Ten animals I saw at Henry Vilas Zoo last Saturday:
- Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
- African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas)
- White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
- Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Geochelone gigantea)
- Eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus)
- Black swan (Cygnus atratus)
- Reeve's Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi)
- Prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)
- Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela)
- Black Bear (Ursus americansus)
Last Saturday, September 4, I visited Henry Vilas Zoo here in Madison with my friends Scott and Stephanie. It's not large, and it can't compare to someplace like the San Diego Zoo, I thought it was a very respectable small zoo, and we all had a good time. How can you not when you can get your picture taken with a bear?
OK, this is arguably not a real bear. There's an art exhibit going on in the zoo through the end of September: the Art Zoobilee, a collection of animal sculptures designed and created by local artists. The one I'm posing next to is called Bo the Basketball Bear. It was created by Dan Gardiner and sponsored by Jack and Sarah Salzwedel. You can see some of the other sculptures and some of the animals named above in the photos I posted over on Facebook.