The "Panthera Leo And The Cape May County Park & Zoo" Story

Panthera leo.  World's most majestic animal.

It was an ordinary day.  Waiting for the African Lion to open his mouth and let us have it.  Carol and I along with my brother Steve and sister-in-law Kathy are standing in the Cape May County Park & Zoo looking at one of the most majestic animals on earth.  The Panthera leo is the second largest living cat behind the tiger who preys mainly on large mammals such as the zebra, antelope and hippo.  Just standing fifteen yards away from him was scary!  I know he was inclosed in a heavy chain fence, but he looked pretty intimidating.  Another woman standing close to us said she was at the zoo one time when the lion roared and she said she could feel it come through the ground into her body.  The roar was heard all through the zoo.  

Walkways that take visitors of the zoo through the 200 acres.

He is a beautiful creature with a life span in capativity of about 18 years and can weigh up to 550 pounds.  We waited and waited for him to roar, but walked away disappoint- ed.  The Cape May Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and features more than 550 inhabitants representing 250 species that occupy over 200 acres of beautiful natural wooded areas and open space parcels and wetlands.  

The Wetlands, a freshwater ecosystem, consists of land that
displays presence of water at or near the surface, waterlogged
soils, and plants adapted to survival in those soils.

The winding trails and wooden pathways create one of the neatest adventures I have experienced in some time.  And, I believe we walked most of the 200 acres in the two hours we were at the zoo.  I naturally had my trusty DSLR with me and would like to share my experiences with you through a few of my favorite animals in the park and zoo.  Hope you get a chance to see perhaps a few of your favorites as I take you on a journey through the Cape May County Park & Zoo.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - remember to click on photos to enlarge them.

The Dromedary Camel is one of the oldest domesticated animals on earth.  It is extinct in the wild with only feral populations existing in the arid regions of Australia.  The camel can grow to about 11 feet tall, weigh about 1,200 pounds and live about 50 years.  They can carry up to 500 pounds for about 30 miles without water.  This camel was molting or shedding its hair at the present time.   

The Cheetah is a cat built for speed.  The cheetah is one of the only cats that has non-retractable claws which allows for better traction in high speed pursuits.  The cheetah can reach speeds of 70 miles per hour.  Its lifespan in captivity is about 20 years.  It grows to about 5 feet in length, is about 32 inches tall and can weigh up to 160 pounds.

This little guy was really neat.   Called a Cottom Top Tamarin and communicates through whistles, screeches squeaks and warbles.  It can live up to 20 years in captivity, grow to 10 tall, and weigh about a pound.  All this as well as be cute.

One of my favorite birds in the zoo was the Boat-Billed Heron.  The female lays about 2-4 bluish white eggs in a nest made of twigs.  It vocalizes in a deep coral and high pitched pee...pee...pee.  The boat-shaped beak is used to waddle through water, stab prey, and scoop up shrimp. 

This is the Reticulated Giraffe.  They can't jump the fence, but they can stand along the fence and eat the growth on the other side.  Tastes much better than the growth on their side of the fence.  The can live for 25 years in captivity, grow 18 feet tall, and weight more than two tons!  They have valves in their neck veins that control the blood flow when they raise and lower their heads.  The female gives birth standing up and the newborn drops 6 feet to the ground, standing an hour later.  They can run almost 40 mile per hour when scared.

This is the Grant's Zebra and lives up to 28 years.  It stands about five feet at the shoulder and weighs close to 700 pounds.  The zebra can run about 40 miles per hour.  The females form a harem and establish a dominate female, but during travel they will only go as fast as the slowest is able to travel.  I just love the neat detail they display on their bodies.  Looks like a tattoo artist's dream.

This cute little guy is called a Ring-Tailed Lemur.  It is on the list of threatened species and has lost about 25% of its species during the last 20 years.  It is found only in Madagascar and is losing its habitat due to deforestation.  The Cape May Zoo has been able to add several animals to its collection every year through in-house breeding.  This guy looked and looked at me while I was taking his photo.  I made a few throaty sounds and he tried to repeat them to me.

This is the Snow Leopard and he was very elusive.  Retreated into his den and only came out for a short period of time. They are one of the most endangered species of wild cat on earth with only about 6000 left in the wild.  There are only about 150 Snow Leopards in captivity in North America.  There has been very few births of these beautiful animals in captivity, but the Cape May Zoo has been very lucky to have had a successful breeding in the past few years.

This is the Sandhill Crane and is another of my favorite birds at the zoo.  They can live to about 25 years in captivity, grow to about 5 feet tall, and weigh up to 18 pounds.  Their long windpipe allows for their trumpet call.  This bird was hiding his bill from me when I took its photo.

This is the Mertens' Water Monitor and was found in the zoo's reptile and ampibian house.  He looks prehistoric in nature with his loose gladiator skin and fierce claws.  He can grow about 4 feet long and lives up to 30 years.

This is a Siberian Tiger whose name is Rocky.  In August of 2013 he developed Type 2 soft tissue Saccoma on his right rear leg.  The tumor was removed by Dr. Paluch and Dr. Ernst, but returned 8 weeks and was once again removed by the surgeons.  Again, in another 8 weeks the tumor returned more invasive and larger in size.  It was removed by Dr. Laura Culbert, a New Jesey Veternarian.  After the surgery Rocky underwent 6 monthly chemo treatments.  After his chemotherapy Rocky was declared cancer-free!  He certainly seemed to be enjoying himself, rolling on his back as he showed off for the visitors.

This is the Red Fox.  The area where I live in Lancaster, Pennsulvania is know as Foxshire.  When we first moved to the development we would see a few foxes while walking, but haven't seen any in the past few years.  I'm sure rural and urban development has taken its toll on the fox.  The can live up to 12 years in captivity, grow about three feet long and weigh about 30 pounds.  This guy was napping and wasn't bothered by his visitors.