Hippos are heavier than water and walk on river bottoms. They can run fast as humans and have killed more people than any other wild animal in Africa. The hippo is the third largest land animal and can weigh 4000 pounds and measure 12 feet in length.
Posts Tagged: San Francisco Zoo
26
Aug 13
San Francisco Zoo–Nile Hippopotamus
19
Aug 13
San Francisco Zoo–African Lion
The lion spends up to 20 hours a day resting. That certainly seemed true on the day I visited. I accidentally dropped my tripod and this female looked up to investigate the noise. The big male didn’t stir.
15
Aug 13
San Francisco Zoo–Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran Tiger is critically endangered, primarily by disruption and destruction of its habitat. It is estimated that there are about 550 wild Sumatran Tigers. The cub, named Jillian, is about 5 months old in this shot.
12
Aug 13
San Francisco Zoo–Reticulated Giraffe
Whether zoos should exist or not is a complicated argument. Holding animals captive for the entertainment of humans seems completely wrong, yet zoos do foster appreciation for animals and educate the public. On a recent trip to the San Francisco Zoo, I had a chance to see for myself. For the most part, I was impressed by the enriched habitats for the animals and the obvious level of care. Only the Polar bear seemed lonely and bored. It’s probably a mistake to project human emotions onto animals, but that was my impression. Most of the animals seemed to be engaged and interacted with each other and their environment. As a photographer, I wanted to see if I could apply portrait skills to the animals there. That is, I wanted to concentrate on the eyes, fill the frame where possible, and capture some of the essence of the animal. Over the next few weeks I’ll post some of my results. The first shot is of the zoo’s baby giraffe interacting with a Yellow-Backed Duiker.