Aldabra Giant Tortoises and a Travel Tip

On the IUCN Red List

 

 

These huge critters, Aldabra Giant Tortises (Geochelone gigantea) are in captivity.

Usually, I don't like to see wildlife, confined like this. 

But, if it's to save a species from going extinct, I guess it's for a worthy cause.

Here Comes the Travel Advice

 

Don't bring the children along during mating season; these critters are noisy.

It's just during the part where they're reproducing, though.

Once, I was going through a little zoo and, heard all this grunting and groaning. 

Some poor lady was standing nearby with her toddler, holding her hand.

The racket was loud enough for me to hear and, I'm practically deaf.

It seemed like most of the noise was coming from the turtle on the top of the pile.

It was guaranteed, that kid was going to ask mommy, "What are they doing?" 

So, I got embarrassed and, got the heck out of there.

Someday, I'll go back and make a recording of the noises for my audience.

But, not if there's any kids with mommies going through the place.

Learn more about these animals at ARKive

A Peek Inside the Uchinaa Farm in Mabuni Itoman

The Plan Was to Arm Wrestle a Sloth

 

 

A few weeks ago, the Japan Update, informed me about this place.

All excited about a zoo, where you could pet a buffalo and a sloth, I've been aching to go.

Well, things didn't turn out as expected, but, I had some fun, anyway.

 Best Part First

The girl, walking a pony, in front of the horses corral, gave me permission to shoot her.

The sun was still glaring, high overhead but, I liked the background.

This is probably, the best photo, I took all day and, it made me feel a little better.

Itoman Is Over 30 Miles Away

 

 

That, doesn't sound very far, to some folks but, it's too far, for me.

So, I had plenty of time to talk with Doc Graff, as he drove and, we came up with this plan.

If they let kids, pet a sloth maybe, they'd let me, arm wrestle with one.

Then Doc, could snap a picture of me and the critter grunting and groaning, for a blog post.

Some Things Just Don't Turn Out According to Plans

 

 

 This sloth was locked up inside a steel cage and, couldn't come out.

Thinking there must be more sloths not held captive, I looked around the place, for some.

A zookeeper dude, told me, they didn't have anymore; just this one.

The sign, hanging next to the cage, tells you in English and Japanese:

CAUTION: This Sloth Bites !

That, sort of busted my bubble but, I always try to get happy.

So, we would have to find some other critters, to entertain ourselves with.

 A humongous land turtle, was munching on grass, just around the corner.

There were other animals, like rabbits, guinea pigs and racoon, I guess, you could pet.

But, I figured this turtle, would hold still for photographs and, make the best model.

Moving over close to get a nice shot, I sat down next to him.

And, he stuck his tongue out at me.

That's how, I knew it was time to get out of there and, visit the horses.

We probably saw a few dozen creatures today but, the friendly young girls, were the best !

Captivating: Earthquake, Tsunami, Wildlife (Photos)

This owl is behind bars. His crime?  Maybe being cute, unusual or rare.  Human nature got him behind bars. Wildlife in a cage.  For sure, he got a life sentence.  He's in a zoo, not some rehabilitation facility. Location: Somewhere in Okinawa, Japan. Photos taken MAR 13, 2011.


Here is a pretty Peacock.  This critter has more room to move around.  That's probably because of human nature, too. We want to be able to see all those brilliant colors and designs when the feathers are spread.


This bird, in captivity, needs lots more room than that little owl.  Throw plenty of flourescent lights on the peacock and put windows all around the sides of the cage. Now, humans can run and encircle the captive bird, bang on the windowpanes, press their noses to the glass and gawk at some genuine wildlife.

It dawned on me as I was developing these photos, the disasters in Japan, earthquakes and tsunami are captivating audiences, as well.  It's human nature.  People like to gawk at disasters, too.


        Here are a couple of birds stuck in another cage surrounded by glass for people to gawk through.

                      Imagine one of them saying to the other, "Is he still gawking at us"?

                                 "Maybe if we gawk back at him he'll leave us alone".

The devastation, in Japan, from the earthquakes and tsunami is horrible.  It's hundreds of miles away.

Now that I know friends and family closer to the disaster are alive and safe, I don't want to look anymore.

I don't want to blog about it, either.  I hope the worst is over but, it may not be. There may be more devastation waiting for those poor people.  Readers keep asking me what they can do to help. 

My reply is: Wait and let the emergency response folks sort things out.  You have to wait.


Yesterday I got mail from my trusty friend, Rusty as he was departing Narita Airport in Japan.  He said the departure line at his terminal was 1,000 meters long.

