The aquarium of the Frankfurt zoo is a world of its own - especially recommended on rainy days when other animals retreat to their stables…

As this animal was very busy excavating items hidden under Trojan soil and inspecting the cravices of the ancient walls, we called it Heinrich after German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.

a Prehensile-tailed porcupine or coendou at the Frankfurt Zoo

There were quite a few puppies in this shop in Himeji, near the famous castle, every one in its own small plastic box, looking outside.
Of course I wish that every one finds a nice home and a good owner, but isn’t it a pity that such shops can make money this way?

Seen in Kamakuras Haze Dera temple.

A stork sitting in the dunes at Nida (Lithuania)

Skansen is a museum village right in the centre of Stockholm showing many wooden buildings from Sweden.
It also has a nice zoo with domestic animals including elk and bears.
This young elk obviously still had some problems to coordinate 4 long legs…

I spotted this nice fellow under a bridge crossing a small rivulet near the hotel.
As this was the mouth of the small river, and the water presumably quite brackish, I guess that this was a crocodile rather than a caiman, but I’m by no means sure.
Maybe someone more knowledgeable can enlighten me?
Actually, the way this animal looked was quite “cute”, and neither of us seemed to be scared although we were only a few meters away from each other…

Seen in Addo Elephant park, South Africa.

This fellow is hoping for carrots and you actually can see a few deep inside the hippos mouth.
The teeth are quite impressive, and fortunately you cannot smell the animal’s breath…

The Suricates or Meerkats (German: “Erdmännchen”) are everybody’s darlings…

The Marabou Stork may not be among nature’s most beautiful photo models, but it’s fascinating to watch and seems to be quite intelligent…

A nice day to relax on the lawn…

I took all these photos (and many more) at the Opel Zoo in Kronberg, not too far away from Frankfurt (Germany).

Here you can see the typical small tuft of black hair on the ears of the lynx.
This is easily the biggest cat species in central Europe and a very impressive sight.

Another typical feature of the Lynx is its short, stubby tail.
Again, these pictures were taken at the “Fasanerie” in Wiesbaden, Germany.

The “Fasanerie” in Wiesbaden is home to animals that used to live in the region such as the Wisent (a form of buffalo), wolves and even some bears.

more photos taken at the “Fasanerie”, Wiesbaden: racoon, young foxes.
more photos from Wiesbaden at A Photo a Day.
I also have a special site only showing photos from Wiesbaden.
More about Wiesbaden:
Official website of the city
The salient facts at Wikipedia.

A monkey right outside the Dambulla (Sri Lanka) caves.
Looks like he might have been the role model for Mr. Spock?

Hanging your rucksack from a tree may offer a certain protection against other species, however, the Capuchin monkeys are not easily deterred, especially if they know there are fruits to be found.
Actually, a few minutes later when nobody was looking, a colleague of the monkey in the picture retrieved a shopping bag full of fruit from another traveller and disappeared with it in a high tree.
Seen on a Costa Rica beach.

It seemed as though the sheep (unlike tourists) would not really like to wander within the ring. Cosmic energy? Training? Or do they just perceive the stones a sort of solid barrier?

Hungry Prisoner, originally uploaded by laurenz.

A racoon in Wiesbaden’s “Fasanerie” is begging for food.

Who’s that?, originally uploaded by laurenz.

no idea what type of bug this is - but it sure is sitting on a beautiful lotos seed pod in a Fukuoka temple.

Seagull, originally uploaded by laurenz.

highly recommended: a boat trip on a beautiful day near Otaru (Hokkaido).
Otaru itself is a pleasant enough city, but the colourful harbour is a photographer’s paradise.
One of the attractions aboard are the seagulls which are attracted by crumbs of bread thrown into the air by some passengers.

A dove sitting on a tree in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Minolta Dynax 7d, Tokina 80-400mm lens.

Today, I visited the “Fasanerie” a small zoo in Wiesbaden specialising in local animals.
There now are many young animals, but especially the young foxes were everybody’s darlings.

Goose Family, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Mother goose with her young. A moment later, they all would get under a her right wing!

Turtle head, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Shot with a tele lens in the botanical gardens of Puerto de la Cruz (tenerife, Spain).

Yesterday, I visited Loro Parque - a zoo that once specialised in parrots but now also has a huge penguin area and a spectacular dolphin show.
Beautiful and a good choice if one can’t be too sure about the weather.

A white llama and a black dog are looking into the Colca Canyon (near Arequipa).

When I was in Galway (Ireland), I was lucky enough to see this scene - and have my cameras ready…

Cropped Wasp, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a macro shot of a wasp taken in Wiesbaden Schierstein with my tiny Lumix FX8.

A striped shiel bug sitting on a flower. Seen on a walk in Wiesbaden-Schierstein.
The scientific name of the animal: Graphosoma lineatum.
Incredible that it is possible to hand-hold such a shot with a tiny camera like the Lumix FX8…

Reindeer in the Cairngorms National Park

I have seen all sorts of squirrels in parks, but the chipmunks in Agra and other Indian cities were not the least shy.

I never came across as many sleepy animals in one country! Could it be that there’s something in the air? Just a few shots, - I’ve got more…

Sleeping Wombat in a private zoo near Melbourne

Kangaroo in a private zoo near Melbourne

Sleeping (?) frog in the Sydney Aquarium

I saw this bird near Cape Town - if anyone knows the name, please tell me!

I saw this fox in Patagonia, Chile.

Looks as though the llamas had something interesting to talk about…
By the way: I just uploaded 30 pictures from Machu Picchu to my galleries

Couldn’t really see the tail…

Baby hippo in the Frankfurt (Germany) Zoo.

12 years ago, in 1992, I visited the Pinnawela elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka.
Now, rescanning some images from Sri Lanka brought back some very fond memories!
Pinnawela elephant orphanage is a truly unique institution that raises motherless young elephants.
Of course, there now also are many growm-up elepjants at Pinnawela and it is a special experience to see all the big and small elephants take a bath in the nearby river..
The “stars” of the orphanage are the baby elephants however, who already wait for their bottle(s) of milk and the special treat, a sweet rice ball.


Read about Pinnawela elephant orphanage at the Absolut Elephant
I was glad to read that Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage will not only be maintained but even upgraded.
Also, I was quite surprised to read how the dung produced bythe elephants helps to finance the Pinnawela orphanage - in the form of business cards!

Very quiet: dromedaries are waiting for tourists.

Llamas in the Altiplano, Chile.

Seen in Agia Triáda, Akrotiri, Crete.

Small monkey in a tree. Looks cute? Yes, but I saw one of those guys steal a whole bag full of tropical fruit from another traveler, so beware…

Parrots in the “Garden of the Groves”, Grand Bahama.