Zoo de la Flèche

We had a few reasons to want to see another zoo.  The "Zoo de la Flèche" is among the top 5 zoos in France.  It also has a weekly series on TV with cases that the vets have to solve.  Whether it's pulling out an eagle's broken feather or assisting in the birth of one of the animals, it's all very interesting and educational.

 

The entry fee is steep, but that's because the money goes towards the care of the animals, education, and helping people build a rapport with the animals which leads to a desire to protect them.You can also be "Keeper for the Day" and follow one of the zoo keepers around, feeding the animals and seeing how things are run behind the scenes.  

The best reason to want to come to this particular zoo is that there are white lions!  And they had two new male cubs in May of this year.  We had never seen a white lion, so this was special.

 

 

 



 

A flamboyance of flamingos.

 

The zoo is set up so that, most of the time, there is glass between us and the animals.  The animals are in open air and it is us who feel like we're on display to the animals!  It's no doubt great for the benefit of the animals since they are not distracted by our noise or our smell, but it makes it very difficult for us to take photos through glass!

 

Ah yes, those beautiful, slinky, slithery, scaly snakes!  Came across boas, rattlers, anacondas...  Karl didn't enjoy this very much since he finds them creepy.

 

 

Lizards and iguanas.

 

The birds are colourful and loud, but difficult to photograph because they hide in the leaves.

 

 

 

Whoops!  Feeling a little tipsy, are we?  Must be that over indulgence of seeds...

 



 

 



 

 

Did you know that giraffes have purple tongues?  The tongue is exposed to the sun a lot when eating on leaves above their heads, so the lack of blood in the tongue may prevent sunburn.  Also, because there is no sensation in the tongue, they can eat plants with sharp thistle-like edges and feel no pain.

 



A lot of the animals are shy and have their backs to us.  That, or they can't see us on the other side so don't realize they should be posing for our cameras!

 

 

 

Monkeys with white faces and shawls. 



An emu.  A face only a mother could love!

Tiger siesta.

 



 



Kangaroos.  The wallabies are close by.

 

 

 

 

Those elusive leopards!  Came back a couple of times to see them and finally got a few good shots.

 





 



Hippos.  When I see their short legs and their funny little tails, I swear they are just big pigs.  Wonder if they're in the same family...  It is said that hippos are one of the most dangerous animals to encounter.

Little meerkats having a snooze.

We attended a bird "spectacle".  It was amazing, but those birds are too fast for my camera.  I got lots of shots of wing tips and tail feathers!

 

 

 

A pod of pelicans.

 

There's absolutely no bird or animal to see in this photo; just a beautiful little waterfall.

 

 

 Chimp pretending it's difficult to balance on a rope.

 

 

 



More monkey business!

Red panda. Maybe had too much rosé...  I mean sun.

 

Rhinos.

 



Did you know that owls can swivel their necks 280 degrees? 

This is a large zoo and a bit confusing to get around.  We got lost a few times, and when someone like Karl is having a difficult time following the map, we know that the map is not the greatest or the zoo hasn't been designed all that well.  At the Bioparc de Doué la Fontaine, we always turned right, no matter where we were, and we didn't miss a thing.

These birds are standing on one leg, "à la Becky"!

Ooooh!  A couple of black panthers roughhousing behind this log.

 

 

Probably my favourite animal - the elephant.  I find them so regal, so patient, solid as a rock.

 

 

 

 

I even like their smell, and it is a powerful musky smell.

Karl loves elephants too!

Bless this wonderful animal who has no qualms with her wrinkles or cellulite.  She's at peace with herself and knows that the important things in life are more than skin deep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

"No matter where life takes you, the place that you stand at any given moment is holy ground. 

Love hard.  And love wide.  And love long.  And You will find the goodness in it."

 

~  Susan Vreeland