Diet And Travel

Showing posts with label Camera Critters. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Chincoteague Ponies

I am linking up with Scenic Sunday and Camera Critters

I am sure a lot of bloggers have read the book Misty Of Chincoteague, it was my favorite book as a child. The Chincoteague volunteer fire dept auctions off the ponies in July every year to raise money. They are also doing what is called buy-backs. The buy-backs are foals that the firemen had picked to stay in the herd. The foals are auctioned off at the pony penning to give people a chance to "own" a Chincoteague pony without having to take it home. The new owners will get the foals official registry name and a certificate but the foal will stay on the island with the rest of the Chincoteague herd.

On Friday evening the cowboys were rounding up the 40-50 of the Chincoteague ponies for a vet check and to get their worming medicine. This happens three times a year in April, October and July.

One of my YouTube videos of the Chincoteague horses all gathered for their worming medicine. I captured some of the horses making sounds after getting their medicine, probably something similiar to the sounds I would make if I was given some icky tasting medicine. Well maybe not the same sound I would make but you know what I mean..

A shot of the horses penned waiting for their turn of the worming shot. The Pintos are my favorite I love the multi colors.

The horses have numbers on their thighs, which are actually the number showing the year they were born. This one above was born in 2006

In the background the Palomino stallion Chief( the white one) is fighting again with another stallion. They do not like being penned up in a small area. They get jealous over their groups of mares.

I would not want to be the one trying to hold this gate shut. The Chief was being a bad boy while penned up, fighting and kicking other horses.

Above you can see the vet shooting the worming medicine into Chiefs mouth.

The two dominant stallions Prince born in 2007 is off white with white spots and the other off white horse is the Chief born in 2008. They are all beautiful horses and I took so many photos. It is was hard to choose which one to add to my post.

To see more scenic photos check out Scenic Sunday and to see more cute and wonderful critters check out Camera Critters. Thanks to the Holley's and to Misty Dawn for hosting these fun memes. Thank you also for stopping by to see my post. I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Nairobi Elephant Nursery

This week I am doing something special for the new Our World, my first PicStory and my Friday Ark and Camera Critter. I do not advertise on my blog but I was happy to receive a request to do a blog post from National Geographic. The featured story is on the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Nairobi Elephant Nursery in Kenya. I read this story sometimes with tears in my eyes and sometimes with a smile on my face. It is a touching story and a wonderful thing happening at this elephant nursery. I believe in conservation and protecting the wildlife and endangered critters and that is what this story is about. I want to thank the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and to the wonderful keepers of these orphaned elephants.

National Geographic (credit: National Geographic)

Nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/orphan-elephants/nichols-photography

The following excerpt comes from the September issue of the National Geographic magazine, on newsstands now and the link to

the full article online: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/orphan-elephants/siebert-text.

These are sad and perilous days for the world's largest land animal. Once elephants roamed the Earth like waterless whales, plying ancient migratory routes ingrained in their prodigious memories. Now they've been backed into increasingly fragmented territories. When not being killed for their tusks or for bush meat, they are struggling against loss of habitat due to human population pressures and drought. A 1979 survey of African elephants estimated a population of about 1.3 million. About 500,000 remain. In Asia an estimated 40,000 are left in the wild. And yet even as the elephant population dwindles, the number of human-elephant conflicts rises. In Africa, reports of elephants and villagers coming into conflict with each other appear almost daily.

The plight of elephants has become so dire that their greatest enemy—humans—is also their only hope, a topsy-turvy reality that moved a woman named Daphne Sheldrick to establish the nursery back in 1987. Sheldrick is fourth-generation Kenya-born and has spent the better part of her life tending wild animals. Her husband was David Sheldrick, the renowned naturalist and founding warden of Tsavo East National Park who died of a heart attack in 1977. She's reared abandoned baby buffalo, dik-diks, impalas, zebras, warthogs, and black rhinos, among others, but no creature has beguiled her more than elephants.

