Tag Archives: Cougar mountain zoo

Macaws of Different Colors

The Macaw is a bird that really looks like it has been created for our amusement.  The bright colors and personality of the birds combined with their intelligence makes them instantly attractive.  We can forget for a while that they are the way they are because they are adapted for the environment in which they live (by which I don’t mean a zoo).

We saw a few of them at Cougar Mountain Zoo.  Some of them were out on perches in the zoo grounds.  A few were brought up to a stage to demonstrate their intelligence and dexterity.  They really are a quite amazing bird.  While it is easy to be impressed by their capabilities, you don’t ever forget how amazing they look.  The vivid colors and the fascinating shape make it easy to just spend time watching them.  What a fantastic creature.

Are Baby Reindeer Cute?

There is a school of thought that baby animals are a lot cuter than the fully-grown versions.  I guess cuteness is in the eye of the beholder so there may be some that find reindeer to be cute.  They are fine as far as I am concerned but probably not the cutest animal there is.  This herd had a number of babies (anyone know the name for a baby reindeer?) and some of them were more adventurous sniffing their way around the enclosure although the mother was never too far away.  They did look pretty sweet as the walked around the place, occasionally looking a little unsteady but generally showing that skill of instantly being mobile that humans clearly lack.

Tigers Being Tigers

There are four tigers at Cougar Mountain Zoo.  They are in two pairs and they move them between enclosures to give them some variety in their surroundings.  They were pretty active compared to tigers I have seen in other places.  They spent a lot of time checking out where they were.  Of course, being cats, they also enjoyed lying around for some of the time.  The staff also did a demonstration with them when they showed how they carry out physical examinations for the cats when necessary.

The tigers would come up to the fence and would stand up on their hind legs with their paws up on the fencing.  This allows the staff to CA them out from the safety of being behind the fence.  It is a good opportunity to realize just how big a tiger really is.  Those paws are something and, if you were in there with them, you can see how easily they would dispatch you!

The Alpha Wolf Even Looks Like He’s the Boss

The small pack of wolves at Cougar Mountain Zoo were quite something to watch.  They had a variety of territories in their enclosure and they moved between them frequently.  They did patrol the area near the visitors to keep tabs on what was going on.  There was a very distinct hierarchy in the pack.  The alpha male was very obvious.  A number of them seemed to be at a secondary level and one seemed to be the most passive in the group, often staying away from rest.  He didn’t seem to have any problems but did not get in the way of the others.

The alpha was a great looking wolf.  When compared to the others, there was even something about the face that made you know he was in charge.  He had a look that suggested he was constantly assessing things.  It is easy to project human emotions on to animals but something about this guy made you think that he didn’t have time for the fun stuff and he was always on guard.  He looked great.

Cougar Mountain Zoo

Cougar Mountain Zoo is a small zoo located on the east side of Lake Washington in an area named, wait for it, Cougar Mountain.  While it is not a big facility, it does have an interesting variety of creatures in nice habitats and we ended up spending a lot more time there than we thought would be the case.  I shall have a variety of creatures to share in some upcoming posts but, given the name of the location and the zoo, it would be churlish to start with any other than the cougars.

They have an enclosure that is one of the first things you come across when you enter.  However, they are not always terribly keen on showing off.  When we first got there, one of them was lying deep within a small cave and didn’t seem interested in coming out.  However, over time they did stretch their legs and come to check things out.  Two things really got their attention.  One was they knew some feeding was coming soon so they were alert for where the food would ultimately be coming from.  The other was some small children that ran around.  The cats were eying the kids intently.  I assume, if the fencing hadn’t been there, some tasty snacks would have been had by these guys.

Big cats do looks very cool I think.  When they are taking it easy, they still look like they are in control and when they get active, you do feel that they could take care of anything that comes their way.  The cougar has an intense looking face too.  More to come from this place in some upcoming posts.