shutterbugDANCER

Today I went to the zoo with the thought that today will be the day that Bowie comes out… well, not today.   I see now that they post it at the entrance whether or not Bowie (or another animals) will be out for public viewing.  I’ve never noticed that before, but I am sure it’s been there every day. I got to the elephants and Kami (my new zoo friend!) was there.   I was taking photos of Belle and Rasha, and a nice lady asked me if I wanted for her to take photos of me while I was photographing the elephants … that was so nice of her!   Then I asked Kami to join me in one of the photos….

I found out today that Bowie was out for public viewing the first week that he was announced.  I knew about it but thought that I could wait a week or so to go and see him because I was busy and couldn’t get there… well, little did I know that they would decide that the new baby needed some extra special bonding time with his mom.  It’s ok though, I’m really happy that the zoo puts the animals well being first, rather than worrying about the public.   The public can wait, Bowie and Bluebonnet need their time together.  There is nothing wrong with him, they both just need a little extra time together.  I’ll go every day (as long as I am able to) because I want to be there the first day that he comes out….  and then I can slow it down to every other day or so, just to check up on them and track their progress. Belle is growing up and she plays a little more now.  She was playing with a bamboo stick today.  When Rasha goes towards the back of the pen, Belle likes to go into a little cubby sort of area and play… she never ventures far from mom, but she is moving a little further away than when I first started visiting with them. I found out today that Kami’s husband does wildlife photography and she showed me some of his work, it’s beautiful!  I met the other specialist today, Mike, this is the first I’ve met him, but I’m sure I’ll see him along the way..  It’s nice to go there and know people.  I love seeing the little kids and their mom’s and dad’s when they see the baby elephant for the first time, they get so excited… sometimes I think that the parents get even more excite than the children!   It’s fun to watch Belle grow and take new steps along the way… she’s learning to pick things up… she’s a little clumsy at it, but she’s getting there.   She runs a little bit more than she used to, and this is just so cute!

Rasha is always throwing dust on herself.  Elephants dust themselves to remove and protect them from insects and to protect their skin from the sun.   Belle hasn’t really figured this out yet, but Rasha’s dust also covers Belle.    Kami and Kelly (the Fort Worth Zoo Interpretive Specialists)  are full of so much information about the elephants and also the other animals.  I haven’t met the Zoo Keeper yet, I haven’t been there at the right time to talk with them, but I think they do come out at certain times to talk with everyone about the different animals.

Rasha and Belle

And here is Colonel