More of the London Zoo

These pictures were taken a while ago – December 2018 to be more precise – But sometimes life just gets in the way and I never got around to posting them. I suppose better late than never? (Returning readers are probably experiencing an intense feeling of deja vu right now).

A Mother-Son two Toed Sloth duo at London Zoo

A Mandarin Duck at London Zoo

A pair of Goeldi’s Monkeys at the London Zoo

The Ragged Lionfish

The Bearded Barbet at London Zoo

Still Life

A False Clown Fish emerging from Sea Anemone

A Squirrels Monkey at the London Zoo

The Dragon

I wish I had more shots to share – particularly of the big cats – But between the cold and being bit rusty with the old SLR it wasn’t one of my best days shooting at the Zoo. Still as always I have to recommend that anyone who has the chance go check out London ZSL. And if you’re a frequent visitor go with someone special who hasn’t been before. It’s a great experience to see someone you love share something new with you that you love. I got to take someone this trip and it certainly made the whole experience fresh and fun for me : )

Don’t get me wrong, I love a solo day of shooting, but things are so much more special when you share them with someone special. So in that spirit I’m happy to share some of our sights with you.

A Wild Dog at the London Zoo

A Tree Frog at the London Zoo

Giraffes at the London Zoo enjoying some greens

A Dyeing Poison Frog at the London Zoo

A Rather Alarmed Lemur at the London Zoo

A Dumeril’s Salamander at the London Zoo

A Pack of Wild Dogs at the London Zoo

A White-Eye Moray at the London Zoo

As always I shall endeavour to return sooner rather later with more content. But I hope these shots from the London Zoo serve to sate some of your appetites.

Back to Whipsnade (June, 2018)

It won’t be a terrible surprise to any followers that yet again, following a hiatus post the April poetry-writing flurry, the thing that brings me back to posting is an urge to share more photographs from yet another Zoo visit : )

A Patagonian Mara pops up

A Common Sergeant landing on a nearby leaf

A wonderfully playful Meerkat at Whipsnade

Mama Moorhen

A lone Chimpanzee sulking in the sun

A couple of Cheetah lazing in the summer sun

This post features shots from a visit to the Whipsnade Zoo which I first visited back in 2015. There were wonderfully familiar sights, but also some new experiences with the Zoo having finished renovations and extensions that were still coming up in 2015. Not to mention the acquisition of a few new animals – such as the beautiful new Amur Tigress (unfortunately not pictured here as she spent a majority of the time having a nice little nap in the corner of the enclosure).

A rather insidious African Dwarf Crocodile gives us the evil eye

Come at me bro!

An Amur Tiger licks his lips in anticipation of lunch

This Ring-taiedl Lemur looks like its seen some things!

A Tailed Jay

Watchu Lookin At!

It was a wonderful day… for many a reason. A gloriously sunny day. Some fun sightings. Fresh air and (relative) peace and quiet… Though I hope these humble offerings help highlight at least one, the most important one even – these glorious and gorgeous and amazing creatures!

A gorgeous Tiled Jay at the Whipsnade Butterfly House

A Blonde Haired European Brown Bear

A Lioness in the sun at Whipsnade

A Crystal Clear Chrysalis in the Butterfly House at Whipsnade

A gorgeous Banded Orange Butterfly at Whipsnade

A proud Peacock settled into some comfy grass

Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Gardens (Better Late Than Never II)

Alright I definitely have to get more organised about posting my photographs after a session/trip… Because here we go again. Posting from the back log – This time from my visit to the Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Gardens (again sometime in 2016 while I was living in England). Hopefully from now on I learn my lesson and post more regularly. As a bonus though, this post is particularly Otter-heavy… So gets ready for the awwwws : D

A vibrant and (I’m sure misunderstood) Tarantula

A Cotton Top Tamarin having a cheeky scratch

This Burrowing Owl does not look happy to be caged up!

If you don’t see a Ring-Tailed Lemur performing Hamlet, you’re mad!

Hey I have a rock! High Five!

What is this Oriental Small Clawed Otter shielding its friend from?

I wonder if my painter can reproduce the funky markings of this Tokay Gecko

Does this Frilled Lizard remind anyone of an iconic movie scene?

A wise old looking Six Banded Armadillo

I’m just a sucker for a cute group of Meerkats

This Prevost’s Squirrel is terrifying!

