Cincinnati

I went to the Cincinnati Zoo December 12 to see the hippos. Fiona has been the star of the zoo since she was born and shows up regularly on Instagram. Her dad, Henry, died in 2017, and Tucker arrived this year from another zoo. Fiona, Bibi (Fiona's mom), and Tucker get along very well, and I had to see them before it became too cold for them to be outside.

Fiona rests her chin on Bibi

There were terrible reflections that I still don't know how to defeat. There is a roof over the viewing area, but the sun was so low that it shone into the area from the back. I kept only a couple of shots, and they're not very good.

Tucker and his staff

The fish in the tank eat hippo poop and take care of the hippos' skin. I don't know why, but they were all over Tucker and not the other two.

Chester, an Andean bear, scratches his chest with straw. At least, that's what it looked like he was doing. He also dragged the blanket back and forth in front of him.

An arctic fox in winter garb rests.

A Florida manatee says hello.

A gray squirrel takes a lunch break. I don't know if he made the sandwich himself.

A grey bird grasshopper

A Peruvian fire stick

 

Toledo

It's hockey season, and that means Toledo Zoo visits. These shots are from October 23 and November 6.

I was happy to see Marty in October, but I report with sadness that he was euthanized in November because of kidney disease. He was pretty important when it comes to polar bears in American zoos.

Nieve, an aged Andean or spectacled bear. The missing gardener and I call her Penny because she reminds us of Penny, the gardener's mother's dog.

coconut crab

Patagonian cavy, or mara. It gave me some side-eye as I moved around looking for the best view.

Emma, I think. Or Herbie.

 

red-billed leiothrix

male Siamese fireback

female Siamese fireback