February 22, 2014

Landau Zoo Revisited

I went to see the zoo for the first time last year in May. Today I decided to revisit it.

For me the Siberian tigers are something I could look at for hours. The way they roam their compound is awe-inspiring due to their size and their regal bearing.

Grooming session tiger style.

Following the suggested tour through the zoo I came across this small guy. Somehow he looked like I always imagined the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

The gnu aka wildebeest share their compound with zebras. The main attraction there is at the moment the baby gnu. 

Not sure what this guy wanted to tell me...

Further into the zoo I arrived at my favorite compound - the cheetahs. They sure know how to pose - but they are also playful and can be seen often chasing each other.

Regrettably the chainlink fence was in the way for quite a few pics - so if you see "foggy" areas, that's the reason.

These two were "fighting" with each other.

I was really lucky today, because their caretaker arrived with lunch while I was taking pictures of them. 

Lunch was yummy.

Being full does not necessarily mean that one is happy to see visitors.

The faces of these big cats are really beautiful with those markings.

I know this picture is totally blurry, but I just had to post this incredibly satisfied look on the face of this cheetah. He had just spent several minutes scratching his head and sides on that wooden pole next to him.

After I finally managed to drag myself away from the cats I had a look at the penguins - alas, they were not exactly in a mood for swimming today. 

This heron seemed to be waiting for the feeding time of the penguins or seals to get his share of fish.

Passing a black ram...

... and a peacock that had quite a bit of trouble with the wind...

... I came to a paddock that was inhabited by giant oxen and warthogs. 

High up on a pole a stork had build its nest. 

He was not the only one with a nest though, because there were egret nests in a lot of the trees all over the zoo.

This heron had a feather stuck in his beak...

... while this one was grooming himself to maybe catch a feather too.

Evil Emu is watching you...

Last but not least I visited the aviary. 

This bird looked like it had fallen into a paint box.

The marabous somehow look like old men when they are standing at the water's edge.

And of course whereever there is water there are ducks.

All in all I really enjoyed the hours I spent at the zoo. Even though I had been here before I discovered new things - like the cheetahs that were not outside the last time I was there. So it was time well spent.