Compared to the other Wildlife Parks and Zoos I had occasion to visit the Cotswolds was definitely one of the better ones. Being somewhat out in the country meant that it had large spaces and bigger enclosures for most of the animals, and a really large selection too. Though if you’re a “completionist” like me be sure to pack a lunch and some comfortable walking shoes, because it will take you all day to check out the park… and there are many animals you’ll want to visit repeatedly depending on the time of day.

An African Crested Porcupine, just out for a stroll in its enclosure

A shy, aloof Pallas Cat

A gorgeous and poisonous two-coloured Dart Frog

A beautiful Peacock with its vibrant plumage

The Great Indian Hornbill

An Oriental Small Clawed Otter rolling around in the sun

A beautiful Blue and Gold macaw

A pair of Oriental Small Clawed Otters… kissing?

A pair of Giraffes having a tussle

A rather angry and determined looking Male Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Chester Zoo – March 2015 (Better Late Than Never?)

Pardon the date in the post. As it should make evident, I took these pictures a while back on a visit to Chester Zoo in England. The trip was a fun from what I recollect. Unfortunately it was also cold and shaky hands make for bad photography. So while it was somewhat memorable, it wasn’t all that successful.

An interestingly spotted Salvador’s Monitor lizard

A hungry Andean aka Spectacled Bear noshing down on some yummy cucumbers

A rather grumpy looking Baboon, with his beautifully marked blue snout

A rather sad-eyed Emperor Tamarin

A large Bornean Orangutan just swinging about

A magnificent (and huge) Great Hornbill, shot through its mesh enclosure

A straw chewing Radiated Tortoise, out on a stroll

A Sumatran Cub enjoying his lunch

Looks like Human aren’t the only ones with dirty habits, as this Great Sumatran Orangutan shows!

Still I’ve picked out a few worth publishing from the batch. Certainly a few gems in there I’m happy to add to the collection. Hopefully next time, if there ever is one, I’ll do the Zoo and its “Islands” justice.

A vividly coloured Caiman Lizard

A pair of Radiated Tortoises

A gorgeous Blue Morpho Butterfly perched on a branch overhead

A pair of vibrant blue Dart Frogs

A young Great Sumatran Orangutan

A beautifully camouflaged green Dart Frog

I wish I had more to say on the visit. But time and other factors nudge me away from reminiscing. So hopefully these few shots speak for themselves.

What A Marwell-ous Day At the Zoo

Right, well, another Zoo post… I’m really making a habit of these aren’t I? Well… No regrets!!! : D

Here are some of my favourite shots from a visit to Marwell Zoo, in the English county of Hampshire. Tickets were quite affordable, compared to say ZSL, but then it was quite a drive away to get to. It wasn’t the sunny day one hopes for on a visit to the Zoo, but then it is England ; p

An Ocelot has a nice mid-day nap

A Stern Looking Secretary Bird

An inquisitive looking Red Ruffed Lemur

A speedy little Egyptian Tortoise

Dorcas Gazelles

A Family of Desert Mongoose

A sleeping Madagascar Tree Boa

A shy White Rhino

A sleeping Madagascar Tree Boa

A lonely little Dyeing Poison Frog

An Amur Leopard blending seamlessly into the “jungle floor”

A Beautiful Amur Tiger

Cotton-Top Tamarin

Quite honestly, Marwell was amazing. The animals had great enclosures and I’m sure during the summer it must be quite a sight to see many of them roaming in shared habitats. If you love near by or are planning a trip in that direction, take a day and go. You won’t regret it.

A Day at Whipsnade Zoo

If you’re a long-time reader of this blog you’ll know that I like, once in a while, to try my hand at photography. Now, I am by no means a professional. Barely even an amateur. But I do manage to get the odd picture or two that I can look at years on and feel quite pleased with.

One of my favourite things in the world to photograph is animals, and while I’d much rather photograph them in the wild, being a city a boy I rarely get the opportunity. So it is a delightful treat when I convince a friend to accompany me to the local Zoo.

