October 14, Part 14 - There's lots to see in the southwest corner of the Jardin des Plantes, Paris

I didn't know what this was, I just took a photo because it looked nice. It's the back of the old Faculty of Sciences Annex. The front is on Rue Cuvier. It seems the building used to look like this. There's a lot of history here, and I haven't taken time to sort it out. It may be the building where the Curies discovered radium. There is also a HUGE modern science complex on the other side of Rue Cuvier, but we didn't go that way, we had entered the park instead for some history and the quiet gardens.

One of the first things we came to was this statue of Michel Eugène Chevreul, who I had never heard of. He was a chemist who worked on fatty acids. Sounds exciting, yes? As it turns out he influenced a lot of ideas, including the color theory used by the Impressionists. He is also credited with discovering margarine and designing an early form of soap. He lived to be 102 years old and also pioneered studies in gerontology. I thought it was a cool statue, so I'm including an enlargement of Michel Eugène.

Our margarine guy stands forever on a pedestal looking at this view (below) of the Amphitheatre.

The place was packed for some event with men in suits. As it had been built to hold 600 people, there was probably room for all. This is the side of the building, and the front entrance is to the right. Online I found an old engraving of the outside of the building. It's the top picture on this page; click to enlarge when you get there. And here is a file where you can see a number of old engravings of the gardens and buildings in the Jardin des Plantes, including one of the interior of the amphitheatre.

A few paces away is the Pavillion Buffon, which I think is now an administration building, and apparently has been so for many years. The next two photos show different views of the same building. I liked the colors, and I also liked the giraffe.

Buffon, who the building was named for, managed the gardens for many years and was one of France's early scientific giants.

We backtracked a little and thought we'd climb the small hill by way of a circular walkway, but we realized that we had a lot to see here and the light was fading. I took a photo of this maribou stork at the point where we turned back onto the main walkway.

This is Buffon's building again on the left. Now we're headed toward the zoo.

Along the way, we encountered the statue below.

Again, I didn't know who it was except for the name carved into it. Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was a writer and botanist. He's the top figure in the sculpture, with two of his most famous characters, Paul and Virginie, shown below. In about 1792 and 1793, during the French Revolution, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre formulated the idea to make a zoo in the Jardin des Plantes when a number of laws and situations coincided to render it a more viable idea than keeping the menagerie at Versailles. In addition, scientists here could learn from observing living animals instead of dead and dissected ones. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was a proponent of keeping the animals in conditions as close to their natural ways of life as possible. He was among the first to consider the needs of the animals rather than the needs of the humans who wished to keep them. In the statue above, Jacques-Henry Bernardin de Saint-Pierre is leaning on his arm, probably in contemplation. Note that the trunk of the tree behind him is also resting - perhaps with empathy. I couldn't guess if it's just tired or is also contemplating.

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Oct 14, Part 15 - Near the Zoo in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris

Well, we were here, finally! This is the zoo. But it was a few minutes past closing time, and of course, we couldn't go in. I took a picture of the sign, because - well, the zoo at the Jardin des Plantes is historic and famous, and I'd read about it so many times. And it's a nice place. I had also visited before, but it would have been fun to go again. However, since it hadn't been our main destination for the day, we chalked it up as a fairly minor disappointment and continued to explore. I thought the sign was striking in its simplicity, nestled here among the evergreens.

Obviously - the history of the zoo in French.

This building is right near the entrance to the zoo. It's the Galleries of Comparative Anatomy. I don't know if it's that old or what the history is. Below is a view of the main door.

This is the only picture I got of an actual animal at the zoo - a black swan. It's out of focus. We were still moving along pretty fast. I knew we had a lot to see and not much time left to see it in the light. I thought it was sort of funny that this swan was black, and that a white swan on a black background had figured prominently a day and a half ago (or whatever, accounting for the time difference; it seemed like another world already).

This was one of the first formal gardens we came to. I'm not sure if it's part of the Alpine Garden or not. We didn't go in. That's the mantra for awhile. There was still a lot to see.

One of the larger walkways was named after Cuvier.

I love the orange shirt and red hair contrasted with the greenhouse.

