Chester Zoo
14th May 2012
My birthday in 2012 was on a boring Monday so I took the day off (three-day weekend, woo hoo!) and decided to go to Chester Zoo with the girls (my first visit in years and years - I mean, I presume I must have been at some point - and Daisy's first visit ever). It's only 45 minutes down the motorway so I'm sure this will be a regular occurrence.
First up, the elephant enclosure. None of them seemed interested in the photo opportunity. Probably not heard of the Secret Portal.
Oh wait, here's one. Didn't catch its name, though.
On to the camels. There's going to be a lot of photos of animals on here, as you might imagine, so here is a bit of information. These are Bactrian camels (with two humps), which are usually native to the steppes of Asia (rather than the grasslands of Chester), as opposed to the single-humped dromedary camels which occur largely in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.
And... well now, this is a fantastic-looking creature. Obviously this isn't from now, it's a dinosaur - at this time, for a limited period, Chester Zoo had a dinosaur feature. The one shown here is presumably of the same variety as the Pterodactyl, but probably isn't that. They seem to be saying that they could stand on two legs. And it looks like he's wearing a hat.
Now here's one that I remember - the Brachiosaurus. Tall fellow. Last seen performing in Jurassic Park (and possibly the sequels, I don't know; in which case "last seen" doesn't quite work, but there you go).
But then you think that they are making them up, but perhaps that's just because they have discovered many more fossils since I was a nipper with a dinosaur book or three. (Thinking back, I also used to have lots of bird books too - of the feathered variety, I should add.)
And here's the big boy himself, although he'll never be able to reach that darned cookie jar. And he's got a little friend. Daisy wasn't as scared (i.e. not at all) as I thought she might be here, particularly with the speaker blaring out growling and roaring noises.
After the excitement of the dinosaur enclosure, we headed to a nearby café for a spot of lunch. Daisy looks very laidback here, basically saying "bring me my lunch, yeah?". In the end, she wasn't that bothered about the myriad of food that she was offered and there was a plethora of nutritious items deposited upon the floor, much to our annoyance. (Daisy, naturally, did not appear remotely concerned.)
More later.
So, lunch eaten/left/thrown* (*delete as applicable), we headed outside to enjoy the sunshine. Daisy seemed very excited by this.
Daisy and I very much enjoyed the suddenly pleasant weather. At one point, some ducks joined us, which Daisy liked until they came quite close (obviously used to being fed), at which point she got a bit nervous. It has to be said, I didn't exactly know what ducks do at close proximity, so I made a broad attempt to shoo them away. It kinda worked.
She would delicately pick bits of grass or other things up and then sprinkle them away.
It was one of those jacket on/jacket off days, but nevertheless it was time for a pose with Daisy in front of the large bird cage.
It was then time for the ride in the monorail-type thing.
When we got out, we were conveniently near the (very smelly) monkey house.
Daisy was very keen to get a closer look. She does a good monkey impression "ooh ooh ooh".
Time for some rhinoceroses, who clearly aren't talking after one of them was caught chatting up a hippopotamus. Probably.
Not totally sure what these are.
"This way next, Daddy!"
More arguments and disagreements. This time between two zebras over a drink one of them had with a llama.
There was generally a prickly atmosphere around the place, illustrated well by these porcupines who were not being particularly sociable sat in the corner.
Lazy gets.
Amazingly enough, this hyena was photographed through a window. At least I think so. It looks so much like it wasn't that I find it hard to believe reading it now.
"Sir, if you would be so kind as to stop staring at me."
I guess this is what a rhino does if it needs a poo but is trying to hold it in.
Nice of them to stand up out of respect.
They'll do anything to avoid employing a gardener here at Chester Zoo, even using child labour.
These will be Congo buffalo - they've got a bit lost. They're ignoring me. I should have taken snaps of the signs more so that a few months later I know what I've taken a picture of.
As we were leaving, the giraffes were asked if they wouldn't mind a bit of a feed.
We could actually get quite close, as this photo demonstrates. Unfortunately, this salad was their starter AND main course.
They do not seem to be big eaters (desperate to keep that slim figure, I presume), and they soon headed back in. There was a handily placed ruler on the side of the barn that they resided in, showing just how tall some of them are. The big daddy male only just got through this doorway, which put him at 5 metres.
The okapi says "ta-ra".
And that's all from Chester Zoo. Thanks for reading.