Dear
George,
We’ve
belonged to the Cincinnati Zoo for a long time. When J was a little kid, I’d take him there each Saturday morning
while Katja was out doing errands, and it always was exciting. Now it’s a favorite destination when
our grandkids come to town. The
zoo was good back in the 1970’s, but it’s changed dramatically in the 35 or 40
years since. Nearly 80% of the
current exhibition sites didn’t exist when we first started going. One of the most recent additions is the
$3 million Cat Canyon. It replaced
the former Tiger Grotto that had been built in 1934. The Cat Canyon is divided into several separate areas. The biggest, designed to simulate a
tropical habitat, houses two white tigers: Akere, a male, and Popsuy, a
female. White tigers, of course,
are extremely rare – making up only one out of every 10,000 tigers that are
born. Here’s how our handsome zoo
pair looks.
The
second Cat Canyon area is occupied by two six-year-old Malayan Tiger brothers,
Taj and Who Dey. Malayan Tigers
live in the wilds in Malaysia and southern Thailand, and there are only about
500 left in the world. The new zoo
exhibit includes a pool in which Taj and Who Dey can cool off on hot days.
Three
snow leopards live in a third area which is designed with the look of a rocky
Himalayan riverbed. Renji, a
three-year-old female, came from the Chattanooga Zoo. Nobo, a male, is two and a half, and Olga is an older
female. The leopards are about the
size of Old English Sheepdogs, live in high mountain areas of central Asia, and
are an endangered species. Their
diet in the wilds is mainly blue sheep and ibex. Now that spring’s in full bloom we’ll stop by and see these
babies in the next week or two.
Love,
Dave
-G-mail
Comments
-Vicki L
(4-30): Wow David - magnificent photos. I'm thinking you should start working
for the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce - special agent in charge of bringing
tourists and settlers to Cincinnati. You make the city come alive… Much Love, Sis
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