I did a painting...
Sadly; this painting has already been outdated.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/15/us/san-diego-white-rhino-dead/
There are now only 5 White Rhinos left in the world.
well that was a depressing way to start a blog.
Now onto the update on what's been going on at the wildlife center.
Usually the month of January can be fairly slow and the animals (and staff) are just enjoying the time off from summer.
Rut is coming to a close (breeding season)...usually.....
however we still have one elk refusing to calm down and stop being the bad guy in charge.
He just loves to talk "trash" at those other loser elk that are separated from the herd across the way.
He is just a little stinky for a few months.....
Notice how there is no snow on the ground? This winter has been so mild that even our bears have hardly been hibernating! Until just 2 days ago we have zero snow on the ground!
"Patron" even looks a little confused as to if she is even hungry enough to eat this pear.
Luckily with claws like these even walking on ice isn't too difficult...
Jade, our red fox, has been getting a lot of hands on training by myself and 2 other girls that I work with. We are hoping to be able to take him into classes one day soon. Maybe even in the next couple of months? We have been so lucky to have a great volunteer arrive at the center last year and volunteer her time to teach us different training techniques for Jade. This training not only can be used in programs; but also provides enrichment for Jade. Fox in general are very smart and need a variety of stimuli in their environment.
One thing I love about the winter time is having our local wildlife return each year.
We get pairs of bald eagles that return in the winter time. I love this photo that Doug Lindstrand captured through the fog.
and this one of the intern bunkhouse with the mountains in the background.
Once rut is actually over animals such as moose begin to drop their antlers. They are not needed anymore since they are done fighting for dominance during the breeding season. Usually captive animals in rut retain their antlers a bit longer since their diets are a little different than their wild counterparts. "Teddy" here has had one antler for nearly a 2 months now; which is longer than the average moose to shed both antlers.
however we still have one elk refusing to calm down and stop being the bad guy in charge.
He just loves to talk "trash" at those other loser elk that are separated from the herd across the way.
We have to separate the male elk from one another in order for them not to fight over the lady elk . This would be too dangerous to leave leave all the bulls in the same area with the herd. The herd of elk that the male bull protects is called a "harem".
The bull in charge also likes to cover himself in his own scent to show his dominance...
Notice how there is no snow on the ground? This winter has been so mild that even our bears have hardly been hibernating! Until just 2 days ago we have zero snow on the ground!
"Patron" even looks a little confused as to if she is even hungry enough to eat this pear.
Hugo is wondering why she still has to walk on ice instead of snow....
"Where are my snow shoes?"
Luckily with claws like these even walking on ice isn't too difficult...
Jade, our red fox, has been getting a lot of hands on training by myself and 2 other girls that I work with. We are hoping to be able to take him into classes one day soon. Maybe even in the next couple of months? We have been so lucky to have a great volunteer arrive at the center last year and volunteer her time to teach us different training techniques for Jade. This training not only can be used in programs; but also provides enrichment for Jade. Fox in general are very smart and need a variety of stimuli in their environment.
One thing I love about the winter time is having our local wildlife return each year.
We get pairs of bald eagles that return in the winter time. I love this photo that Doug Lindstrand captured through the fog.
and this one of the intern bunkhouse with the mountains in the background.
Once rut is actually over animals such as moose begin to drop their antlers. They are not needed anymore since they are done fighting for dominance during the breeding season. Usually captive animals in rut retain their antlers a bit longer since their diets are a little different than their wild counterparts. "Teddy" here has had one antler for nearly a 2 months now; which is longer than the average moose to shed both antlers.
and with that zelda and I will leave you dear reader to enjoy the rest of this Sunday....Zelda sure is enjoying hers.
-good day lower 48
E and Z
-good day lower 48
E and Z
