"Zoo Views 2004" Flatt's Village Travelogue by grandmaR

The zoo has been breeding flamingos successfully since the 1950s. As we heard when we went to Florida and saw the flamingos at Hialeah, a diet including shrimp gives the flamingos the distinctive pink hue which is most photogenic.

Sign on Oscar's cage

Oscar the alligator has been at BAMZ for as long as anyone can remember. Oscar was invisible to us on this visit. I understand that he sometimes surprises zookeepers and visitors with his agility. He’s also capable of emitting a mighty roar, if he’s hungry — which isn’t often, as alligators do not feed frequently.

The sign on the left says

Golden Lion Tamarins

We checked out the zoo first, because that part of the BAMZ was closing at 4:30. These cute golden lion tamarins are part of the Species Survival Program (SSP).

Peacock begging

There was a zoo employee painting the door jamb of this small building in the grounds. The peacock apparently thought that the paint can held something to eat. The peacocks wander around the zoo grounds at will.

Scarlett Macaws

I've seen the South American Aviary on each of my visits, and the BAMZ website says it is one of BAMZ’s oldest exhibits, housing a variety of species in a lush garden setting. These scarlett macaws are among the most spectacular of the big parrot-like birds.

Japanese Koi Pond

There were various places in the grounds where you could rest and appreciate the scenery. There was a small statue here near a koi pond.

Galapagos Tortises

The Galapagos tortoises occupy a large outdoor space near the Caribbean Exhibit. I have seen them on each visit. On this visit, there were melons in the paddock with the tortoises which were being picked at by small shore birds. The website says that children enjoy having photos taken with them under the supervision of our zookeepers, but I have personally not seen this.

Giant Pacific Clam Shell

According to the BAMZ website, New York businessman and adventurer Vincent Astor, first brought Galapagos tortoises to the BAMZ in the 1930s.

The founding curator of BAMZ, Louis Mowbray went to the Galapagos and South America with Astor aboard his yacht "Nourmahal". This clam shell at the entrance of the Natural History Museum was brought to the BAMZ at the same time as the tortoises.