Black Pine 2012

Today was our semi-annual trip to Black Pine Animal Park, a refuge for rescued exotic animals about 45 minutes from us.

I swear this bird called me a "retard".

You tell me who the "retard" is...

Laurie meets and greets another one...

Hi! Nice to meetcha!

Everybody in the reptile house was kinda zombie-like, except this boa who posed.

Black Panther.  She shares a cage with a regular leopard, but my picture didn't come out too good.

A white "red" fox.

Servals love to pose.

Nala the lioness

A lot of tigers, thus a lot of tiger pics.

I'll put up more of 'em later.

Lotsa bears, too.

My name is Trouble.

The sad thing we learned while visiting Trouble and his fellows was that several of them came here from a place we'd visited years ago.  While it didn't seem all that bad when we were there, it had degenerated to the point where either his animals were confiscated or he had to surrender them.  Trouble apparently was given no bedding in the winter, left to nest in his own crap.  "Oh, he'll probably die this winter," the owner apparently said.  "He'll be worth more dead than alive."

Trouble stands up for 1/2 a peanut.

The Grey...  The movie didn't get this part.

I love this capybara!  Here's the one second he wasn't hopping around...

The only Chimpanzee in the state, I am told.

Laurie makes a group of admirers.

Sweet little donkey...

And a mini-horse and a fallow deer.

Isn't he just adorable?

Mustafa the lion...

...flirts with the cougar across the street.

Then came a special treat- the twice-yearly tiger bubble bath!

Alright, where's that tasty little Mr. Bubble?

Today's money shot!

Closest I came to one of their play-fights.

Coati for "Buddy, can you spare a dime?"

"Sigh.  Oh well..."

Afterwards, I said, "you know, all those years working in Kendalville we never went to Bixler Lake."  So today we did.

I have more cool shots I'll share later.  Good night, y'all!