I toured the National Zoo with
stryck and anher Thursday. Among the more photogenic critters there were the sloth bears and this panda. The male and female sloth bears are old partners and very affectionate, but they are kept apart right now so that their cub can be raised to adulthood in a natural way (Daddy Sloth Bears take no part in child-rearing in the wild, and thus resemble many Human Sloth Bears of my acquaintance).In addition to a sloth bear cub, the zoo has a new giant panda cub. This is probably one of its parents. Anyway, it's the only one that was out and about. The others were apparently smarter and stayed in, away from the annoying humans gawking at them.
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Hey, Good-lookin'! Papa Sloth Bear looks out over his enclosure at mate and cub. |
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Look, Mom! Daddy's home! Mama Sloth Bear and bouncing baby boy-cub look back at Dad. |
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Oh, great. They're back. Giant panda at National Zoo hangs his head in despair over the lack of privacy. |
Click a pic to enlarge
I enjoyed camping. The Tanzanian embassy was a royal pain to deal with, but my visas should arrive by this Tuesday afternoon. The NAUMS Annual Meeting went okay. Our trip to Africa got underwritten to the tune of a couple hundred extra bucks. We all made some valuable contacts for the future.
The rash that was bothering me all last week is still there, and driving me insane. I finally get to see a dermatologist on Wednesday. But first -- I get to do the whole cleanout process starting Sunday night for a Tuesday morning colonoscopy. Double whoopee.. Plus, a whole lotta packin's gotta get done this week, as well as some loud, fast talk with my new DS about the parsonage muddle over at Yonder UMC. And then we leave for Africa a week from Wednesday.
