A to Z 2013: Zoo

For the month of April I will be blogging alphabetically with the theme of Winnipeg versus Davao City. Not to prove a winner but simply to explore the differences and similarities between my home town and my current location.

Z is for Zoo!

Canadian Lynx!

Zoos can be a controversial. I totally get it. Animals in captivity, not free to roam the earth, often in too-small cages, in unnatural climates, sometime mistreated... all those things make me sad. On the other hand, if it is a good zoo, they will have beautiful enclosures, be well cared for and possibly rescued from certain death in the wild. Or even bred to be saved from extinction. And again, being selfish, I love that I can observe and learn about animals that I would never have a hope of seeing in the wild.

A tortoise in Davao.

I am sorry if you think I'm horrible, but I love going to zoos. My husband and I both do and we've been to some pretty impressive ones on out travels! (San Diego, Minnesota, Berlin, Valencia BioPark... Hoping to do Singapore soon... We've visited more but those are the highlights.)

Meerkats in Winnipeg. So cute!

Davao does not have a "zoo" exactly but they have the Davao Crocodile Park and that is pretty much the same thing. It is a small zoo. Lots of crocodiles, obviously, plus a bunch of tropical birds, including the Philippines Eagle, and a smattering of other reptiles and a few other mammals. There is a rather ornery orangutan. A few tigers. One of my favourites there is the bearcat.

It's more interactive in Davao!

It is a fairly small zoo, but relatively well maintained and they definitely focus on education. One thing that is kind of odd is that the cafes there sell crocodile meat dishes. I guess they just have so many...

Peacocks wander free in the Winnipeg zoo.

Winnipeg has the Assiniboine Zoo which is in Assiniboine Park. It is a fairly large zoo and is in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation. The tropical house (now Toucan Ridge) was done a few years ago, there is the new butterfly house and raptor exhibition area. (Raptors being birds of prey, not dinosaurs.) But the to-be jewel in her crown is the Journey to Churchill section.

Crocs at the crocodile park!

Apparently our previous bear enclosures were no longer up to par so after our old polar bear passed on, they tore down a huge section of the zoo and have been rebuilding it for the last couple of years. It's going to be an epic arctic area! I can't wait! They have already opened part of it and have a new polar bear. They are going to have penguins there temporarily this spring. The idea is that it will be one huge area where they can house multiple Northern animals together in a fairly natural habitat. I just don't know how they plan to keep the polar bears from eating everything else.

The grizzly gets a new home in Winnipeg, too.

Bearcat!

Firefox!

Philippine Eagle.

Fancy pigeon in Toucan Ridge.

Pretty lory in Davao.

Butterfly house.

Baby tiger wants to eat you!

The Tribu K'Mindanawan fire dancing show is included in your ticket to the Croc Park.

You don't get a show after closing in Winnipeg.

These guys are amazing!