If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 712

 

 

 

 

 

 Woodland Park Zoo, Snow Leopard, Aibek

 

This week’s postcard was purchased at the Woodland Park Zoo gift shop and features the male snow leopard named Aibek.  The number 96583-46 is at the lower left corner on the reverse.  No photographer is credited nor is there an information blurb on the card. 

 

Bob and I have a friend who volunteers at the zoo.  She had been showing us pictures of the animals, including the snow leopards.  She said she didn’t have regular days or hours at the zoo but was often there.  We crossed our fingers and chose a sunny day to visit the zoo, hoping that she would be there.  And, she was!  She explained that leopards are solitary in the wild; therefore, Aibek, the male, and his mother, Helen, came out at different times.  While Marai, mate of Aibek, and the 3 cubs came out as a group.  All of the snow leopards are not out at the same time.  We asked if there was a time of day when it was most likely to see the mother and cubs.  She said it was not always at the same time. 

 

When we got to the snow leopard area viewing station, we could barely see Aibek who was sleeping on top of a rock with the sun on his back.  Our friend said she could tell which leopard it was by the pattern of spots on his coat.  The volunteer on duty came over to talk to her and explained that Aibek had been taking a snooze up there for more than an hour and a half.  Just at the moment, Aibek stretched and ambled down from the rock, posing briefly before moving to a less visible area in the enclosure.  We did not get to see the cubs, Lenny, Phillis and Raya, but we will go back another time and hope to see them also. 

 

 

Aibek coming down from the top of the rock where he had been taking a long nap

 

 

Aibek looking right at us

Since 1981 Woodland Park Zoo has been a conservation partner with the Snow Leopard Trust.  The zoo participates in a Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan working with other accredited zoos to ensure a healthy population.  In the wild their native home is in the high mountain ranges of Russia and in countries like Afghanistan, China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, and Pakistan. 

 

For more information about Woodland Park Zoo, see:

https://www.zoo.org/

https://www.zoo.org/snowleopards

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Woodland+park+snow+leopards

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 670

 

 

 

 

 

Grizzly Bears, 2010

 

Here are three unused postcards recently purchased from the Yellowstone Bear World gift shop. This card above was distributed by Great Mountain West Supply of S.L.C., Utah.  The photograph is credited to Roger A. Holcomb.  There is a blurb at the upper left on the reverse: “Yellowstone Bear World Grizzles.  The male and female grizzlies are one of the few breeding pairs in captivity.  Grizzlies are naturally aggressive animals and are carnivores.  Grizzlies have massive bodies and their sense of smell is much more acute than their hearing or sight.  They fear no other animals aside from humans.”

 

The second card is also a product of Great Mountain West Supply of S.L.C., Utah.  The photo was taken by Andies Bear Production.  

 

 

 

Grizzly Bear

 

The blurb at the upper left on the reverse of this card:  “Grizzy bear is a large powerful bear of western North America.  The hump on the shoulder distinguishes them from other bears.  The grizzly bears at Yellowstone Bear World located in Rexburg, Idaho are a highlight of the drive through wild life park.  Their massive bodies, and huge claws on all four paws are truly awesome.”

 

Approximately 30 to 35 bears were in the drive through park.  All of them were free roaming, hence the caution of driving slowly, 2 or 3 mph, no stopping or getting out of the vehicle, and keeping windows rolled up.  The majority of the bears in the park were black bears but we also saw a few grizzlies as well. 

 

 

Grizzly bear in the snow

 

The third card is a product of Yellowstone Forever and features a photograph by Steve Hinch.  The blurb at the upper left on the reverse:  “A frosty grizzly bear frolics in the snow.  Grizzly bears hibernate through the winter, but occasionally will emerge from their dens before spring depending on conditions.  During hibernation bears do not eat or drink, and they recycle their urine and feces.  Once they emerge, they quickly search for food to replace the up to 30% loss of body fat they experienced during their winter’s sleep.”

 

In addition to Bear World we also visited the Bear and Wolf museum in West Yellowstone.  The animals were not caged but were in enclosures, there were some viewing windows and some open-air viewing stations well away from the animals.  This was more like a zoo than the drive through safari experience of Bear World.  There were teams of three bears that were rotated every couple of hours so that no bears got tired of being on display.  The areas were designed to resemble life in the wild as much as possible. 

 

 

One bear was cooling off on a hot day

 

Another bear was wandering around in the enclosure

 The staff member at the wolf exhibit explained that when the wolves came in for a rest the keepers would place animal scent, such as deer and other prey animals, around the enclosure, and place raw meat hidden in the stream, for example, so the wolves would have to hunt for some of their food.  These animals are normally shy of humans and the keepers do not go into the enclosure when the animals are out.  Even so, the staff member said the animals have adjusted to having people look at them through the glass or from the viewing stands, making it impossible to ever reintroduce them back into the wild. 

 

 

This wolf posed for a photo

For additional information, see:

 

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Grizzly-Bear

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear