DebitNM

I spent an afternoon at the wonderful Houston Zoo 2 weeks ago. It was a glorious day, sunny and mild temperatures. Very few visitors and I was alone so I could take all the time I wanted to linger at my favorite spots.

I was walking near the reflecting pond and as I turned my head, what should I happen upon but a cheetah and an Anatolian Shepard [dog] out for a stroll!! I almost fell over.

They were each on a little dog leash and walking along with 2 handlers/keepers each. They looked like they didn't have a care in the world.

I managed to snap some pictures of them, along with a few other favorites.

Please take a minute to see pictures --

http://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/HoustonZoo

and to also read about this wonderful mixing of animal habitats.

www.houstonzoo.org/cheetahs

I feel really fortunate to have seen this very rare occurance. I spoke at some length with the handler and was told that they almost never take them outside of their enclosure for walks when the public was in attendance. They did it that day because there were so few visitors.

Deb

jcb

How neat!! Thanks for sharing

dfr4848

Yes, thanks Deb. You're still teaching me a few things about my hometown I didn't know.

FainaAgain

Wow, Deb, you have a great eye for photography! Not only having fun, but also creating great-looking memories.

I am an adult, still love it when at any place they bring animals out!

ElendilPickle

Wow, that is incredible! Thanks for posting your pictures, Deb.

Lee Ann

bkluvsNola

I was at the Houston Zoo at Thanksgiving, visiting relatives. It was a rare cool day in Houston (65), so the animals were all over the place. Got to see the bobcats, lions, tigers, panthers, etc... run around the cage.

Only negative was the outside amphibians/reptiles were slow and sluggish, which is expected in cool weather.

Zoo was still jam packed, but it was the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

sarge56

debitnm, nice pics. I love the Houston Zoo, and the Hermann Park setting doesn't hurt, either!

I remember my first trip there with my then-4 yr old and 1-yr-old daughters and their 65-yr-old great grandmother. After two hours, I was draggin' and the kids and great-grandma were running around like, well... excited kids! She was one tough broad, and I miss her.

We still love zoos.

Centralparkgirl

Thanks Deb - great shots. Why does the elephant's tusks look cut off?

LoveItaly

Hi centralparkgirl, one of the photos state that it was to prevent injury to the keepers, females and the bull himself.

Centralparkgirl

LoveItaly - lol - you know what time it is in NY? I guess I don't read so well on the internet after 1am! I do think that it's kind of sad that they had to do that - just so the elephant could live in captivity. It takes away from the natural state and beauty of the animal, imo.

Have a wonderful holiday too!

volcanogirl

Great pictures; the Houston zoo has come so far in recent years. It used to be just animals in small cages when I was a kid, and now they have some neat natural habitats and wide open spaces. I'm glad you had fun!

swisshiker

Hi Deb,
Great photos. Seeing a cheetah on a leash, what a treat!

We also love the Houston Zoo, and especially when the crowds are low and temperatures are cooler.

This past summer while in Basel, we were walking to their zoo. We stopped at a signal to cross the street, and coming in the opposite direction were 4 llamas on leashes. Big ole llamas, just out for a stroll with their handlers.

Hope all is well with you.

DebitNM

I thought that the sawed off tusks were sad too, but the keeper also said that in the wild, when the bulls fight, the tusks -while being needed for defense- can get broken, yanked etc. which sounds a lot more painful than getting a trim. Kind of like a tuskicure.

Thai, the bull, seemed no less for having his tusks clipped. All 7000 pounds of his 43 year old self!
Deb

Centralparkgirl

tuskicure - LOL

btw - on the property where ds lives in NM, there were 3 llamas. Well, two had babies and now he has 5 tall neighbors!

spirobulldog

The do a dog and cheetah at San Diego Zoo. We saw it when we were there, and there is a segment about it on the travel channel. I believe they started them out at a very young age. It makes the cheetah much calmer when around people.

spirobulldog

I am not very familiar with that breed of shephard, but I would bet that the dog in the photo definately has some mastiff in it.

DebitNM

Actually, the dog is purebred and has a 6000 year history.


"The Anatolian Shepherd is native to Asia Minor. It protects flocks and serves as a shepherd's companion. On the high Anatolian Plateau, where summers are hot and very dry and winters are cold, the Anatolian Shepherd Dogs live outside all year round. For centuries the ancestors of the Anatolian Shepherd were used as a combat dog in war and for hunting. It was particularly valued for the victorious battles it could fight with wolves. As a sheepdog, it was bothered by neither fatigue nor bad weather. Today it is still used as a sheep dog as well as a guard dog. The Anatolian Shepherd is very closely related to the Kangal Dog and some people even declare all Turkish shepherd's i.e. the Kangal Dog, to be one breed, the Anatolian Shepherd, however the true Turkish Kangal Dogs are said to be a separate breed from the generic Turkish shepherd's dog. The isolated historical conditions of the Sivas-Kangal region has resulted in the development of the Kangal Dog as a distinct breed, which has been declared the National Dog of Turkey and a national treasure. The true Turkish Kangal Dogs are first and foremost still primarily working shepherds. The export of pure Kangal Dogs from Turkey has been controlled and now is virtually forbidden. The Kangal Dog Club of America continues to work to ease import restrictions. Imported dogs are considered to be extremely valuable for their potential contribution to the genetic pool in the United States."

for info: http://www.asdca.org/

Deb

spirobulldog

Don't know who decided to put the breed in AKC in 2000, but that is a mistake. Whatever working abilities the breed had will be lost. I have american bulldogs, by the way. These are still a true working breed in a few areas. Sadly, they are shown a lot as well. Nothing wrong with confrmation, as long as working dogs can still do the job they are bred for. They do remind me of mastiff, especially the older photos. looks like a mastiff shephard.