Here's an entrance to the Alpine Garden. Once more, we didn't go in. You could spend a long time enjoying these wonderful gardens.

I took this photo just past the greenhouse, but I can't quite place it on Google Earth. I don't find a building where this had to have been taken. I wish I could hop a plane and go check it out - and maybe stay for a few weeks - or months! I like the windows and I like the plant-form signs they had in the garden. We're nearly to the Natural History Museum now. It's part of this incredible and incredibly historic complex that's called the Jardin des Plantes. . . .

Go to Part 16

Here's tusk in your eye!

I took the photo of the young babirusa above on February 16, 2008, when we visited the Oregon Zoo in Portland. Click the "babirusas" label in the shaded green box below for more posts on the two babirusas in Portland. Meanwhile, here is a link to another bit of babirusa news from England.

Vasayan warty pigs at the Oregon Zoo

I'm starting with two portraits. The one above is my favorite, because of the wonderfully expressive eye and the telltale dirt on its nose. (Please click on the picture for a better view, then use your Back button to return.) But the next pig portrait is more resplendent, showing the gorgeous mane. Too bad I didn't get the top picture framed as nicely as the bottom one.

Below is the pig family. Again you can see the expressive eyes, especially of the one in front (you really will have to click the photo to see this).

Finally, I included the picture below because it's the only one I got of the male showing his tusk. The hair is not bad, either.

Follow this link to the stuffed version of these pigs. It's a beautiful animal. Althought the coloring is inexplicably different from live warty pigs, it is totally charming and artistic. The red coloring is luscious, and the ivory-colored tusk is the icing on the cake.

If you like these pigs (and who wouldn't), please come see the babirusas on this blog.

Babirusa Brothers at the Oregon Zoo

Photos by Sheryl Todd

Click on any picture to enlarge

What a treat it was to visit the Oregon Zoo in Portland and see their two young babirusas up close and active. Lee had seen something about these unusual pig-family members on TV, and then coincidentally read that some had recently come to our nearest zoo. We had to see them.

We thought we were out of luck when the day, predicted to be warm and sunny, was instead overcast and cold. We thought the babirusas would stay in their warm den, but one of the zoo guides told us they'd been out a few minutes before, so we stuck around. Sure enough, they emerged. First one of the two young brothers came out and strode through the yard and returned to shelter. Then they both emerged, ready for play. They chased each other back and around, one pinned the other on the ground in something like a wrestling move, and then both trotted into the water and climbed back out. They went inside their den, re-emerged, and started again. The pigs seemd affectionate and playful, and were a joy to watch. We felt ourselves lucky. They of course reminded me of tapirs, to which they are not closely related except that all have hooves. Still, their movements were reminiscent. Unlike most pigs, babirusas do not root, but eat leaves, like tapirs.

Signs at the zoo show the tusks of an adult babirusa and show their origin on the island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) in Indonesia. As with so many wild animals, babirusas are under threat from humans. Check them out on Google's search. There are a number of excellent sites with photos and descriptions. Until today I didn't know babirusas were so interesting or CUTE (unlike the drawing below, which makes them look like something deformed from outer space - sorry, but I don't think the picture does them justice!).

Click the photo to read the text

Babirusa links I especially like are: The St. Louis Zoo, Wallacea (nice photo), Wikipedia, and some videos. Especially don't miss this this video from the Oregon Zoo! Also check out Ultimate Ungulate for the babirusa's family tree. Here's another good link I just found.

Next door to the babirusas were some ultra cool Vasayan warty pigs from the Philippines. They ended up on one of my other blogs.

One More Picture of the Babirusa

There's not much more to say. I love these pigs! See the post above for the full story. . . .

Belize: Day 2, Part 3 - The Belize Zoo and April the Tapir

There it was! The Belize Zoo, at Milepost 29 on the Western Highway. I'd seen the web site. I'd worked with the zoo's director. I'd heard a lot about April the Tapir. Just being here was like seeing a movie star. The place was shrouded in drizzle and grey light when we arrived. Click on the image to see the sign as we did.

The zoo's entrance would be found some distance from the main road. That I had not envisioned. A little further along there was a sign that read, "The Belize Zoo. Chill out zone."

