On our recent trip we made a stop in Kamloops to visit Shelley's niece. And not surprisingly (for us) we went to the wildlife park. There are wildlife photographers that I really admire that only photograph wild animals. I wish I could say the same, but unfortunately I wouldn't get to photograph most of these animals if it wasn't for zoos.
One of the stars of the park is Clover, a white Kermode or spirit bear. These are actually black bears, which, despite their name, come in a range of colors from white to brown to black. The white Kermode form is from a recessive gene. (They are not albino.)
At first Clover was sitting beside a tree, partly hidden. We watched for a while and were about to leave when he got up and ambled directly toward us. When he reached the fence near us he took one good sniff and then headed off in a different direction. People probably aren't a very interesting smell to a bear in a zoo. I took some photos but it's difficult shooting through chain link fence.
It was a hot day and he ambled over to his pond and sat down in the water to cool off. This was better for photography because there was glass to look through (albeit dirty). But he just sat in the water with his back to us. We started to leave once more but then he started to roll around on his back in the water so I went back and took more photos (like the one at the top).
I think whoever gave this llama its haircut had a sense of humor!
I did photograph some unofficial "wild" residents of the park, including insects, birds, and marmots.
As soon as I got close this raven flew over to inspect me. Because it was so hot many of the birds had their mouths open "panting" to cool off. (Birds don't sweat.)
There were peacocks roaming around the park. I love their bright colors!
We walked up the hill behind the park to a small waterfall for a cool shady break from the heat.
If you're in the area and like this kind of thing I'd definitely recommend the Kamloops Wildlife Park.
See all 19 photos as a slideshow or overview
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