Orphan infant elephants are a challenge to raise because they remain fully dependent on their mother's milk for the first two years of life and partially so until the age of four. In the decades the Sheldricks spent together in Tsavo, they never succeeded in raising an orphan younger than one because they couldn't find a formula that matched the nutritional qualities of a mother's milk. Aware that elephant milk is high in fat, they tried adding cream and butter to the mix, but found the babies had trouble digesting it and soon died. They then used a nonfat milk that the elephants could digest better, but eventually, after growing thinner and thinner on that formula, these orphans succumbed as well. Shortly before David's death, the couple finally arrived at a precise mixture of human baby formula and coconut. This kept alive a three-week-old orphan named Aisha, helping her grow stronger every day.

All photo credits: ©Michael Nichols/National Geographic

Dedicated keepers at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Nairobi Elephant Nursery in Kenya protect baby Shukuru from the cold and rain, and the risk of pneumonia, with a custom-made raincoat.

Even orphaned babies out for their morning walk from the nursery seem to understand the complex structure of elephant society. Here the oldest orphans lie down to invite the younger ones to play on top of them.

The introduction of orphan elephants to Tsavo National Park is bringing wild herds back to a region devastated by poaching decades ago. Ithumba mountain is near the park's northern border.

Again credits for these awesome photos by : Michael Nichols/National Geographic

My interest in elephants has really peaked from seeing them recently at the National Zoo and especially two weeks ago when I heard that the elephants at the Baltimore Zoo linked trunks and all clustered together before the earthquake was felt. It is amazing these animals are so sensitive. Being an animal lover, one of my dream trips is to do an African Safari and to see these wonderful animals in the wild.

You can check out the whole story in the September issue of the National Geographic magazine on newstands on August 30. I really enjoyed reading this beautiful story about the orphaned elephants and I hope you all do too. It is also cool that you can go to the Sheldrick wildlife trust site and adopt one of these orphaned elephants. Thanks to the hosting group at Our World PicStory and Friday Ark and to Misty Dawn of Camera Critters.

Thanks to everyone for visiting my blog and post.. I hope the end of your week is great and that everyone has a great weekend.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Bermuda's Green Sea Turtles and other critters

For my Camera Critter post I am showing the Green Sea Turtles we saw while touring Bermuda. Our guide stopped to show us these Green Turtles outside the aquarium. A group of children were there feeding the turtles lettuce (at least it looked like lettuce) when we got there at end of their feeding time and we were offered the leftovers to feed.

Bermuda.conserveturtles.org

Bermuda has a great conservation program going on for the Green Sea Turtles. The link above explains the history of the Green Sea Turtle, fished almost to the point of extinction. I am happy that Bermuda cares so much about these endangered animals. In the USA it seems to be a constant battle to keep animals and birds on the endangered list and to protect them. Being an animal lover, I am all for protecting all the species that may be even close to being endangered or near extinction.

These Green Sea turtles looked like gentle creatures, we just had to watch our fingers when feeding them. My son and his friend were doing the feeding while I was taking photos.

The water in Bermuda is so clear you can look down and see the fish.

I always enjoy seeing the critters and that includes this cute Lizzy the lizard.

I hope you enjoyed my Green Sea Turtles and critters from Bermuda. To see more cute and wonderful critters check out Misty Dawn's Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting and thanks for stopping by to see my post.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Chincoteague ponies

Happy Easter to everyone!

For my Camera Critters
Anyone that has read the book Misty of Chincoteague has fallen in love with these wild ponies. They roam the island and can be seen walking down the roads and on the trails. As a child Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague" was one of my favorite books to read. I would bug my Mom and Dad to take me to Chincoteague to see the pony auction they held every July. Now as an adult Chincoteague is still one of my favorite places to visit. I love watching the ponies and seeing all the wildlife that is attracted to Chincoteague Island.

This horse has the number 5 on its side.

