Utah's Hogle Zoo

During my birthday week, my husband took me to the zoo because I'd been dying to go to one. I haven't been to a zoo since I was 13 maybe and I don't have any memory of it. So it was more or less like going for the first time. I felt like a child all over again :)

On a Saturday morning, we took off to Salt Lake City to visit the zoo. Excuse me for the washed out picture. My camera dies on me when it's too sunny. The entry ticket costs $12.97 for adults and less for seniors and kids.

Western Lowland Gorilla

African Elephant

Our first stop was the African Elephant. There was just one hanging out and someone said that this was the oldest elephant in North America at present. Next we went to see the great apes. There were a bunch of gorillas hanging out together in a tight room. Kinda felt bad for them for being stuck in a room like that, however all the rooms were interconnected with high trees and branches for them to hang on to. The picture of the gorilla above was clicked a few seconds before he got up, roared so loud that the glass walls vibrated and banged his chest the way they do in movies :p I thought it was pretty exciting. He was definitely not happy though.

Here is a picture of Ankit and me, posing outside the African Lodge

River Otter

On our way further into the zoo, we saw a lot of different types of monkeys in the primate forest. Next to the elephant were the rhinos. I have a picture of them but it's taking forever to load (so skip that). Then we headed to see the river otters. This otter here had been swimming the water for a while before it came out to dry itself. It was impossible to click a picture of it in the water because it kept swimming away so fast. 

Sea Lion

    Further in, we saw a lot of people crowding around a pool. There was a demonstration going on about how seals and sea lions are cared for and fed. Here is a picture of a sea lion whose teeth were being brushed and it was being fed. It was quite nice how it cooperated. Seemed like a very nice sea lion to me. With it's head up to eat fish, it was as tall as the person feeding it. It was very well-trained.

Polar Bear

Grizzly Bear

Then next stop was to the Rocky Shores, where we saw three different types of bears. I spent forever looking for the polar bear in the water, when I realized it was sitting out, soaking up the sun. It's still not as white in color as I thought polar bears were supposed to be. Behind the polar bear, was a grizzly bear sitting quietly, staring at all the people who passed it by. It sat quite still. We saw two black bears, too, but they walked far off before I could take another picture.

Siamese Crocodile

When we reached this crocodile, it was just laying still. The moment we started to put the cameras up to click pictures, it opened its mouth wide open. Such a show-off, I tell you.

Grey Wolf

Siberian Tigers

I met this fellow (wolf) in Yellowstone. It seemed really angry. It kept pacing back and forth, looking really pissed off. It probably wants to get out.

The tigers were all sleepy.

King Vulture

Golden Eagle

This was the best part of the zoo, I believe -- The Wildlife Theater. It was a birds show with different types of well-trained birds. There was a talking parrot and birds who did exactly what they were told. Such smart animals. I was amazed at how they were so efficient at following instructions. They flew over the audience, stopped where they were supposed to, let people take pictures, flew again from one place to another. Birds ranging from eagles, owls, vultures, hens, cockatoos, doves, etc..

Cockatoo

There was a whole section of reptiles and birds with all the different types of species that you could think of. Some were beautiful, some were scary, and some very interesting. I saw a black swan, too! I could go on forever writing about all the different animals we encountered. The Hogle Zoo is not very huge, but it is nice enough to spend 3-4 hours without tiring yourself out. There were lots of places to eat and drink in all locations of the zoo with some rides for kids, as well. 

The last picture I want to put up before ending this blog is a picture of giraffes. This was the first time I saw giraffes in my life. They are TALL! :p But beautiful animals :)

Giraffe

Well, this brings an end to another adventure for us. Hope you enjoyed it.

If you have not been to Utah's Hogle Zoo, you should plan on it :)
Address:
2600 Sunnyside Avenue (840 South)
Salt Lake City, UT 84108