An Outing on the Wild Side - continued

This is Clark, the resident cougar at Wildlife Images. He is not tame and you would not want to be stuck in the same cage with him!

Clark lives in a very large open enclosure which fronts a small landscaped area where keepers would bring other mammals for showing to the photographers. Clark was extremely interested in Nub, the American badger. ("Mmmm, just my size. He'd make a lovely supper...")





Here is a shot of Nub, doing what he'd prefer to do all the time: root around in the foliage and dirt. (He was named Nub because his tail is shorter than usual.)

We also were able to see the bear enclosures. One one side are the Grizzly Bears. They are absolutely gigantic - monumental - especially when they rear up, putting on a show for spectators as a way to elicit food. I never got a decent shot of the bears, so I don't show them here. But one day I'll get one.


A Eurasian Lynx stands on the tree log here. He is definitely bonded strongly to his keeper. His name is Nikki. This photo was taken last fall. Since that time, he has developed an irreverisble kidney disease that will eventually claim his life. (It seems it was inherited through his line.) Now he spends much of his time in his cage, but when his keeper approaches him, you can hear Nikki's unbelievably loud purring many feet away. He's quite beautiful. He may act like an overgrown pussycat with his keeper, but he's still wild.


Last, but never least: a Timber Wolf. There are three at Wildlife Images, and all of them beautiful animals with quite different personalities. This is the alpha male.



I hope you've enjoyed just a little of the wildness that still exists here. It's quite an experience to see it so close and to also realize how fragile the world environment is for most wild creatures.