John

Wondering why the Christmas lights are still up!

I'm in long-term care, but this chaplain thanks you.

A North American river otter bites down on a fish that a zookeeper threw to him. He had to make his way across the ice to get it. Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

There's nothing like a good snack.

A nine-banded armadillo in a zoo, sleeping in a habitat that includes a floor of deep litter. It's a cold day outside, and though the animal is indoors, it's staying warm by spending the afternoon partially in litter.

We're in need of some uplifting posts. How about a nine-banded armadillo, partly buried in litter? It looks cozy!

A critically endangered red ruffed lemur finds food that zookeepers wrapped in butcher paper. The primate is merely chewing, but it appears to be shouting. Making a zoo animal work for its food is called enrichment. After all, animals in natural habitats are not served food in bowls.

You forgot the sauce!

A completely black juvenile alpaca. They are rare!

Olive, the alpaca cria, stands between her brothers. She's not there for protection; she wants to eat the hay stuck in their fur!

A common eland calf, about six weeks old, next to a photo of the calf's father. Dad weighs about 1,500 pounds.

A diptych of a common eland calf, with his father, for comparison. The calf was born about six weeks ago, at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, in Pennsylvania.

The face of an American mink.

Mink cuteness

Side view of a pancake tortoise, native to Africa.

The pancake tortoise is thought to be the fastest tortoise on earth. To avoid predators, they can slip quickly under rocks and climb nearly-vertical surfaces.

Opus, a male white-faced saki monkey, grooms his girlfriend, Lexie. The couple have had two children at the zoo. The species is "sexually dimorphic," meaning that boys and girls look different.

Let me help you with that.

A bee pollinates a sunflower.

I love summertime.

A naked-neck chicken at the zoo.

Chickens have their own styles of beauty.

A veterinary technician helps a bearded dragon to wave goodbye to people in the observation window, following a procedure.

A burrowing owl holds a piece of lettuce.

Owl salad

Hello from Trexler Nature Preserve, in Schnecksville, PA!

An alpaca looks into the camera with a pleasant expression.

A smile for you.

And, Evangelicals claim him. It boggles the mind.

What someone is wearing under their graduation gown should be no one else's business.

I wonder who advised 47 to say that after the infamous picture...

A preening blue and gold macaw glances at the camera

May I help you?

This is quite a specialty... and a passion!

A red ruffed lemur in a Pennsylvania zoo sits outdoors with his head back. This species is critically endangered. Zoos are helping to conserve them.

Soaking up some springtime sun.

Beanie is a female two-toed sloth who now makes her home at Elmwood Park Zoo, in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

A new face at the zoo!

A male red kangaroo interacts with a reflective object set in his zoo habitat for enrichment.

George is gorgeous.

I volunteer with two not-for-profits. I have a strong sense of unity, teamwork, and friendship with staff and other volunteers. If I'm feeling lonely, I can do some volunteer work.

Harm also ripples out.

Thanks for being yourself.

A striped skunk emerges from under a plastic stool.

I met Tonks this weekend as part of an animal encounter at the zoo.

Most of the keepers and education specialists in the zoos where I volunteer.

A friend, performing as Sally, from Nightmare Before Christmas.