My brother and I were visiting the Dallas World Aquarium back in May. Here is more of what we saw.
Flamingos! The flamingos get to look down on the people tube that runs through the big aquarium. I don't think they paid a bit of attention to any of the people. They did their best to ignore us, going so far as to put their heads under their wings.
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| Overview of the flamingo habitat with part of the people tube visible at the bottom. |
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| Headless, one-legged flamingos. |
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| Sentinel flamingo checking to see if their are still people around. |
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| Yes, people are still here. |
Toucans and Aricaris! The keel-billed toucan is the national bird of Belize. Always a treat to see them.
Belize is also home to several aricari species, but I don't know if these particular aricaris are found in Belize. For sure their cousins are!
Colorful birds and poison arrow frogs.
There were many other animals and gorgeous plants. I don't like to see large cats and primates held captive, so I don't have photos of them. The cats, held singly (probably a good idea), were pacing with boredom in areas far too small. They really need to be in the wild. The smaller lemurs seemed OK, but the larger lemurs and monkeys probably need more stimulation and larger habitats. Otherwise, I enjoyed the zoo and highly recommend it.
Though it's a treat to see them, wild animals of all kinds are better in the wild. I do like zoo work which protects the reproduction of endangered species, but that's only a few specialized ones. The flamingoes are lovely. I saw wild flocks of them in Florida long ago and still remember the excitement.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you and with Roy who expressed similar sentiments in his comment below. Two other reasons that can possibly justify zoos are to care and house animals that cannot be rehabilitated to the wild and to educated people who might not ever otherwise be exposed to wild animals. Of course those reasons are only valid if the animals are in a natural(-ish) habitat that supports wild behaviours. I do think educating children with thoughtful exhibits pays off when those children become policy-making and voting adults.
DeleteGreat photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHi Wilma. Amazing colourful birds.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the idea of any birds or animals being captive like that. Not natural.
I agree, Roy. Please see my reply to Boud's very similar sentiments in her comment above.
DeleteToucans are really a marvel of evolution, aren't they? I mean, how did THAT happen?!
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of evolution, I imagine flamingoes aren't adapted to paying attention to things happening in a tube beneath their feet. :)
I know! Every time I see a toucan flying my immediate thought is "Oh look at that bird carrying a banana in its beak!"
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