Being watched??

From 1206CMZ-Blog

Taj was not feeling particularly energetic today, i think he was being pensive.

From 1206CMZ-Blog

Almos seemed to be watching me..

From 1206CMZ-Blog

I'm not sure if thats a good thing

From 1206CMZ-Blog

Even Vitez seemed to be keeping an eye on me.

October 11th.

I didn't realize any of these would come out. I was lucky enough to get a few pictures of Nashi the Cougar.
It seems that it was a very snoozy day for the tigers Taj and Almos. Nashi was so alert because he had just been given his enrichment treats. You can see some hamburger hidden in the enclosure.

Rough Play

These big boys play rough.
When their paw connect, you can hear the thwap.
They are connecting, but without claw extended.
I could only imagine if they were serious what would happen.
At the end of combat, they groom each other.

CMZ 12-Sep-09

To get good at photography, take pictures of the same type of subject.

The Tigers at Cougar Mountain Zoo

A while ago I discovered the tigers Taj and Almos at the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah. I met the zoo's director Robyn, and yesterday we were talking about Taj and Almos.

The Zoo is in the middle of a construction project to build an much larger outdoor enclosure for the 2 existing tigers and hopes to get 2 more cubs later this year. Due to the rising construction costs and the economy, they are still short around $40,000 to ensure the completion of the project. The new enclosure will be better for these 2 growing young tigers, and will leave the existing space for the new cubs.

I would love to help them in some small way. If anyone reading this would like copies of any of my photographs (full resolution), I am happy to trade them for a donation to the zoo.