Posted on by Anne Sandler · 28 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving: Some changes at the zoo!

Happy pre-Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! There’s a new animal at the Sacramento Zoo: meet the White Rhinoceros. That’s his keeper behind the fence. She just kept feeding him. I wonder how much he eats in a day! He’s a big guy!

An orangutan was enjoying a snack of romaine lettuce.

The alligator was patiently waiting.

This meercat was the lookout guard at the top of the small mountain.

This raven (I think) caught its meal.

One of the cheetahs posed for me.

The flamingos are back. They are being housed in the former enclosure of the chimpanzees after they were sent to different zoos that had more space for them in a jungle like enclosure. The flamingos are still kept in a glass enclosure because of the avian flu.

What was this zebra trying to tell me?

These are the changes at the zoo. They are planning a move to Elk Grove in a much better location with more space for more animals. It will take about 4 to 5 years. So stay tuned.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 27 Comments

Testing a new lens: The Sacramento Zoo

I had two motivators for visiting the Sacramento Zoo recently. 1. I was gone for almost a month and hadn’t seen the new baby giraffe now named Cheyenne and, 2. I wanted to test out a new lens. With my Nikon, I had an 18-200mm lens which was a perfect walk-around lens. Unfortunately, Fujifilm doesn’t make a lens with that type of zoom. Recently Tamron came out with an 18-300mm lens for Fuji and Sony. So I bought the Fuji mount. The only drawback is its lack of an aperture ring on the lens. I was told that I could assign that function to the front dial and use the top dial to change the aperture.

When I purchased the lens, I was told that Fuji would make the switch automatically and when I put my Fuji lens back on it would revert back. I played with it while at the zoo and didn’t quite do it correctly. I ended up with sharp but noisy images. Thank heavens for Topaz!

The zoo didn’t disappoint. The cheetah was walking around; not running.

The red panda was walking the branches instead of sleeping.

The giraffes were being giraffes. Have you ever seen a two-headed, six-legged giraffe? We did get to see Cheyenne, but she was behind a fence and quickly went back inside with her mother.

The river otters were in their hammock.

And the lions were preparing for a nap.

One of the Okapi was out eating.

I almost forgot the alligator.

So, this was my morning at the zoo with friends Marlene, Laura and Ray. It’s good to be home and doing photography with friends.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 23 Comments

Before the heat hit: Sacramento Zoo

Early this month we decided to beat the heat and went to the Sacramento Zoo when it opened. To our surprise, it was pleasant weather wise. However, the animals were being ornery. I don’t know why they turn away when they see a camera! Many weren’t in their enclosures and the nocturnal animals were sleeping early.

The orangutans were playing and eating in their enclosure. Finally one decided to turn around.

Thank goodness it was bone day, and the lions and jaguars were still gnawing at their treats.

By now we should have a new baby giraffe. I guess as soon as it gets a little cooler I’ll get down their to see him/her. The docents are hoping for a girl because she would get to stay. If it’s a male then when he gets to a certain age, he’ll be sent to another zoo.

One of the alligators was active and swimming towards the platform we stood on. He doesn’t look too friendly.

Last we have the okapi. There was only one out that morning. They are an amazing looking animal.

You’ll notice there are no flamingo pictures this time. All the birds are inside because of the avian flu. They even drained the flamingos pool. I hope they are back when we visit next. They are fun to watch and photograph.

Our zoo is planning to move to Elk Grove, a city south of Sacramento but within Sacramento County. More acreage is needed for expansion and to house the current zoo animals. But, it’s not going to happen overnight. They say the zoo will move in stages. I wonder what that would mean for the visitors and animals. Change happens!