It's All Happening at the Zoo...

[jon]

Interesting time of the year to go to a Zoo here. We've had our first snow (now long gone) and colder weather, but it was a beautiful 12C degree day yesterday, with lots of sun and a minimum of wind in the early afternoon when I took the family to the Valley Zoo in Edmonton. The animals were quite active. And not too shy, with Zoo staff outnumbering visitors by at least Two to One.

Having just seen two owners with their dogs just outside the Zoo, I didn't think too much about it when we were approached in the Zoo by "a couple", each with their own rather large dogs. Both were on good solid leashes, not the flimsy retractable ones so popular these days in a City with strong Lease Laws.

As they approached, I realized that the couple was actually two Zoo staff walking the pair of Arctic Wolves. One wolf started towards us, and the other followed, but returned to their original path after being told by one of their walkers: "No, you can't eat them."

The much maligned Lucy the Elephant -- who William Shatner and Bob Barker have recently visited, to try and free her from our local tyranny -- was also out for a walk, but in the Staff-Only area, having a whale of a time as she paused to go through a giant feed pile.

[Anotherwpgguy]

Yes Jon ...

Someone told me its all happening at the zoo,
I do believe it,
I do believe its true.

Its a light and tumble journey
From the east side to the park;
Just a fine and fancy ramble
To the zoo.

The monkeys stand for honesty,
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.

Huuummm ... pass the Appelton's!

Anotherwpgguy

[Neumann Sennheiser]

IHaving just seen two owners with their dogs just outside the Zoo, I didn't think too much about it when we were approached in the Zoo by "a couple", each with their own rather large dogs. Both were on good solid leashes, not the flimsy retractable ones so popular these days in a City with strong Lease Laws.
As they approached, I realized that the couple was actually two Zoo staff walking the pair of Arctic Wolves. One wolf started towards us, and the other followed, but returned to their original path after being told by one of their walkers: "No, you can't eat them."

Just a 15 minute ferry ride from Seattle, there's Vashon Island in the middle of Puget Sound and on Vashon Island is the little known and not easy to find Wolftown; a volunteer run sanctuary for wild wolves and other predators (ie, eagles and hawks).
If you ever visit Vashon, do not miss the opportunity to visit. It'll cost you about 30 bucks per person in a donation to the project but well worth it.
You'll see three kinds of wolf behind the (sturdy) metal fences; those that come near to inspect you at the fence line, they've lived there a long time or were born there, those that you glimpse pacing and watching you from the tree line with those unmistakably, definitely un-dog-like, wolf eyes (they've been there a year or two) and the one's you don't see at all, the newcomers, fresh from the wild. Even the volunteer couple who own the place and live there full time never see them but they're watching from hiding and, although fresh meat is placed out daily for all the wolves, are probably only eating what they catch and kill themselves.




http://www.wolftown.org

Vashon Island itself is a real gem of a place, a little like Saltspring before it got too big for itself. Only accessible by ferry as the residents have voted down numerous bridge construction initiative proposals over the years.
If I could choose to live anywhere in the Seattle area, Vashon would be it.

[hatchetking]

are those wolves radio equipped? or is this site going to the dogs

[slowhand]

Given the stations that brand themselves as The Wolf and now even DAWG, not to mention Bruce Barker's various dog references/word plays with his last name, I can see a radio connection here, can't you

At least jon put this in "Non Radio Related Topics", like "you've been warned."

[radiofan]

Several of the Seattle area AM transmitter sites are out on Vashon Island.

So there is a radio connection.

[jon]

The Edmonton Journal unearthed this picture that I don't believe they've run before, from a photo shoot on September 17th, when Bob Barker came to town to meet Lucy the Elephant (who I mentioned in the opening post). That's Bob on the right. It was used in the on-line edition of the story surrounding a lawsuit threatened by Zoocheck in a letter to the City that was received this afternoon.

Is it just me or would you agree that the photographer took this picture with plans to PhotoShop Lucy's tail up a bit? And you know the rest.

By the way, best reader comment so far on the Journal site for this afternoon's article is this:

Bman
October 20, 2009 - 3:26 PM

I was all for moving Lucy until her vet said she is too unhealthy, also isn't she rather anti-social? There are so many animals rights causes that should be pursued before moving a sick, possibly anti social elephant to someplace where, even if she survives the trip may hate all the other elephants.

[Howaboutthat]

The Edmonton Journal unearthed this picture that I don't believe they've run before, from a photo shoot on September 17th, when Bob Barker came to town to meet Lucy the Elephant (who I mentioned in the opening post). That's Bob on the right.

I was pretty sure that wasn't him in the middle or on the left... but thanks!