A Red Panda munching on some bamboo

Lynx on a Log

A European Brown Bear out on a walk

An African White Rhino grazes nearby

A female Sea Lion leaps though the air

An inquisitive looking Meerkat

A playful Wolverine tosses about in his enclosure

A sleepy Lion wakes from his 21 hour nap…

A lone European Wolf snoozes in the sun

Knowing of my love for the furry, slimy, scary and cuddly, a very dear friend decided to take me to Whipsnade Zoo, located in Bedfordshire. And I must say, if you haven’t been, you really should try to get out there. It is just breathtakingly gorgeous and seeing so many of the animals roaming in their large enclosures really warmed my heart. Many of the smaller herbivores were even roaming free about the whole compound, which was an especial treat! It may not be the great plains and jungles many of them are accustomed to, but it’s nice to see them being treated well. Or as well as can be hoped.

A Ring-Tailed Lemur mid-jump

A Ring Tailed Lemur out at play.

A rather stern looking Pink Flamingo.

A Cheeky Ring-Tailed Lemur

A Sea Lion breaks through the surface of his cool blue pool

A Wallaby stares me down…

White Stork

An African White Rhino striking an epic pose on the horizon!

A Red Panda snoozes in the tree home

I hope some of these pictures inspire you to patronise this establishment for yourself. And take it from me, if you’re a real animal buff, get the ZSL Membership – 3 trips to either Whipsnade or the London Zoo and it’ll have paid for itself.

Paging Mr. Fish… An Evening at the London Aquarium

After many months of planning to do so, my friend and I finally made it to the London Sea Life Aquarium, located on the seemingly ever buzzing South Bank of the River Thames. Often when you build up something in your head, especially if it is a fond childhood memory, you’re in for some disappointment… But not this time! Despite a rather interesting episode where we were quickly ushered out of the building due to a “fire alarm going off”  (I have my doubts – especially because of the constant PA announcements for “Mr. Fish” to “come to the telephone” – that’s gotta be employee code!) we had a brilliantly exciting time exploring the rather extensive collection of sea and amphibious creatures at the Aquarium. We even topped off the whole adventure with a carousel ride (my first in like a decade!) and a jaunt through the rain to a whiskey house that ended up being closed.

It’s Adventure Time!

No matter how much time you’ve spent in London, there are always new things to learn about this amazing city, and one very interesting way to do it is with the ‘Alternative London Tours’ offered by Insider London.

Yesterday the brand new batch of LUIP Student Ambassadors and the few of us from last year who are staying on as alums had the most terrible fun running about the city on our very own amazing race style adventure. Engaging both our minds and our sense of discovery, it was a most memorable and mirth-filled day – even the lack of sun and healthy dose of English rain couldn’t dampen our spirits as we ran about investigating clues, snapping pics and incessantly tweeting.

Sunny Sunday Stroll

What better way to spend a beautiful day like today than walking around London basking in the sun! So that’s what my friend and I decided to do. We began our journey at the Soho Flea Market where we briefly enjoyed a performance by duo Lilygreen and Maguire (who were quite wonderful) before getting some tasty milkshakes at Ed’s Diner. From there we meandered about Trafalgar Square, walked up to Buckingham Palace (which is a lot smaller than I remember!) and then walked through beautiful Green Park. I managed to get some nice shots so I thought I’d share them before I lie down for a nice lazy sunday siesta : )

A Plea Against Fear

Mere hours ago a stranger walked up to me on the street and threatened to kill me.

A provocative way to start a story I know, but I’m not really in the mood to sugarcoat this. Walking along with my earphones in I was enjoying a pleasant walk from my friend’s place to the bus stop when a man in a blue hoodie approached me and began to say something. I paused my music so as to inquire what he was saying. He began to ask me if I was “That f**ker’s brother?” Unsure what he was talking about, I simply replied “No”. He then began to walk away, but no sooner had he taken a few steps ahead that he turned around and began to berate me once again. “You’re one of those c*nts that killed that guy didn’t you?” he said, “You think you’re gonna get me?!” I was speechless. I have had “encounters” before when people have made derogatory comments in my direction, but they have usually been in passing, usually by someone who has had one pint too many. But this man did not seem intoxicated, he seemed angry. He repeatedly lunged at me while repeating accusations that I was “one of those arabs that did that thing“. When I replied that I was Indian, he retorted, “You got the same f**kin brown skin don’t you, you f**kin c*nt!” At this point I slowly started backtracking as he angrily walked on. The last words he yelled at me, as he thankfully kept on in the opposite direction, were “You better watch yourself. Because I am going to slit your f**kin throat.”