dragoness_e | Audubon Zoo trip, part 6

Audubon Zoo trip, part 1
Audubon Zoo trip, part 2
Audubon Zoo trip, part 3
Audubon Zoo trip, part 4
Audubon Zoo trip, part 5

And now, more turtles, the petting zoo, and other characters in the hands-on section.

Just about every body of water in the zoo except possibly the tigers' moat has turtles living in it. Here are some...

Turtles (probably red-ear)

Close-up, Red-ear Turtle

These guys are along the Nature Walk, a little educational trail with volunteers showing off some of the smaller, friendlier animals where the kids (and adults) can actually touch them and see them up close.

Adorable Hedgehog

Shy Hedgehog is Shy

Tortoise is making a run for it!

One small child started getting scared, telling his daddy that the tortoise was coming after him...

Escapee nabbed!

Note that some of the zoo volunteers are quite young.

Macaws

Blue and Gold Macaw

I found that you move a large macaw by putting a stick under its feet that it hops on, and then carry the stick away with the macaw on it--and fingers well out of range. This macaw started squawking loudly when he realized he was being moved. I guess he liked it where he was, thank you.

Blue and Gold Macaw being moved

We also have a petting zoo, with rare breeds of domestic animals for the kids to walk up and pet. Or not; one very small child screamed when his daddy offered to put him down so he could pet the little goats.

This donkey was labeled 'Miniature donkey', but it looked very much like the Jerusalem donkeys we had running feral on Diego Garcia.

Miniature donkey

The goats are Nigerian Dwarf Goats, and are adorable. They will also eat your shoelaces if you let them.

This goat kid has found a comfortable spot near the food...