Category: wildlife
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Falling in Love with Black and White All Over Again…
“Life is like a good black and white photograph, there’s black, there’s white, and lots of shades in between.” -Karl Heiner My passion for photography began many years ago, too many to count, inspired by the B&W work of the great masters. Besides collecting portfolios by Margaret Bourke-White, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Amsel Adams and…
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Jellyfishes: Terrifying Beauties
“From nearly microscopic tinkerbells to golden giants whose bells loom larger than beach umbrellas, you couldn’t dream up more exotic jellies than already exists” -Nora Danes, Jellies Living Art And terrifying they are, particularly if you happen to be swimming in the ocean and finding one or more pulsating their way in the water right…
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The Majestic Lion: Royalty of the Animal Kingdom on Its way to Extintion in the Wild?
Between August and September of last year the two lionesses of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC gave birth to two litters of seven cubs between them. Since the cubs began to be allowed to go out to the exhibit along with its parents I’ve been dying to go to the zoo and spend…
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Gorillas, The Gentle Giants
“When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate on the preservation of the future.” -Dian Fossey I find very interesting that some of the biggest animals on earth are also the kindest; whales, giraffes, elephants -when not in a bad mood- and…
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Goodbye Rokan
This is just a note to remember Rokan, the oldest tiger at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Just learned that he died a couple of days ago. I feel very lucky for having had the opportunity to take so many great pictures of him back in March of this year. He was so happy with the…
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The Year of the Tiger*
The largest cat of all. Top of the food chain. One of the most culturally important animals on this planet. But with as few as 3,200 surviving in the wild, the tiger faces extinction by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022. -WWF OK, I know I promised more posts on the giant panda,…
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Good Luck Tai Shan!
They’re unique and extraordinary animals and the world would be poorer without them [on giant pandas] -David Suchet Tai Shan, the beloved four and a half year-old resident of the National Zoo in Washington D.C. has finally arrived in China where he will be part of a panda breeding program at Wolong’s Bifengxia Panda base…
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The Changing role of zoos – Part 2
From all the definitions of habitat I’ve heard or read about, the one that I agree the most is provided by Janine Benyus in the wonderful book, The Secret Language and Remarkable Behavior of Animals, according to her “A habitat is a place where an animal finds what it needs to survive.More than a geographical…
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The changing role of Zoos – Part 1
For thousands of years…yes thousands…zoos that probably were not called like that, were mere collections of exotic animals; for the Egyptians and other empires it was a way of showing power and wealth. Later during the 19th and 20th centuries it became a source of pride for cities around the world, but still, animals were…
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All About Frogs
These wonderful, super cute creatures have been around for almost 300 million years if not more. We are so used to see them jumping, swimming, walking in the middle of the highway that we take them for granted. We think, sure there are always going to be frogs!! Well, not really! Recent discoveries are shocking:…