Since we had purchased a membership at Miller Park Zoo we were now embarked on using it to visit all the zoos we encountered in our travels. While not really large at only 40 acres, the Montgomery Zoo is excellent and even in January a nice place to visit on one of the warmer days.
While I am not really a bird watcher, they always seem to be the most colorful and varied of the zoo residents. They also are not usually very shy like the Roseate Spoonbill at the walk-in enclosure. It's really in the normal bent-over posture with the head rotated to scratch it's back. Birds frequently stand still for a good closeup featuring just the eye. The guys with the ultra long beaks are ibis. The Crowned Crane is calling and the swan is swimming.
The apes and monkeys also tend to be some of my least favorite although watching the interactions between adults and babies is always interesting. The pair on the left are Black-Handed Spider Monkeys while the black ones are Siamang. See I am getting better at also getting the enclosure signs.
With the rather cool weather the maned wolf native to South America was up and wandering around so I could get a full side shot rather than just the ear and nose they show in the heat during the day when the zoo is open. They also have a very pungent skunk like odor they use to mark their territory.
I think the rabbit looking guy is a Patagonian Cavy, an overgrown relative of the guinea pigs we prefer as pets. When I finally get to the Mobile Zoo in 2013 there will be a lot more pictures of these guys.
Taking a break to get warm the reptile house has all the expected.
Now the otters here are great fun and they are right at home swimming and playing in the cold. I was probably here just before feeding time which they are eagerly awaiting. They may look playful and cute but one of their favorite pastimes is stealing food from their buddy and they can be very aggressive.
Moving on to some of the bigger guys the zebra was quite friendly although I don't think he'd take well to a saddle. These are some of the first pictures I have of a bull and cow elk. Again due to the cooler weather they were moving around a lot rather than just laying in the shade. This was also one of my early opportunities to photograph bison even though the wire fence in the background clearly shows they are in a zoo.
This is the first and one of very few pygmy hippos I have seen. Across the field and on the other side of a lake it also challenged my long lens to the limit. Closer is a pair of kudu with another type of antelope and the zebra almost lost in the background. Up close and personable is a White (which means wide mouth) Rhino.
Now we finally get to Lori's favorite, the white tiger. On our first pass he was sitting on the far side of the enclosure with an eye just barely open. Later he was laying right against the enclosure glass and I could get some closeup shots. I was not ready but when Lori walked up to the glass he jumped up full spread against the glass with a loud roar. I don't think she looks that scary so she must look delicious.
My favorite is the wart hog who is so ugly he is cute. Despite their fearsome appearance they can be quite gentle. On one of our later visits to the Columbus Ohio zoo a keeper actually had a pair of very young ones out for a walk on a leash getting them acquainted with being around people.
Finishing up is a water buffalo which is distinctly different from the American bison shown above. Finishing up most of the continents is the Australian kangaroo or wallaby, I am not sure which. Unfortunately, no penguins at this zoo so we will get to Antarctica in another zoo.