Totem Pilgrimage (Mobile Zoo pics and video - Image Heavy)
May 10, 2012 - 11:15pm — quadraptor
Four years ago I traveled to Mobile Zoo, where I met an incredibly friendly mule deer who followed me around. But there were others there who I enjoyed seeing, including some highland coo, warthogs, and red deer.
Back then, I still hated tigers for the wrong reasons, and of course they have tigers there.
I've decided to go to the Zoo again, so I could look the tiger in the eyes, so I can face my fear...maybe so I can get some answers from one of my shadow totems.
This trip is both to face my fear as well as to visit my guide. In a way, this trip will be much like a personal pilgrimage for me, since I know quite a bit about totems and spirit guides.
The trip was sooooo worth it! I was sad to see they don't have the mule deer there anymore, but the red deer were friendly this time, and I got some pretty funny pictures as well as some video.
Got to see my tiger, I spoke with him a bit. He gave me a low growl, but I think it was non-threatening. Maybe he was telling me just not to worry so much.
I will tell you, aside from the deer, the bears were my favorite this time! They have these PVC pipe tubes that run from where you're at to inside the pen, and they're there for you to drop peanuts in for the animals. Wait til you see what the bears did, they were so smart!
They also had a really cool chimpanzee named Joe there who literally used a piece of bamboo to rake peanuts closer to him. I felt bad that they didn't put one of the PVC pipes there for him so he had to work a bit to get his peanuts. I kept trying to toss the peanuts into his pen but they kept bouncing on the fence and landing in the 'safety' area in between, so he used the stick to pull the peanuts closer to him. I gotta tell you, he was incredibly smart!
So here are the pictures, followed by the video. I didn't add captions but later I may.
Alright are you guys ready for the best picture I took today?
I somehow always tend to get animals making funny faces at just the right moment...
Ready?
What a face! XD
I will apologize in advance for how dorky I am in the video...I keep asking the deer if they'll bow for me, and eventually one of them does!
"Are you nose wiggling at me? You know I've got a dachshund that does that."
And finally, at long last, a deer bows to me
So all in all, my spirit pilgrimage was a success. I spoke with my shadow totem, the tiger, as well as had some pretty funny moments with my spirit guides, the deer. I got to make some new friends with the bears as well as visit some old ones as well.
Lastly, I wanted to send a prayer to my old friend the Mule Deer. I hope wherever he is, whether he is alive or dead, that he is happy and has found peace and love.
XD well it's a small place kind of 'out in the middle of nowhere', you literally drive into a neighborhood and it's down a dirt path from there. My only complaint is that they still have a 'Cowboy' theme to it...it's a little creepy honestly, i mean the first area you walk into is a corridor with a bunch of caged birds, and they've got spokes and saddles and a cutout of a cowboy standing there. I swear I thought he was real when I walked in.
Last time there was a 'hiking trail' that led to some old house that had fallen apart, and they put a western theme out there too, putting a fake tombstone hill on the opposite side. This time I never saw that walkway, in fact I saw a lot of "keep out" signs for the private area.
The way to go can be a little confusing at this place, you kind of have to hike a little to get from, say, the area with the tigers and primates to the area with the deer and hogs. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it could use a little work.
Anyway, it was great getting to go again, and was a beautiful day for it too. Glad the red deer were so friendly this time, last time they stayed under that covered area the entire time.
I sadly didn't see the quails there, they could have been hidden. But yeah the sound was nice to hear, quite different than what we usually hear in this part of Alabama honestly.
The peacocks were really noisy there! Every few minutes one would start calling out. It was funny watching them pick apart a peanut too, they do this really funny grab-and-shake thing, almost like they were drilling into the shell.
You're so lucky to be able to get that close to those animals, wow.. I am absolutely green with envy xD; I'm sure some people would argue that their enclosures aren't all fancy, but looking at them I can't see any of them looking uncomfortable, especially the big cats! They look so happy xDD
Aren't deer such strange looking animals? I'm so used to just looking at pictures, so seeing a video of them that close up, it's like "whoa, that thing must be an alien or something."
Also that tiger is absolutely gorgeous.
These pictures are great! I especially love the boar and the burros, b'awwww.
And the durrs of course tee hee
Wow, what a tiger. I've seen a couple of tigers in zoos but they've never had coats as filled out as this guy. Not that they were skinny, but that their fur didn't seem as full.
Haha yeah these were the ones with the same kind of eyes like goats. Doesn't bother me at all, I love goats too XD! I will say it is surprising how similar they look to my dachshund!
I'm convinced that either deer are really big dachshunds or Brandy is really a little deer.
Oh, I litterally squeed at
XD well it's a small place
Last time there was a 'hiking trail' that led to some old house that had fallen apart, and they put a western theme out there too, putting a fake tombstone hill on the opposite side. This time I never saw that walkway, in fact I saw a lot of "keep out" signs for the private area.
The way to go can be a little confusing at this place, you kind of have to hike a little to get from, say, the area with the tigers and primates to the area with the deer and hogs. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it could use a little work.
Anyway, it was great getting to go again, and was a beautiful day for it too. Glad the red deer were so friendly this time, last time they stayed under that covered area the entire time.
Aminaaaaaaaaals 8D It was so
I sadly didn't see the quails
The peacocks were really noisy there! Every few minutes one would start calling out. It was funny watching them pick apart a peanut too, they do this really funny grab-and-shake thing, almost like they were drilling into the shell.
You're so lucky to be able to
Aren't deer such strange looking animals? I'm so used to just looking at pictures, so seeing a video of them that close up, it's like "whoa, that thing must be an alien or something."
Also that tiger is absolutely gorgeous.
These pictures are great! I
And the durrs of course
Wow, what a tiger. I've seen a couple of tigers in zoos but they've never had coats as filled out as this guy. Not that they were skinny, but that their fur didn't seem as full.
Haha yeah these were the ones
I'm convinced that either deer are really big dachshunds or Brandy is really a little deer.
I think you're onto something
XD I should teach Brandy to
It's a shame Vee isn't still here, I bet she would have loved to see these pics and video since she liked red deer so much.
LOVE THIS SO MUCH
~ C.S. Lewis
Lol I love the videos! Gawd
And honey you should see me in a crown.