Part 18 - St Louis Zoo
What could be better than working at the STL Zoo?
Forest Park, at 1,293 acres, is 450 acres larger than New York City's Central Park. Aside from lakes, streams, multiple picnic areas, hiking trails, and other green spaces...the park houses the Saint Louis Art Museum, The Missouri History Museum, The Muny Outdoor Theater, The World's Fair Pavilion, The Highlands Golf and Tennis Center, and the McDonnell Planetarium. There is even a boathouse that rents out paddle boats and the like...and of course...there's the Saint Louis Zoo.
Website: Forest Park Forever
Website: The Boathouse at Forest Park.
Completely funded by taxes and donations, the STL Zoo is one of the top rated Zoo's in the country. It is always free to get in, and if you get there early enough, you can find free parking spots along the streets surrounding the zoo. There are gated, secure parking lots available for a fee at both the North and South Entrance.
Here is a link to the Midwest's, and possibly the Nation's, best zoo:
STL Zoo Website
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| Summer 2019 STL Zoo Map. |
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| Elephant statue at the North Entrance of the STL Zoo. |
Since it was such a hot and humid Summer in 2018, we made it a habit to visit the Arctic animals first. Turn left once inside the North Entrance to head for 'the Wild' and your first stop should be Huck and Finnley, the Grizzly Bears.
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| Finnley, the female Grizzly. |
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| Waiting for the Salmon to jump. |
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| All of the enclosures at the zoo were well built, but this was one of our favorites. |
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| Feeding time!!! |
Just around the corner from the penguins, was Khali the Polar Bear. This girl was like a big puppy dog and she was always busy playing with toys or swimming. We really miss getting to hang out with her on a regular basis.
After crossing some train tracks, the path opens up to a large circular crossing. An old wooden carousel offers rides on the North side and a lake borders the South side. Lakeview Cafe can be found on the other side of the lake, and is the largest cafe in the Zoo. You can get food, soda, and beer inside...and if you work here, this is where you get your discount.
The next stop would be the primate area. When we did see the animals up close, the people had swarmed so bad that we couldn't get any good pictures. I think they were in the process of re-building the primate enclosures after we left STL, so check their website for updates if you like.
Their aviary had a nice collection of birds, but this horn-bill was by far the weirdest looking bird I have ever seen.
The big cat area was also part of Red Rocks. The spotted Snow Leopard was our favorite to watch. It was always pacing by the fence, and you could really see how it had evolved to grow thicker fur on it's paw pads and lower legs to deal with the cold ground.
After spending the Winter of 2017 in Tucson, Arizona, we learned that Jaguars are making a comeback in the USA. Historically, the Northern range of these cats habitat had been pushed South into Mexico, but recently there have been several spotted in the mountain ranges of Southern Arizona. The most famous of which was named, El Jefe, and was known to inhabit the Santa Rita Mountains where we loved to hike. So, we have a special place in our hearts for jaguars, and we made sure to spend some time getting a good picture of this lounging kitty.
One of the best exhibits is here in the center of the park and you do NOT want to miss it. When you get to the South Entrance, head north towards Lakeside Cafe. Sea Lion Sound has been consistently voted the best attraction in the park. The pool has a see-through tunnel that runs underneath. You can get great views of the animals from here while staying out of the heat and direct sunlight. You can also pay a few dollars to watch the trainers and the animals interact in a sea lion show.
Sliding sea lion:
Back to the South Entrance, and continuing along the outer path, will bring you to the 'Rivers Edge' exhibit. This area is always very busy and is hard to get pictures. Jenny and I came here when we were first dating, and the Hippo enclosure was one of our favorite then.
The elephants were always fun. Jenny ran over here on here lunch breaks many times...even though she was late getting back and always got in trouble.
The last exhibit before completing the circle back to the North Entrance is the Butterfly Enclosure. Part of the Monsanto Insectarium (Now know as the Bayer Insectarium), it is a touchy subject for us. Most people who know about pollinators, know that pesticides like those produced by Monsanto/Bayer, are responsible for the death of pollinators like bees and butterflies. So if you are still using pesticides that contain neonicotinoids, please STOP!!! Actually, if you can do anything to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides, you should. OK. Rant over. Here are some pictures.
Jenny had made a couple of good friends at the zoo, and frequently gave her friend Tony a ride home since he lived right down the road from us. He was from New York and his big interest was nature photography, so he was hoping the zoo would plug him into some connections for other work.
Shortly after I started at the lab, another temp from my agency began his contract. His name was Kissel, he was from Houston, and his family was Nicaraguan. He had a great sense of humor and we hit it off right away. Luckily, he lived out past the zoo, so he was always generous enough to drop me off on his way home if I needed a ride.
Sharing a vehicle with both of us working was difficult, but I rode my bicycle home from work many times too and it was a blast. Also, the Metro Rail had a station literally right outside my lab building. I would get off the train at Union Station and have to walk several blocks to get home, but it wasn't bad at all.
Our next article should post on Monday, July 29th.
Until then, here's a link to our last entry about the City Museum.
Part 17 - City Museum
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| Flamingos by Lakeview Cafe. |
Their aviary had a nice collection of birds, but this horn-bill was by far the weirdest looking bird I have ever seen.
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| This reminds me of that South Park episode with the genetically modified pig. |
Continuing on from the aviary is the area known as 'Red Rocks' and the Giraffes were the first exhibit we came to from this direction.
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| Juvenile Giraffe at Red Rocks. |
The big cat area was also part of Red Rocks. The spotted Snow Leopard was our favorite to watch. It was always pacing by the fence, and you could really see how it had evolved to grow thicker fur on it's paw pads and lower legs to deal with the cold ground.
After spending the Winter of 2017 in Tucson, Arizona, we learned that Jaguars are making a comeback in the USA. Historically, the Northern range of these cats habitat had been pushed South into Mexico, but recently there have been several spotted in the mountain ranges of Southern Arizona. The most famous of which was named, El Jefe, and was known to inhabit the Santa Rita Mountains where we loved to hike. So, we have a special place in our hearts for jaguars, and we made sure to spend some time getting a good picture of this lounging kitty.
The reptile house is next if you continue along the outside path. Plenty to see in here, but nothing as photogenic as this chameleon.
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| A chameleon at the reptile house. |
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| Sea Lion swimming up to the tunnel glass. |
Sliding sea lion:
Back to the South Entrance, and continuing along the outer path, will bring you to the 'Rivers Edge' exhibit. This area is always very busy and is hard to get pictures. Jenny and I came here when we were first dating, and the Hippo enclosure was one of our favorite then.
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| Adult Cheetah |
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| Hyena |
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| These guys had a nice enclosure. Behind them, you can see they even had a waterfall. |
Jenny had made a couple of good friends at the zoo, and frequently gave her friend Tony a ride home since he lived right down the road from us. He was from New York and his big interest was nature photography, so he was hoping the zoo would plug him into some connections for other work.
Shortly after I started at the lab, another temp from my agency began his contract. His name was Kissel, he was from Houston, and his family was Nicaraguan. He had a great sense of humor and we hit it off right away. Luckily, he lived out past the zoo, so he was always generous enough to drop me off on his way home if I needed a ride.
Sharing a vehicle with both of us working was difficult, but I rode my bicycle home from work many times too and it was a blast. Also, the Metro Rail had a station literally right outside my lab building. I would get off the train at Union Station and have to walk several blocks to get home, but it wasn't bad at all.
Our next article should post on Monday, July 29th.
Until then, here's a link to our last entry about the City Museum.
Part 17 - City Museum
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