosure features two large ponds for the moose to cool off in, one is viewed from a boardwalk that the moose can come almost all the way up to, and the other is in the rear portion of the enclosure that is tucked out of normal view from the visitors, and can only be viewed from the zoo train, allowing the moose some privacy. The enclosure can also be viewed from a wooded path that runs along one side of the enclosure. A few years ago the zoo constructed a new yard for the zoo's bull moose to occupy during rut. This enclosure is located adjacent to the main yard and is enclosed by heavy-duty steel fencing.

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Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
Up until this year, the zoo's herd of reindeer occupied the bull moose yard during the summer months and were moved to a special enclosure towards the middle of the zoo for their Wild Lights celebration in the winter. With the maturation of the zoo's young bull moose, a new reindeer yard was built across the path from the bull moose yard at the entrance of the Polar Frontier region of the zoo. I have yet to see this yard in person, so I cannot comment on it.

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American beaver (Castor canadensis)
With the death of the zoo's elderly American black bear, the North American river otters were moved into its former enclosure, and a pair of American beavers took up residence in the former otter exhibit. The exhibit is of decent size with varied terrain, a small stream that opens up into a nice sized pool with underwater viewing, and a den. The beavers were very active on my visit, swimming all about the pool, and they had collected quite a crowd in front of their enclosure.

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Well, that's all for now! In the next update I will showcase some inhabitants of the Asia Quest region of the zoo! x
Edited by Tandala Mkubwa, 21 Mar 2014, 03:49.
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"Life is funny and sad - sometimes both at the same time." - AMY WINEHOUSE
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Tandala Mkubwa
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Hello everyone! I'm back with another round of photos from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; this time from the Asia Quest region of the zoo.

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After making your way through North America and the adjoining Polar Frontier regions of the zoo, Asia Quest will be the next region you will encounter on your tour of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Asia Quest opened in two phases in 2006 and is home to a wide range of species hailing from continental Asia. The zoo's African lions (in a series of old enclosures outside of the region itself) and eastern black rhinoceroses (in the Pachyderm House) still reside in this area as well. The lions will be moving to a new exhibit in Heart of Africa this May, and the rhinoceroses are reportedly going to be receiving a new enclosure in a future phase of Heart of Africa.

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Tufted Deer (Elaphodus cephalophus cephalophus)
Asia Quest is entered under a ruined archway, and directly after entering there are two enclosures on either side of a bridge. The enclosure on the right-hand side is home to Reeve's muntjacs and white-naped cranes, and the enclosure on the left-hand side is home to tufted deer and red-crowned cranes. This enclosure is quite spacious for the two species and is designed to look like a rice patty and features quite a tall waterfall.

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Asian Elephant (Elephus maximus)
Bull named "Hank"
The zoo's Pachyderm House, featuring Asian elephants and eastern black rhinoceroses, is also incorporated into the Asia Quest region. The Asian elephant complex is made up of a nice sized and grassy main yard featuring a large pool, a smaller yard behind-the-scenes, and another small yard at the front of the building beside the series of rhinoceros yards that is inhabited by the zoo's young bull, Beco.

Now to talk a little about Hank. Hank is the zoo's new breeding bull that arrived in December 2011 after the death of their previous bull and longtime resident, Coco. If he looks particularly large, that's because he is! He's the largest elephant in captivity in North America, weighing in at 15,600lbs and reaching a height of 9'5'' at the shoulder; he's absolutely massive! Despite his large size, his keepers have described him as being extraordinarily calm and gentle. He has taken up a particular liking to the zoo's matriarch, Connie, an interest Coco did not show, and the zoo hopes that he will breed with both Phoebe, the young, breeding cow, and Connie, who has not produced a calf since 1999 while she lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

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Asian Elephant (Elephus maximus)
Cow named "Phoebe"
This is Phoebe, the youngest of the two cows at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and the mother of both calves to be born at the zoo.

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Asian Elephant (Elephus maximus)
Cow named "Connie"
And this is Connie, the older of the two cows, and the matriarch of the herd.

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Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Asia Quest is home to a lovely walk-through pheasant aviary that is designed to look like a traditional Oriental garden. In addition to ring-necked pheasants such as this one, the aviary is also home to golden pheasants
Himalayan Impeyan monals, Swinhoe's pheasants, Reeve's pheasant, straw-necked ibises, cattle egrets, Lord Derby's parakeets, and Reeve's muntjacs.

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Turkmenian Markhor (Capra falconeri heptneri)
For me, the herd of markhor have always been the highlights of the Asia Quest region of the zoo; they're just so majestic. The zoo offer's a nice sized, rocky enclosure for the small herd, that breeds quite regularly, and there are many climbing opportunities for these high-altitude creatures. This photograph is of the zoo's male, Lars. Lars is the reason that their enclosure is now netted over as when the exhibit first opened, he escaped on several occasions - once into the neighboring Amur tiger yard though luckily the tigers were not out.

