The Lowry Park Zoo, in Tampa, FL, is not a large zoo, and is certainly not in the same league as the San Diego Zoo or Zoo Atlanta. But it is very nicely done for a mid-size institution that is always short of money, and it has a nice collection which includes a number of species I've not seen elsewhere. Because of its location and climate, the zoo has great success with captive breeding--on the day I shot these photos, there were baby Indian rhino, pygmy hippo, and African elephant that had recently been born. Lowry Park Zoo is also the regional rescue center for injured or distressed manatees, and has a fully functional rescue and rehabilitation facility. And they do a lot of educational work in local schools.
Here are some photos from a day at Lowry Park Zoo (I'm a member and go there every few weeks). As you can see from the photos, it was an overcast day with off and on rain, which is the best weather to see the animals actually up and moving about, rather than sleeping in the shade as they do on hot sunny days. Bonus--fewer people there on cloudy days.
Lowry Park Zoo
The Manatee Fountain. On hot days, it's filled with little kids cooling off.
The Aviary. A screened-in dome with birds from all over the world.
Birds in the aviary.
A Bald Ibis, from the Middle East.
A Scarlet Ibis, from South America.
A pair of Pied Imperial Pigeons, from Southeast Asia.
A nesting pair of Boat-Bill Herons, from South America.
The Aviary's observation tower, which gets you up to treetop-level to get a closer look.
Birds drinking rainwater from the Aviary pathway. Ducks, a Scarlet Ibis, and a Sacred Ibis.
A Leopard Tortoise, from Africa. I don't know why he was in the Aviary.
Wallaroo Station, the Australian-themed kids part of the Zoo.
The Carousel.
Water fountains to cool off in.
Goats at the petting zoo.
The impossibly-cute Koala. I was fortunate--he's almost never awake.
The Koi tank.
Koi, about three feet long.
A pair of Singing Dogs, from New Guinea.
A portrait of the Singing Dog.
Fruit Bats. They look like chihuahas with wings. I don't know why people don't like bats--I think they are cute.
A flock of budgies.
Feeding time for the Wallabies.
The "Africa" section of the Zoo.
South African Penguins. A mom and her chick.
A couple of Meerkats stand watch while the others snooze.
A Radiated Tortoise, from Madagascar.
A Ground Hornbill.
A pair of zebras grazing. These are Hartmann's Mountain Zebras.
Shoebill Heron. What a prehistoric-looking bird. Almost five feet tall.
A young Okapi.
Okapi portrait.
Cheetah.
White Rhino. They're not really white--the name is a mistranslation of the Afrikaans word for "wide", referring to the wide mouth.
Female African Elephant.
Giraffes. You can feed the giraffes by hand.
The Florida Trail. Native Florida species.
Manatee. This is a rescued Manatee in the main display tank. The scars on her back are from boat propellers.
More rescue tanks. The Zoo can take in up to a dozen Manatee rescues at a time.
The underwater viewing window.
This Alligator Gar, who shares the Manatee tank, watches me curiously. He's about four feet long.
Diver cleaning out the Manatee display tank.
Alligators. These are all rescues--the one in front has an injured leg.
Alligator portrait. Once endangered, they are now common throughout Florida.
Florida Red-Bellied Turtles that share the alligator pond. Since the Alligators are fed regularly, the turtles are not in any real danger, though I expect one or two get crunched once in a while.
Florida Black bear in a tree. The Florida subspecies is smaller than the northern black bears, and is severely endangered.
Florida Black Bear portrait. The bears are not usually awake during the day.
Florida Panther. Like the Florida Black Bear, the Florida Panther is smaller than its northern cousins. It is also critically endangered.
Sandhill Crane.
Wild Turkey. Reputed to be one of the dumbest birds in the world. Perhaps also the ugliest.
Striped Skunk. Not usually awake in the day, this one was enticed outside by the rain.
Lionfish. Native to the Pacific, it has been introduced around Florida's coast, where it is a major predator on Florida's native species.
Alligator Snapping Turtle. It hunts by holding its mouth open and using a wormlike bit of skin in its throat to attract fish within striking range.
Red Rat Snake, also known as the Corn Snake. An attractive species that is very common in the pet trade. I have a pet Corn Snake named Callisto.
Southern Copperhead.
Florida Cottonmouth. Also known as the Water Moccasin.
A pair of Canebrake Rattlesnakes. The southern version of the Timber Rattlesnake.
Gopher Tortoise.
Bald Eagle. This one is a rescue that cannot fly.
Bald Eagle portrait.
A rescued Brown Pelican.
Stingray Bay, the stingray touch tank.
Southern Atlantic Stingray.
The Discovery Center, for small animals, mostly amphibians.
Interior of Discovery Center.
Baby Komodo Dragon.
Emperor Newt, from China.
Poison Dart Frogs, from South America.
Barred Owl and her keeper, during an educational talk.
The "Asia" section of the Zoo.
Clouded Leopard.
Portrait of Clouded Leopard. She too is usually asleep.
Komodo Dragon, about 7 feet long. One of my favorite animals. Most lizards just look dumb as rocks, but with Komodos, you can see the little wheels turning inside their heads, and they watch the people every bit as much as the people watch them. I want one. :)
Lorikeet Landing. A free-flight aviary.
Feeding nectar to the Lorikeets.
Lorikeet. Each bird in the flock has a name, and the keepers know all of them.
One of the Hornbills in the Lorikeet aviary. They're not as friendly as the Lorikeets, and are there mostly to eat the bugs that get inside.
Bengal Tiger.
Bar-Headed Goose.
Anoa.
Sloth Bear.
Demoiselle Cranes.
Masked Lapwings.
Victoria Crowned Pigeon.
Indian Rhino and her calf.
Reeve's Muntjac.
The Primate Center. Golden Lion Tamarin.
Black and White Colobus, from Angola.
Mandrill, from Africa.
Young Orangutan, from Borneo.
A pair of Siamang Gibbons.
Chimpanzee.