People need to be evacuated from some areas.  Rescue personnel, firefighters, divers, search dogs, doctors, police, nurses and engineers from 50 other countries are trying to get into Japan and offer support.

What Japan doesn't need, I can tell you.  They don't need Uncle Bill cleaning out his yard sale collection to send over as a charitable donation.  They don't need some major pharmaceutical company to write off a big donation of drugs with an expiration date of next month.  And they don't need anymore news reporters, cameramen, travel writers or anybody else going after the big story.

No more gawkers.

We need to let those on the scene do their work without clogging up their transportation and logistical systems.  They will ask for help where and when it is needed.

It is human nature to show sympathy and want to help those in distress, I know.  I want to help, too. 

We just have to be patient if we really want to help.  Wait.

There are always a small percentage of people who rub their hands together with glee when these tragedies happen. The scammers, we'll call them.  Be aware before making any type of donation.

Know, for certain, that any contribution you make, material or money, is actually benefiting those in need.

It's nice to think that charities, churches, governments and individuals all pull together for the common good when Mother Nature does these things. 

Is Mother Nature really a female or a dude in disguise ?

Here is something I dug up as a result of folks asking me where they can make donations. 

I won't recommend any particular organization over another. 

I just think you should be familiar with anyone you decide to send support to.

While you're waiting for the earthquakes and tsunamis to to fade into history, until natural disaster strikes again, there's something you could do for me. 

The next time you visit a zoo ask them if they can figure out a way to make virtual critters for everybody to gawk at.  Then, they could turn all the wildlife loose.

Wildlife, I bet, if you leave them in their natural environment (where they belong), they know more about earthquakes and tsunamis than those Seismology folks. Hah !

RELATED POST: EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI FAR FROM OKINAWA, JAPAN

Photography Tip: Manual Focus for the Bird

Manual Focus made this bird’s cage disappear!


Everyone, including yours truly, uses Automatic Focus when taking pictures in their travels. It’s probably one the greatest inventions the camera makers came up with, until digital cameras came along and replaced film. But, there are times that Manual Focus Mode is the only way to go. One example is the Osprey I photographed at the Okinawa City Zoo, in Japan.

I’m a wildlife photographer and forever buying longer and longer lenses, climbing cliffs and trees trying to get a shot of an Osprey that fills the frame of my photo. I’d much rather capture a wild bird in its natural environment than go hunting for the poor things cooped-up in a cage.

Zoos, do serve a purpose. They help educate the public about wildlife and sometimes help save endangered species, so, I applaud their efforts and try to use the photos they allow me to take as educational tools, as well.

This bird is in a cage and if you look closely at the background you may notice the wire mesh behind him. There’s wire mesh in front of him as well, but my camera made it invisible!

How? Manual Focus Mode; if you’re not sure your camera has this capability, check your users manual and you may be able to perform this magic trick, too!

In Auto Focus Mode, your lens is going to focus on the nearest object in its line of sight. In this case, my lens focused sharply on the wire mesh in front of the bird and the Osprey was just a blur in the background. I was whistling and talking to him to get a great bird portrait and he was cooperating, just my lens wasn’t going along with the program.

So, I switched to Manual Focus, twisted the lens by hand and moved my body around while focusing, until the cage disappeared.

There are plenty other occasions where Manual Mode becomes a necessity, even though I use Auto Focus most of the time. Wherever in the world you go, when you are at any spectator event, whether its sports, concerts, or festivals, people moving around close to your camera will drive Auto Focus wild.

Just switch to Manual Focus, get your subject in the sharpest view you can and ignore the crowds. They’re ignoring you, aren’t they?

Some cameras which do not have Manual Focus capability do have something to compensate for the “moving-crowds” problem and it’s called different names depending on the manufacturer. If you have Auto Focus only, check to see if there is a selection of types you have available, if there’s more than one, you probably have a One Shot Auto Focus and a Continuous Auto Focus to choose from.

Select the One Shot Focus when there is movement around your subject, and once you press the shutter button halfway, the Auto Focus will stay locked until you take the picture.

Use the Continuous Focus when shooting a moving subject or using 3-5 shot Burst Mode and you can catch birds in flight or sports events by freezing the action, it’s the mode my camera stays in most of the time when I’m out in the wild looking for birds. But, if I get a bird to stay still and pose for me, Manual Focus is the only way to go.

In future Photography Tips, I’ll give more examples of shots where Manual Mode is best utilized.