I hope you enjoyed my Chincoteague ponies and to see more wonderful

cute critters please visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters

Thanks to Misty Dawn for hosting and thanks for stopping by to see my critters.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

National Zoo Gorillas

For my Camera Critters I have some photos of the Gorillas seen at the National Zoo. I thought it would be neat to show baby Kabibi taken 03/21/09 after she was born Jan 10, 2009 and some shots of her just last month. Kabibi's daddy is a silverback named Baraka. I read that the name Kabibi means "Little Lady " in Swahili. The first two photos show her in the arms of her mommy Mandara. Kabibi is one of 7 Gorillas living at the National Zoo. Mandara is mom to six of the Gorillas at the zoo.

Kibibi , a baby gorilla. Kabibi seen below being carried in her mommy's arms.

Some interesting tips on watching gorillas. Did you know they consider staring rude? If Gorillas stare at each other, it is a challenge to fight. It is a courtesy they extend to each other to look away if their eyes meet. Each animal has a retreat to go to if it feels too many eyes.

Now, here is Kabibi two years later.

Kibibi and her mommy Mandara. Sorry there is bad reflection on the glass in this photo.

I am not sure if this gorilla below is the daddy. Kabibi does have older brother and sisters. I did read that the daddy Baraka has a pronounced crest on its head. While we were watching them this one below grabbed the bamboo from the hands of baby Kabibi. After that happened Kabibi walked over to her mommy and shared some bamboo. The male can grow up to 6 feet tall and weigh up to 400 pounds.

The 7 Gorillas at the National Zoo in DC are Western Lowland Gorillas. And the Western Lowland Gorillas were listed as endarngered. The Western Lowland Gorillas live in Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola and Nigeria. The gorillas are vulnerable to ebola, deforestation, and the horrible poaching.

I hope you enjoyed my Gorillas and to see more critters please visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting and thank you for stopping by to see my post. I hope your weekend is wonderful.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Giant Panda at the National Zoo

For this weeks Camera Critter I am showing my favorite animal ..the Giant Panda bear seen at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. There are two Giant Pandas at the national zoo, their names are Mei and Tian.

I am not sure which is Mei and which one is Tian, but this one really enjoyed eating the bamboo.

They are just so cute, you want to hug them!

We were told they might find out in the summertime if baby pandas are on the way.

This one looks like it was rolling around in the dirt, maybe this one is the male.

Hubby and I became Fonz members, which is Friends of the National Zoo. We plan on many more zoo visits thru-out the year. Mean time if you want to see lots more critters visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting this fun critter meme and thanks for stopping by to see my critter post. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Friday, March 18, 2011

National Zoo lions

For my Camera Critters post I have some shots of the lion family at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. There were 5 cubs all playing with each other and their parents. It was not possible to get all five of the cubs in one shot. They were all over the place. Naba is mommy to three of the cubs which were born in September and Shera is mommy to 4 cubs born in August. I read that one cub died so that should leave six but we only saw five playing outside.

I am pretty sure this was the first time for me seeing the lion cubs, they sure were so adorable It was really cute seeing the cubs interacting the larger male and female lions.

Cubs playing with daddy Luke.

This is one of my favorite shots, the daddy looks so proud and peaceful.

I hope your enjoyed my Camera Critters this week and please visit Misty Dawn to see more wonderful critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting and thank you for stopping by to see my post. Have a great weekend.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Costa Rica critters

Since my hand surgery I have not been taking new photos so I am showing some of my favorite Costa Rica critters from my archives. We went to Costa Rica in March of 2010 and I loved it there. The critters, birds and scenery were all wonderful. These shots are from a wildlife refuge cruise at Cano Negro, it was a river cruise that that took us to the border of Nicaragua. The photos were taken from a moving boat so they are not the best quality.

You can click on the photos for a larger image.

It was neat to see this monkey hanging from the tree eating the flowers.

This guy looks all pooped out, doesn't he?

AWWWW , look at the shy little baby, isn't it cute? He is hiding by his momma's neck.

Water Buffalo, they produce milk that makes mozzarella cheese.

Bats all lined up, they blend in well with the tree.

This Blond Howler Monkey was one of my favorite sightings. I believe the blond howler monkey is more of a rare sighting.

Please visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters to see more cute critters. Thanks to Misty Dawn for hosting and thanks for stopping by to see my critters. Have a great weekend!