The Radio Girl: Reid Park Zoo: Part 3

Wild animals have taken over this blog.

This is the final batch of pics from our Reid Park Zoo visit on Wednesday. Hover your mouse over any of the pics to get a quick description of what you're seeing.

Tucson's city zoo houses more than 500 animals, including these elephant buddies, Connie and Shaba:

Some controversy has been brewing over these two mammals for the past couple years since Reid Park Zoo has been added to the Worst Zoos for Elephants list.

But Reid Park Zoo has begun construction on a new elephant exhibit called Expedition Tanzania, opening in 2012, with a total of three acres for Connie and Shaba to roam. The expansion will feature state-of-the-art facilities including pools, mud wallows, sand pits, and all the things that make elephants happy.

These two speedy featherballs would love their own exhibit as well.

And they'd be even happier if I stopped taking their picture. Ostriches can run up to 45 miles per hour, easily catching me and stomping my camera to bits... maybe I'll just focus on a different, kinder, gentler animal...

Like the zebra...

A zebra's stripes are like camouflage, helping them hide in tall grass.

This sounds silly since grass is green and and zebras are black and white. BUT it is supposedly very effective against the zebra's main predator, the lion, who is color blind.

Lions are color blind? Who knew?

"Hey, Rhino Butt!"

The Reid Park Zoo rhino is a tad camera shy.

On to the warthogs, bears and tigers...

And I saved the best for last.

Giraffes are, without a doubt, my fave wild animal; tall and graceful, but so cartoon-like they could easily fit into a Dr Seuss dreamland.

Reid Park Zoo houses four gorgeous giraffes: Denver, Elinor, Texas and Watoto.

Interesting giraffe tidbits:

they are the tallest land animals
smaller animals will watch giraffes to figure out if predators are close by
a giraffe’s L-O-N-G tongue (18 to 20 inches) is black
some scientists think this helps keep the tongue from getting sunburned
zoo keepers feed giraffes tree leaves, hay, lettuce, carrots, scallions, and “biscuits”

After a few minutes into the Giraffe vs. My Fella Staredown, the giraffe finally figured he wasted enough time and got back to more important things...

Like snacking.

I love giraffes.

Tucson's Reid Park Zoo was three hours well spent, and a total bargain at only $7 per adult. It was educational too, especially the bathroom walls where these signs were posted.

Make sure you show this to the teeny tiny kids and really, really old folks in your household. They'll feel relieved (pun intended) after learning that vultures can't hold it either.

Nothing to be ashamed of actually. I drink so much water that even I wake up two or three times in the middle of the night to go. Although I usually get out of bed first.

Us vultures have to stick together.

Too much info again, huh??