Walking With Wildlife

Alright- sit tight with me as I cannot help but gush about my most recent experience with Brevard Zoo. I've been to many zoos throughought my life, but I think Brevard Zoo is the most interactive and photography friendly zoo I have ever been too. Let me set the scene for you.

Emily and I had just recently moved to Brevard County Florida, and we were looking for things to do near our area. We saw some things for Brevard zoo, and decided to check it out. I also decided to bring my camera on a whim as I love capturing the bright colors of nature and animals. And I'm so glad I did!

This zoo is designed to give animals a more natural feeling habitat, and visitors are on boardwalks, ropes courses, kayaks, and platforms far above or walking alongside the animals. Honestly there were few locations where we had to look through a screen or cage, so every single photo I took was crystal clear views of the animals. Due to the large amount of nature the zoo lets grow between the walkways and various habitats, I felt like I was walking through a jungle. Emily and I joked about it, but it may have just been because we watched the movies recently. But we joked that we felt like we were going to suddenly hear music from the Jurassic movies and turn around to see a dinosaur coming for us through the trees and foliage. Some of the plants leaves were larger than me! And I could even step right up to the base and realize how small I was in comparison., so yes I really measured, and yes they were larger than me. And they were EVERYWHERE! I was constantly in awe of the bright and amazing colors surrounding me, some of which I could barely believe were real with their vividness.

Going back to the habitats, I was constantly in awe of how close we got to be to the animals. Giraffes walked straight up to us to eat a snack out of a barrel at the base of our boardwalk, eagles and vultures flew between Emily and I as we walked on the path, and I got to take photos of Macaws that were on eye level with me, only a few feet away, and no wire, mesh or cages between us! I will freely admit that it startled me when the vulture flew directly between Emily and I, but I think I managed to keep my squeals to a minimum ;P

A tiny owl, only a few inches tall captivated me for what felt like hours as he stood on his handler's hand for some socialization. But he didn't care for us humans, he was having a staring contest with the money about six feet behind us. Walking through the zoo we would hear monkey screams and animal calls constantly, sometimes hearing them so close that they felt right behind us, but turning around to only see jungle and wondering where they could be. Some of my favorite moments were walking through some of the enclosures we got to step alongside the animals, while the handlers kept an eye on the trouble makers. Such as the baby cockatoo who liked to pickpocket, and the emu who tries to follow people throughout the zoo. It was

amazing to be walking along the wildlife, and only having animals inches away from my camera. Kangaroos would walk right up to us, birds would try to climb our shoulders, and some would pose for the camera and dancing and sing the moment someone was looking their way.

In the end, I spent over five hours of zoo, and barely even noticed the time passing. I was just so captivated by seeing the lemurs run during feeding time, alligators showing me why I'm afraid of how well they can hide, and hearing the roar of the lions as they play. And to think I haven't even done all that this zoo has to offer. There is an entire ropes and biplane course that goes over all of the habitats of the zoo, and a kayaking trip through the river that flows in many of the animals spaces that I've not even touched yet. I think I could spend many days and visits to this zoo and never grow tired of it. I'll just stand and watch as the animals learn, grow, and have fun while waiting to be released from rehabilitation. Oh did I forget to mention that as well. This zoo is very proud of the fact that they are a rehabilitate and release zoo, meaning they do not keep the animals beyond what they need.

Overall, I hope you enjoy this small selection of some of my favorite photos of the day (which there were certainly a lot to choose from as I took over 800 photos that day). I know I probably have a long way to go on photographing animals, and one day I would love to be able to capture photos of animals out in their natural habitats. But in the mean time I will practice here at the zoo, and enjoy seeing the bright colors of creation and nature.

Note- friends have requested I put this in- some of these photos I am very proud of and think they turned out really well for being my first time capturing the beauty of animals. If you would like a print of any of these photos, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Until next time- stay safe, much love!

Laura