So, a weekend in Calgary. That's why I came here, right?
Actually, the family reunion on Saturday was the excuse for the ride and it was fun. But that was Saturday and what about Sunday?
My brother and sister-in-law took the opportunity to spend the day at the Calgary International Blues Festival. My sister and her family explored downtown. I went to the zoo.
I rode my bike there, using Calgary's bike routes. They are a little different from Vancouver's. For example, along 12th Avenue SW, there was a stop sign every block! In Vancouver, the intersections would have been modified to give the cycle route priority, with traffic calming to prevent the route being taken over by cars since it's parallel to a major street. It also would have been good to have signs on the Bow River Pathway to direct visitors arriving that way to the zoo--especially since its website mentions that the zoo is "conveniently located just off the Bow River Pathway."
I'm not sure how I feel about animals in captivity, but it certainly is a way to see animals from far-away places. Once again, I wished I'd brought a better camera!
In the Land of Lemurs: Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur. They can be nearly 1.2 m long and weigh up to 4 kg. Talk about lightweight climbers!
Tiger training. Youri is a male tiger who has only been at the Calgary Zoo for a few weeks so he is being trained to do things the keepers or veterinarians might require. (Of course, they really want him to make kittens with one of the resident females.) The presenter noted that the zoo had to be evacuated during the 2013 floods so getting the animals to respond to training is important. Youri's attention is firmly on what's in the trainer's bucket.