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Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
The amur tiger enclosure at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is fantastic, with a wide range of varied terrain, caves and pockets of foliage to hide in, and a stream that empties into a deep pool. There are also several viewing areas for the enclosure, including a special mesh wall through which keeper presentations are given.

The next update will be the last from this visit to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and will feature animals from the three remaining regions of the zoo: Shores, African Forest, and Voyage to Australia & The Islands! Thanks to all who have viewed x
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"Life is funny and sad - sometimes both at the same time." - AMY WINEHOUSE
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Tandala Mkubwa
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*Blows dust off topic*

Alright! It's been a little while, but I'm back with the next update! This update will include the last set of photos from my most recent visit to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

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The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is divided into two main sections by a road, and one must pass under the road to go from one section of the zoo to the other. The first section of the zoo is home to the regions of North America, Polar Frontier, Asia Quest, and, come this summer, Heart of Africa. The zoo's Animal Encounter Village and water and amusement parks are also located on this side of the zoo. Passing under the road will lead you to the second section of the zoo that is home to the regions of Shores, Expedition Congo: African Forest, and Australia and The Islands. This update will feature animals from this second section of the zoo.

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Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Upon passing under the road, you enter the Shores region of the zoo, and the first exhibit that you will come to is the nice and grassy yard for the zoo's large flock of Caribbean flamingos. The yard features a good sized pool and is nicely shaded. The zoo implements a system of a wall of mirrors at the rear of the enclosure to trick the flamingos into thinking that there are more of them than there are; this encourages breeding. A little shaded eating area and restaurant adjoin the flamingo yard, and it's a nice little area to relax after hiking all the way from the other side of the zoo. I don't have any other photos from the Shores region of the zoo from this visit, but others will come later. Besides flamingos, the Shores region also features yards for American alligators and Aldabra Tortoises, the zoo's Reptile House, the Discover Reef aquarium, and Manatee Coast, the home of the zoo's rehabilitated Florida manatees and the star-attraction of the region.

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Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)
Past the Shores region, the path splits up and you can either visit the Expedition Congo: African Forest region first or the Australia and The Islands region first. When I visit, I generally visit Expedition Congo: African Forest first. This region of the zoo is tucked away in a forest corner of the zoo and works to immerse you into the depths of the Central African rainforest with more than 700 plants native to the Congo basin. Entering the region you are greeted by a troop of Angolan colobus monkeys before reaching the research center with views into an aviary for African grey parrots and buff-necked bustards. A walkthrough aviary follows before the trails winds on, past leopards, gorillas (including Colo - the first gorilla to be born in captivity), bonobos, red river hogs, and mandrills. The region is concluded by a trio of yards for the zoo's okapis and black duikers - highlighted in these photos are two of the zoo's four okapis (two males and two females). These yards of of nice size and are nicely shaded for these forest creatures.

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Komodo Drago (Varanus komodoensis)
Leaving Expedition Congo, it is then time to move on to Australia and The Islands, the region home to the zoo's collection of wildlife from Australia and Southeast Asia. The Islands portion of this region is themed around a series of ruined temples, and the species - including orangutans, gibbons, siamang, varous birds, Asian-small clawed otters, and Komodo dragons - can be seen from a winding, circular path or a boat ride. The zoo's Komodo dragon exhibit is my absolute favorite exhibit for this species, featuring a wide range of terrain, rocks for sunbathing, shady areas, and a pool. The indoor enclosure, themed to be a native village, is also very nice.

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Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)
The Australia portion of the region is a nicely themed region featuring one of the nicest lorikeet aviaries I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of them... They're everywhere!), the exhibit for the zoo's colony of Queensland koalas (along with short-beaked echidnas and brush-tailed bettongs!), the Roadhouse, an amazing nocturnal house featuring various reptiles and amphibians, kiwis, Prevost's squirrels, Indian crested porcupines, binturongs, Matschie's tree kangaroos, tawny frogmouths, bats, feather-tailed gliders, and several other species, exiting into a walk-through aviary atrium. In its heyday the Roadhouse was also home to banded palm civets and tiger quolls, but these have since died out. The region is also home to a large walk-through exhibit for a mob of red kangaroos and eastern grey kangaroos. These types of exhibits are also increasingly common, but, again, the Columbus Zoo features one of the nicest examples I've seen.

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Well everyone, that's all I have from my most recent visit to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium... In the next update we will be traveling back south to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens!
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"Life is funny and sad - sometimes both at the same time." - AMY WINEHOUSE
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Astrotom3000


I really like those "nocturnal" shots of the Cheetah at the beginning. And man, talk about getting up close and personal! Great photos!
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Great photos man.
I like them !!
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OwlParrot
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You are a very good photographer
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Lo siento por mi mal español que estoy usando un traductor
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Alterbean7


Those are some really good photos!
Mi español no tendrá sentido a veces porque yo uso un traductor.
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saintlybird


Very nice shots, lovely and clear. :)
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