It’s All Happening At the Zoo
A recent visit to the Saarbruecken Zoo
A recent visit to the Saarbruecken Zoo
A few days before returning home for our recent trip to Germany, we took a day to visit Zoo Saarbruecken with our family. It has been a while since we were last at a zoo, I think it was Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay. Mind you, Busch Gardens is more an amusement park than a zoo, in my opinion.
Anyway — Zoo Saarbruecken — a fun experience for us and the grandchildren. Of course, Liddy was able to tag along. The zoo has lots of hydration stations set up for its canine visitors which was a bonus.
Another bonus was not a lot of visitors in the middle of January. It was a gray day and while we didn’t have the place to ourselves, we didn’t have to battle a crowd either.
Red Panda
Having recently watched the movie Red Panda, being able to see one in the fur was a treat. This guy was quite active pacing the tree limbs suspended around its enclosure. They made a loop so this one could pace round and round above the ground.
Puma
The signage and zoo map show this guy as a Puma. I was a bit confused by that name as we, here in the Pacific Northwest, refer to them as Mountain Lions or Cougars. While we don’t often see them, they are quite common, even close to Seattle and Tacoma. Like most cats, if there is one nearby, you aren’t likely to know unless it decides to invite you to its dinner.
Shoot the Signs
This is a Crowned Crane. I know this because I photographed the sign on the enclosure with all of the information about this crane and its partners.
The sign was mainly German, which I don’t speak, let alone read, but it does provide information about our friend here. If the English name wasn’t present, I would have sent the title through a translator app. Of course, I could look up the Latin name on Wikipedia: Balearica regulorum gibbericeps and find it is a Grey Crowned Crane.
Shoot Through the Fence
Because Liddy was outside the wire, our crane was putting on a display that it uses to scare off threats. We were impressed with the display but didn’t scare. That’s because of the stout fence between the crane and us.
If you look closely at this shot, you should notice some fuzziness in the left corner below the right wing, just above our watermark.
This is a bit of the fence that I couldn’t quite make disappear. This magic is caused by the Depth of Field of the lens. I was shooting with my 100–500 mm lens at an aperture of f/7.1. The focal distance was 100 mm. Knowing that objects close to the lens, but outside the depth of field will not be captured, I was able to make the fence disappear.
Now I don’t do enough of the work to have the technique down pat, but I do know about it, and I was practicing the technique a lot here at Saarbruecken. Now you know too.
The Giraffes Are Cool
They were in a building where Liddy (dogs) are not permitted so she waited outside with June while I captured these portraits.
Pretty Bird
No, I don’t know the name. Couldn’t find the sign. I do like the colours.
I had to shoot this with an extremely high ISO. Even with the treatment to remove noise using Topaz Photo AI, it is still noticeable. My point here is that regardless of the conditions, take the shot. Today's cameras and post-processing software can do wonders to recover your story.
Meerkat
These guys were just cool, standing watch above the burrow.
Cheetah
This handsome beast was shot using the depth-of-field technique I mentioned earlier. Another bonus of the technique is that the fence in the background also loses its definition and therefore is not distracting.
Amusing aside on the Cheetah.
There was a beauty at Busch Gardens in Tampa when we visited. It was in its enclosure which is surrounded by a large moat. Apparently, you may purchase an opportunity to have your photo taken with the animal right up close and personal.
As fate would have it, as June, Liddy and I came around the corner of the display, there was one of these photo shoots going on. The Cheetah’s handlers were having a devil of a time getting it to behave and pose as desired.
Nope, our friend was a wee bit distracted by a new and unusual scent that had come into its life. It was a bit unnerving as it tracked us around its compound, that big head swivelling as we moved. Dogs aren’t common visitors to North American Zoos. Liddy was an unusual diversion for this big cat, and Liddy was out of sight below the wall on the visitor side of the compound’s moat.
Having been entertained enough by the situation, and to allow the handlers to complete their photo shoot, we turned away a proceeded to the next exhibit. This, of course, brought Liddy into full view of the Cheetah. That cat was down off its stool and up to the edge of its moat so quick…
The two Cheetahs at Saarbruecken Zoo were well-acclimated to dogs. None of the animals were fazed by her presence except perhaps for the fox.
Fox
When Liddy and I caught up to our family at the fox run, this guy was just finishing off his lunch. For some reason, he was curious enough about Liddy to leave lunch and come closer to check her out. It made for some great photos of this lovely little guy.
Snowy Owl
Normally, residents of the arctic tundra, this owl had a stern look for Liddy and me as we walked up to its enclosure.
Don’t forget the family
We enjoyed our visit to the Saarbruechen Zoo with our family. We took lots of photos and captured lots of memories. When you have an opportunity to visit an educational experience, like a zoo, with your family, take it! And don’t forget to bring the memories home!
Dave Scott is a travel and nature photographer who loves to explore. Or is that an explorer who loves to do travel and nature photography?
I squandered my youth providing for my family. Now, I have rescued myself from the rat race and invested my time in finding those places that inspire me. The Pacific Northwest provides many opportunities that are close to home.
Follow my journeys. I hope to engage you and inspire you to get out and begin your journey.
The world is a beautiful place. Share the beauty. Leave only footsteps.