Otters

 These boys were just being so cute.  I love seeing them play and groom each other.  

Asmara steals Raya

 I stayed watching Tara with her newest baby, Raya, and her older teenager, Asmara, for a long time.  There was a staff member there explaining to those passing by that the reason Asmara was in with Tara and Raya was so that Asmara could learn how to be a mom.  Asmara certainly was interested, but Tara was not very interested in letting her have Raya.  But all of the sudden, Asmara got her hands on Raya and actually managed to get away with her.  Asmara quickly climbed higher and higher, trying to keep Tara away.  It was the first time Asmara had successfully gotten a hold of Raya and she clearly was not interested in giving her back any time soon.  Tara seemed exhausted but unwilling to stop pursuing her infant.  Eventually Asmara got to the top and had nowhere else to go which meant that Tara caught up and was able to get Raya back.  The whole thing was crazy to witness.  Raya looked scared, holding on to the bedding she'd been playing with moments earlier before she was snatched up.

Tara and Raya

 I got to see Tara with her new baby, Raya!!  I couldn't believe how tiny Raya is and she'd already like 4 months old.  Tara's older daughter, Asmara, was with them and was very interested in trying to hold Raya.  It was funny how diligent Tara had to be to keep Asmara from grabbing Raya.

Random

When I go to the zoo for the first time in the new season, I make a point to do a quick walk-through of the entire thing as I'm excited to see any changes that may have occurred while it was closed.  This generally means I have way more pictures to sort through and I have a harder time categorizing them to post.  So, here's a bunch of random pictures to wrap up my first time at the zoo this year.

Birds

 I can't believe how big the wattled crane chick is that was born last year!!  I also thought the red-tailed hawk was being absolutely adorable as it kept grabbing sticks and trying to rearrange them to make this nest.