The World As I See it by Lady of the Zoos

Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator Book Review

I’ve read countless zoo-related books, from books about the evolution of zoos to a specific beloved zoo animal. But none compare to biographies from zoo staff. They always contain zoo animal bloopers and endearing tales of the writer’s time there. But Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator by Annette Libeskind Berkovits is different. It blurs the lines of zoo life and a woman’s passion to make…

How You Can Help Wildlife

With a new year ahead many of us have goals and resolutions swirling in our mind. I’ve got a great New Year’s resolution for you! Make a vow to do your part to help wildlife, their habitats, and our beautiful planet Earth. With so much over consumption, waste, and reducing our natural resources it’s now or never to start giving back. If each one of us does our part to help reduce our ecological…

Mountain Artwear: Clothing that Makes a Statement

“The t-shirt has become a powerful canvas for personal statements” ~ Mountain Artwear Are you one who truly cares about what you wear? And I don’t mean what’s on trend, or designer brand names. I mean the kind of caring about how it’s made, or does it make a difference, and what it says about you. Well, I do care. So, I was thrilled when Mountain Artwear  wanted to send me a few of their pieces…

Toronto Zoo’s New Generation

Every year for my birthday I always visit the Toronto Zoo. It’s a tradition and always memorable. To be honest, I’ve been visiting the Toronto Zoo and it’s amazing animals for over 30 years, 35 to be exact! I’ve grown up watching many of them grow and mature and have babies of their own. And some, like Charles the male silverback gorilla, Josephine a female gorilla (and probably the Zoo’s oldest…

Located in the heart of Antwerp, the Antwerp Zoo is right next to the Central Train station. The zoo opened its doors to the public in 1843, making it the oldest zoo in Belgium and one of the oldest in the world. It’s now even listed as a monument. Home to over 5000 animals, representing 950 species, the Antwerp Zoo has always had a strong focus on conservation. Last summer while exploring…

The Bristol Zoo opened in 1836, making it the 5th oldest zoo in the world and the second oldest in England after the London Zoo. Located in Bristol’s Clifton neighbourhood and set on 12 acres which may not seem large, but it makes up for size with its awesome exhibits and gorgeous gardens. Most of the large animals, except for lions and gorillas, have now been moved to the zoo’s sister zoo, Wild…

Genoa Aquarium: 10 Reasons to Visit

The Genoa Aquarium is located in Genoa’s old harbour and within the Pelagos Sanctuary which is a 90,000 square kilometre marine protected area. The Aquarium is Italy’s largest and one of Europe’s biggest too. With 70 tanks housing some 15,000 animals representing over 400 species, there are many reasons to visit. The following are my top 10 reasons to visit the Genoa Aquarium. 1. Dolphins The…

The Prague Zoo, which opened in 1930, is located in Drahan-Troja Nature Park and is considered one of the most beautiful zoos in the world. Set on 140 acres and home to over 4000 animals representing over 600 species with over 100 of those species listed as threatened, the Prague Zoo has been a part of the top ten zoos in the world for years. The Zoo is involved in various conservation programs…

Durrell: Going Batty for Bats and Lemurs

In the final chapter of my visit to the Durrell Wildlife Park I continue on the last leg of the park through the Island Bat Roost to Lemur Lake and finally to the Gerald Durrell Story exhibition. Much like the gorilla enclosure, the Island Bat Roost was built with the help of over 400 people who volunteered their time to help the staff at Durrell to construct not only an enclosure for bats but…

One of my most beloved of creatures are primates, from the critically endangered mountain gorillas to the orange man of the forest and the mohawk toting macaques to the ones with most hauntingly beautiful of songs – the gibbon. And here at the Durrell Wildlife Park you’ll meet a wide range of them. Tamarin Woods Scattered throughout the park are various species of tamarins. Tamarins are small…

Durrell: From Dodos to Reptiles

The Durrell Zoo, created in the inspiring vision of Gerald Durrell who wanted to not so much create a zoo to entertain visitors by its frolicking animals but instead wanted to create an ark to help save endangered species and also help educate the public on conservation matters and what they can do to help. This vision is driven home in Durrell’s first exhibit. A fenced in lawn with a large…

My Durrell Dream Come True

The story of a girl whose dream came true.   I’ve always been passionate about animals and have been inspired over time by a select few naturalists, conservationist and forward thinkers. The list includes the likes of icons in the field like Dian Fossey, George and Joy Adamson, as well as the man with the voice and spirit behind my favourite BBC nature shows – David Attenborough. But there has…

Into the Forests of Woodland Park Zoo

The final two regions of the Woodland Park Zoo are the Tropical Rain Forest and Temperate Forest. In the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit you’ll find various animals that call Central and South America home like ocelot, poison arrow dart frogs, toucans as well as Africa rain forest species like lemurs and gorillas.  The Tropical Rain Forest is another of Woodland Park Zoo’s award-winning exhibits and…

Woodland Park Zoo: From Dragons to Bears

The Woodland Park Zoo is sectioned into regions; African Savanna, Tropical Asia, Australasia, Northern Trail, Tropical Rain Forest and Temperate Forest.  In this post you’ll discover the animals and exhibits that call the zoo’s Australasia and Northern Trail exhibits home.

One of the most endangered and majestic animals of Asia, the snow leopard, also calls the Woodland Park Zoo home.  In another…

Woodland Park Zoo: Africa to Asia

The Woodland Park Zoo is full of amazing exhibits, many of which have won awards.  And the zoo’s African and Asian regions are bursting with fabulous, realistic enclosures with trails linking them that lead you to forget you’re in the city and not in the forest of Asia or on the African savanna.

The zoo’s African Savanna was the first of its kind in 1980 and won national Best Exhibit for its…

Zoo Lover’s Day

Why Zoos?

Many people ask me, “why zoos?”  And my response is always the same, I’m passionate about zoos because I love animals.  Thanks to the help of zoos many species have been saved from extinction and brought back to sustainable numbers and released back into the wild, like the black footed ferret, the California condor and the golden-lion tamarin.  Another reason I believe so strongly in…

Located in Seattle’s Woodland Park, just 10 minutes north of downtown, the Woodland Park Zoo was founded in 1899 and now lies on 92 acres and is home to over 1000 animals, representing over 300 species.  Along with a plethora of fauna the zoo is also a botanical garden with over 92,000 plants and tree species representing over 1,300 species.  Since 1987 the zoo has planted over 4000 trees!

The…