Teton Trek at the Memphis Zoo

Franz, Robert
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Early on this beautiful, glorious day, I donned my new black Keds tennis shoes, jeans and blouse that my daughter gave me for my birthday, grabbed my new camera which was a birthday gift from my son, snatched my sunglasses and jumped in the car for our new zoo adventure.

Photo by Sylvestermouse

Let me tell you, this place is breathtaking! The entrance to Teton Trek is through this huge lodge. The entire area is surrounded by magnificent trees and there is a water fountain in front of the lodge were several people were wading.

This is the perfect setting for Grizzly Bears and Grey Wolves. I was so excited to see the animals, that I practically ran through the lodge when we first got there, but I did go back in hours later and explore. The picture on the right is actually the last picture I took that day at Teton Trek.

Even now, I find myself wanting to skip over writing about the gorgeous lodge and get right to the babies on exhibit, but I will try to contain myself long enough to describe the inside of the lodge.

It is a two level structure with second level decks on both the front and the back of the building where chairs have been placed so you can sit and watch the animals from afar. There were a lot of Moms with their small children on the deck facing the Bear exhibit. I didn't blame them. It is a nice, shaded area out of harms way where they can rest and watch both the children and the animals at the same time.

Downstairs, there are tables and chairs sitting around the vast, open area. This would make a great meeting room or party area. There are also indoor restrooms in this lodge. A necessity when you spend the whole day hangin' with the Grizzly Bear.

WOW!!!

Step outside the lodge and the first thing you see is a expansive enclosure with a beautiful waterfall. The entire area has been designed to replicate a wilderness most of us would not traverse without a ton of provisions.

Photo by Sylvestermouse

The entire Bear exhibit area is surrounded by a paved walking path. On the outer side of the path, are additional animal exhibits. Since we were there the first week, some of the animals, like the elk, had not arrived so their new homes set empty ready and waiting for their future inhabitants.

Photo by Sylvestermouse

The Trumpeter Swan and the Crane were already in residence by their pond. There were also a few ducks and a lot of area birds filled the trees.

I have always loved wolves. They have such an intelligent look and they often seem to be trying to communicate something. The Grey Wolves at the Memphis Zoo appeared to be like playful dogs. One was busy tearing up the new square of sod while two others were busy fighting over a stick. But I was not fooled. They knew we were there. Take a look at my pictures and tell me they weren't posing for the camera.

Photo by Sylvestermouse

These are the little guys I had to see and they were definitely worth the trip!

There are currently three babies in Teton Trek. They are absolutely adorable. I know that even the babies would be dangerous up close, but I find them captivating. When we first arrived, they were sleeping so we waited. When they woke up, they were ready to play. They run back and forth across the enclosure.

Photo by Sylvestermouse

They chased each other. They swam. They slapped, splashed, snorted and roared their way into the hearts of everyone present. We were all completely enraptured with their every move.

This was such an excellent day! Very little could have rained on my birthday trip parade.

However, when we got back home and I had a chance to upload the hours of video that I took of those precious grizzly bear babies, I made a sickening discovery: my brand new video camera records when the light is red. I thought is was recording when the light was green, thus all I video taped were my feet walking on the pretty walkway.

Dang, I guess this means we just have to load up the car and go back to Memphis to video record those grizzlies before they grow up;-)

One good thing I discovered: My video camera makes great still shots.

Murphy, Tom
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Buy at AllPosters.com

Moderated by Sylvestermouse
Updated: 3/3/12

ALL IMAGES ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF SYLVESTERMOUSE
except Walkway Picture copied from Memphis Zoo website.