As soon as we had determined that Sharon Matola was not on the grounds and we wouldn't be able to see her today, we entered the zoo. Our inquiries tuned up Humberto Wohlers (below), the zoo's General Curator and one of my colleagues in the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group. He was warm, gracious, and knowledgeable, and he took us immediately to the tapirs. Little Ceibo, above, was friendly and curious. There is nothing like having your hand nuzzled by one of these animals. My day was made . . .

. . . but it was not over. More famous sights awaited, such as Sharon's hand-painted signs and of course, the "very famous April the Tapir," known and mentioned (as we would learn) throughout the country.

The animals are not the only attractions at the zoo. The plants were lush and beautiful. I was particularly charmed by the attractive plant-shrouded stairs and walkway below.

Humberto took us to see the harpy eagle and a jaguar, and then he ducked into the overhanging brush in April's enclosure to find her and coax her to visit.

Amazing. I had started working with Sharon in 1996 as a new member of the Tapir Specialist Group, and she had invited me to be her Deputy Chair. I'd learned about April, and in an unexpected way, my past and Sharon's present had collided through April. When April was a tiny baby, she'd been found abandoned and injured in the jungle. A screw worm had gotten inside of her through a gaping wound, and it took everything Sharon had to nurse April back to health. In the process of learning what to do with a sick baby tapir, Sharon had contacted Russell Mittermeier, who had a copy of a self-published booklet my first husband and I had produced back in the 1970s. Russ sent it to Sharon, and Sharon was kind enough to tell me it had helped. Long story short, she had heard of me by the time I approached her to join the Specialist Group. My way had been paved. Those were interesting times, and now I was meeting April. Like a star-struck groupie meeting a legend, I couldn't wait to send Kate a postcard to tell her where I was and who I had met.

By the time we left the zoo, the rain had gone and the day had become steamy and bright.

April 4, Part 3: A trip to the Heritage Park Zoo near Prescott

We all went out to the Prescott (Heritage Park) Zoo for awhile. The weather was beautiful, and some of us will jump at any excuse to see animals. Right away I realized this wasn't one of your big city zoos. I do like their mailbox, and of course the setting is pleasant out in the open country.

And I like their gate. Nice animal art!

There was more animal art as we entered the zoo, which had a lot of open space. That's dad. It was nice to see him getting out and enjoying walking around. What was sad was how the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's was aging him beyond his years. Again, it made me know that this was a very special few days we were all spending together.

Approaching the animals. They're around here somewhere. I wonder if they have a TAPIR?

But wait! Time for a pit stop since the restrooms are en route. Umm. The restroom was brand new and clean, but it seems they ran out of money before they got to the partitions. I've been told that men's bathrooms are like this fairly often, but I haven't been in one. I've never seen a ladies' room without the partitions. OK, I'll wait outside, lemme know when you're done. I was never one of those girls who liked to go to the restroom in gaggles.

Gary wanted to let Kathy and me know that the men's room was special, too. Thanks, Gar.

This is called "Tarantula Grotto." Of course, there were spider exhibits inside.

"Please do not step on spiders, ever." I like that.

This is Coyote Freeway.

We didn't see Abbey the Mountain Lion, but she had a nice sign, and I liked it that there was glass to look through, and not just wire or bars. If she had been out, I might have gotten a nice picture.

Finally I was getting to see a javalina.

Up close, too, but the wire wasn't conducive to photos.

Here's a pronghorn. As you can see, there's a lot of space out here. It made the visit kind of surreal, or maybe it was just a lazy-feeling day and I'm not used to that. I find every excuse to work and be busy most of the time.

"Hi, Pronghorn."

Thematic painted signs. This is where the jaguar lived. It seems the cats were taking siestas.

The black bear was friendly, at least with fencing between us it was a nice encounter. The zoo also has a Bengal tiger and some ring-tailed lemurs and a few other things.

Gary and Dad. Don't ask me why I take pictures of people when they're not looking and then don't take any when they are looking. Maybe it's because I don't like my own picture taken, but I'm really going to work on this.

Gary meets a kindred spirit. "Where's the food, guy?" So, that was our day at the zoo.

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