It's a Zoo Down Here!

Hi All -

I will likely have an unprecedented TWO posts for the blog this week. I want to catch everyone up on Glenn's adventures across the panhandle last week (traveling from Jacksonville to Tallahassee to Panama City to Ft. Walton Beach to Pensacola), but I will need his assistance identifying the photos.

So for now, I will entertain you instead with our recent trip to the beautiful Lowry Park Zoo.

We went first thing in the morning, so did not have to deal with crowds, and it was a cool, sunny morning.

This leopard came running over to greet us!

Tom, we know how much you like eagles - here was a beauty. As you can see, the zoo has a very natural setting. This pretty guy had been injured and could not fly, but he seemed to be in a nice spot.

We got to pet some sting rays who splashed us when they discovered we had nothing to feed them, and I finally saw some manatees, although the pics did not come out great of those. You can take my word for it.

One of our favorite things was watching the otters, as they put on quite a show for us, swimming and flipping around and just being all around adorable. Again, hard to photograph - they would not stay still!

Hello

And here is something I had never seen before-- the very rare Florida panther. This guy had  itchy ears and was rubbing his head on a stump. When Glenn and I stopped by, he gave us a loud, cat-like meow.

And of course, it wouldn't be Florida without these:

(Actually, we found out a while ago that there are no wild flamingos in Florida. It is a myth. The only pink bird that is native to Florida is the Roseate Spoonbill. This has been a public service announcement.)

So one of my other favorite parts of the day was going up onto a platform to get up close and personal with some giraffes.

They are so beautiful and strange looking, and their heads are gigantic.I felt like I was in Jurassic Park - they almost look like dinosaurs, but with very long eyelashes.

We weren't allowed to pet them, but they were close enough that we could have.

We also spent some time with a herd of elephants - including this little girl who was born on July 29th.

We also saw this crazy looking enormous bird called a Shoebill Stork. It was probably 4 feet tall.

So anyway, here we are on safari.

Our visit wouldn't be complete without a monkey, and this one was performing some death-defying stunts very high up.

We even got him in the background of our selfie.

So anyway, that's it for the Lowry Park Zoo. We liked it so much, we bought a season's pass. So maybe next time, you guys can come along.

See you animals later!