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A Walk On The Wild Side

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4 Walking Down Under At The Nashville Zoo

5 Walking With The Elephants In The Nashville Zoo

This weekend was a special treat for our family. It was Veteran’s Day at the Nashville Zoo. It is a day where the Nashville zoo lets active duty military and veterans and their whole family in to Walk on the Wild Side for free. We traveled there to enjoy the day as a family. There were dads, moms, and children of all ages. I saw grandmas and grandpas with walkers, canes, and wheelchairs. There was such excitement to see the creatures big and small. It was the most crowded I have ever seen it, but it was fun nonetheless.

photo of a Hyacinth Macaw from the grasslands and forests of Brazil at the Nashville Zoo

I am sick, but still, I enjoyed the day at the zoo as I always do. I loved the elephants the most. They remind me of my friends away in Africa, they remind me of everything that they gave up to go there and serve and how much that I miss them.

Image of a Clouded Leopard, Nashville Zoo, Walk on the Wild Side, (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls — Clouded Leopard

This cat was sleeping peacefully. They are found in the Himalayan foothills and down into China. They are so beautiful! Clouded Leopards get between 21 and 50 pounds full grown and live in the rain forests.

Image of a Meerkat (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls Nashville Zoo — Meerkat

Meerkats are so much run to watch play. They are cute little things. There are always lots of children around this enclosure watching their funny antics.

Smiling With The Caiman

Image of a Caimans eye - Photo by RosevineCottageGirls.com (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls — Caiman

This is a caiman and I thought that the eye looked like a marble. Isn’t it pretty? I think the detail of the skin is amazing in the photograph. It just sat just skimming the surface of the water and stared at me while I took the picture. I would not want to run into this in the wild at all. Reminds me of my sister watching the “River Monster” tv show. I think I shall never again go in a river just in case! 🙂

Image of a Caiman Smile at the Nashville Zoo, (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls,

Here is a close up of the toothy smile. Say cheese! That is an American thing I think. For those of you not in the U.S., it is something your mother says when she is taking your picture to get you to smile I think that the idea is that when you say the “ee” part you smile and then mom gets a good picture.

No matter what, I would not want to get this close to this guy, how about you? He looks pretty serious, even though he is smiling!

Image of a caiman. (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Here is one last look at the caiman. I just had to do this one. Look at those eyes and those big teeth.

Image of a Caribbean Flamingo, (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls, Nashville Zoo, Zoo at Grassmere — Flamingo

These flamingos were so pretty. Mrs. Cottage said that when we were little she took us to Sea World for our first and second birthday and that the flamingo was our favorite thing and we cried when we had to leave them.

Ha ha… well I didn’t cry this time, we are all grown up- but I do appreciate their amazing beauty.

Image of two Flamingo, (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls,

Here are some more flamingos. Mrs. Cottage said these ones look like the number 18. Will have to make a birthday card for someone who is 18. If I knew someone that was turning 18! Well, maybe someday I will know someone. 🙂

Hangin’ With The Big Apes

This next lady below is a gibbon. It was climbing and swinging on all of the trees. Her baby was up at the top of the trees about 70′ up in the air. I couldn’t get a good picture of the baby. But she wanted her picture taken, or at least it seemed that way to me.

The Gibbon are from the rain forest of South East Asia

They live up to 40 years and weigh in up to 20 pounds. Gibbon can leap up to 25 feet.

Image of a Snowy Owl, Nashville Zoo, (C) Rosevine Cottage Girls

This gorgeous bird is a snowy owl. Found in arctic regions they are colored for camouflage in their snowy homes.

Image of an Alpaca by RosevineCottageGirls.com — Alpaca

This next picture needs no explanation. I thought he was quite nice to let me snap his photo while he had his lunch.

Image of a turtle at the Nashville Zoo by Rosevinecottagegirls.com

The Galapagos Tortoise can get up to 400 pounds and up to 4 feet. They can live up to 100 years.

Hopping The Australian Way

Image of a kangaroo at the Nashville zoo by rosevinecottagegirls.com

Lovely of this guy (above) to let me snap a photo of him while he ate his lunch.

Next, we have some kangaroo that they said will come up and let you touch them but we came at nap time so they were not in a cuddly mood (sadly) as I would have so loved to hold or touch one. 🙂 This reminded me of our friends in Australia and made us smile. **Hello friends**

Closeup image of a kangaroo by the rosevinecottagegirls.com

Close up image of lizards sitting on rocks by rosevinecottagegirls.com

These guys well, I am not sure what you call them but they are a beautiful color. I just had to get their pictures. See how they pose for the camera. Divas all the way. Just kidding, I have no clue but they didn’t bite me while I looked at them so we are all good.

Image of a Meerkat, by Rosevine Cottage Girls — Meerkat on patrol.

Another meerkat!

Image of two Saddle Billed Stork By RosevineCottageGirls.com — Saddle Billed Stork

These are some Saddle Billed Stork. So, if you see one on your roof with a package… well, you will be able to spot them.

Image of a Cougar, Walk on the Wild Side by Rosevine Cottage Girls, Nashville Zoo — Cougar

This cougar was at the top of the cliff on the rocks sleeping. Shhhhh, don’t wake it. It gets grumpy when you wake it. They get about three feet tall at the shoulder when fully grown and are 5 to 9 feet from head to tail. That is a big cat. They can not roar like a lion but do purr like a house cat.

This is the best photo I could manage of this tiger. Tigers get up to 540 pounds and up to 10 feet long.

Walking Down Under At The Nashville Zoo

Image of a cassuwary by the rosevinecottagegirls.com

This bird is a cassowary. It comes from Northern Australia and New Guinea. It has a funny horn-like thing on the head and beautiful coloring. They live up to 40 years. These are flightless birds and they live in rain forests. I liked the way it looked. These birds can cause serious injury or even death to humans and dogs and are often called the world’s most dangerous bird. They are related to the ostrich, emu, and kiwi.

Photo of fall leaves in yellow and orange by the rosevinecottagegirls.com

The day was beautiful and in the sixties. The leaves were all shades of beautiful, and we couldn’t get enough of the beauty!

Image of a dwarf nigerian goat with brown, black spots on a white goat by rosevinecottagegirls.com

This little goat was so adorable. It looked like it belonged at the cottage and needed to come home with me.

Walking With The Elephants In The Nashville Zoo

This was just amazing and was my favorite part of the day. I just love these guys. So amazing, so powerful!

Isn’t it amazing? Such a beautiful creation!

Image of an elephant walking at the Nashville zoo

It was swinging his trunk back and forth, like it was waving. The light was beautiful and soft and the breeze was blowing. Such a beautiful animal and a great day!