The Wandering Disciple

  The renowned ZooTampa at Lowry Park is home to a fascinating and beloved population of orangutans. These highly intelligent and critically endangered great apes are a central focus of the zoo's conservation and education efforts. The orangutans, known for their distinctive reddish-brown fur and incredible agility, reside in a specialized habitat designed to mimic their native Southeast Asian rainforest environment. ZooTampa is dedicated to providing exceptional care, enrichment, and a stimulating environment for its orangutan residents, contributing to the global effort to protect this magnificent species from extinction. Through public viewing and educational programs, the zoo aims to raise awareness about the threats facing wild orangutans, primarily habitat loss due to palm oil production and illegal wildlife trade.  Taken: January 21, 2007 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

Take a trip down under without ever leaving the sunshine state with a journey through ZooTampa's Wallaroo Station. Here you can get up close to animals from the outback like these colorful Budgies.  Budgerigars are small colorful seed-eating bird found in the drier areas of Australia. While they are the lone species in their genus, Budgies are closely related to lorikeets. Many people know these birds as parakeets, their name in the pet hobby trade.  Taken: July 18, 2010 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

Happy Mother's Day out there to all the moms. Thank you for all you do each and every day!  In honor of Mother's Day, today's photo of the day features a popular mother/baby combo from ZooTampa. The orangutan mama's are quite busy at the zoo with several young ones roaming the habitat.   Taken: December 17, 2022 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

Tampa, Florida:  Be prepared to enter the world of bugs as Bugtopia invades ZooTampa.  Until the end of April, guest to the zoo can get up close to some larger than life crawling creatures.   Your journey into Bugtopia begins by passing through the Shrinking Machine.  Then journey along the path and get up close to unique insects from across the globe.  Emperor Scorpions from Africa, Red-Tailed Bumblebees from Europe, Meadow Grasshoppers from North America and so much more are on display in the interactive exhibit.  In all you will encounter and learn about thirteen species of insects. When your journey with Professor Alexander is complete, pass through the U-Shrinking Machine a rejoin the human world and continue your journey through the zoo and learn more about the world around you.  Be sure to keep your eyes out for other insects you might see around the zoo, from Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers to colorful butterflies.   We enjoyed our ...

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas. I hope each and every one of you have a safe and enjoyable holiday. Enjoy your holiday! Merry Christmas from Donten Photography! Taken: December 17, 2002 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

The Gingerbread Jubilee is in full force as Christmas Eve has descended upon us. The festive celebration at ZooTampa has been happening all month getting everyone in the holiday spirit.  If you haven't seen the zoo dressed up for Christmas, be sure to check it out. Christmas in the Wild runs until December 30.  Taken: December 17, 2022 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

A mama and her baby bond at ZooTampa. This is one of two baby Bornean Orangutan born at the zoo this year. Both babies can be seen clinging to their mothers on display in the Orangutan habitat.  ZooTampa is home to a rather large troop of Bornean Orangutans. Lead by Goyang the male of the troop, the zoo troop has 10 orangutans living in harmony at the zoo.  Taken: December 17 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

Christmas is right around the corner and ZooTampa at Lowry Park is in the Christmas spirit. Each year the zoo is turned into a holiday paradise with themed displays, entertaining shows and tasty treats. Christmas in the Wild runs select nights through the month of December.  This is a close-up of the giving tree found in the Asia portion of the zoo. The tree is decorated with animals with QR codes giving visitors a change to contribute to a zoo supported cause.  Taken: December 17, 2022 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

Last weekend we visited ZooTampa at Lowry Park in Tampa, Florida. As passholders, we enjoy visiting the zoo and watching the animals at the zoo. Click on the Orangutan photo below to visit the gallery of photo from ZooTampa.

There is no stronger bond in nature than the one found between a mother and her child. The love and compassion found in this bond lasts a lifetime. That's why today and every day we honor the mothers in our lives. Happy Mother's Day!!  This maternal bond here is from Hadiah and her baby at ZooTampa. The baby orangutan was born at the zoo on February 6th.  Taken: April 13, 2022 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

A pair of Bornean Orangutan share some girl talk and laughs at ZooTampa. I can spend hours watching the orangutans play and interact with other and seeing their personalities. ZooTampa is home to a large troop of Orangutan led by Goyang. In addition to the orangutans, over 1,300 call the 63 acre zoo their home. (Photo: January 23, 2021)

Baby Gronk plays with a boulder at ZooTampa. For those of you who watched the Secrets of the Zoo, you got to follow the pregnancy journey of Jamie and Johnny, the zoo's pair of endangered Indian Rhinos. Baby Gronk named after Tampa Bay Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski was born in September 2020. If you enjoy the Nat Geo show, you can now go behind the scenes of the zoo and see the Secrets of the Zoo first hand through a private tour and witness firsthand the inner workings of the zoo. (Photo: December 28, 2020)

A Colobus Monkey takes a break from playing in the Florida sunshine at ZooTampa. Found in the Congo, the Colobus Monkey live in territorial troops and spend their time playing in the trees, rarely touching the ground. The Colobus Monkey are one of the many primates on display at 65-acre ZooTampa. (Photo: May 30, 2020)

Much like the fingerprints of a human, the stripes of a zebra are distinct. While they may look similar, no two zebras are alike and each feature their own distinctive patterning. The stripes also serve as a camouflage for the zebra, allowing them to conceal from their main predator the lion which is color blind.   Taken: February 22, 2020 at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)

A sloth hangs from a tree inside the main aviary at ZooTampa. Sloths spend much of their day hanging in trees of Central and South America. Sloths have very slow metabolism resulting in them resting in the treetops most of the day to conserve energy. ZooTampa is home to a pair of sloths and they have access to the entire aviary exhibit. So next time you are there, look up in the treetops and see if you can spot one. (Photo: January 20, 2019)

A manatee chomps down on a head of romaine lettuce at ZooTampa. The manatee, also known as the sea cow, is a large vegetarian marine mammal and spends its days lazily chomping on greens. Because of their slow movement, they become victims of boat propellers way too much. As a result, ZooTampa operates a large scale manatee rehabilitation program in which they rescue, rehab and return manatees back to the wild once healthy. Those that can not be released find a home here at the zoo. (Photo: January 23, 2021)

A baby Siamang clings to its mother at ZooTampa at Lowry Park. Zoo babies are an integral part of the Species Survival Plan in which zoos partner to ensure the survival of endangered species through breeding programs. The zoos work together to move animals from one zoo to another for breeding to keep the gene pool diverse and continue the species through another generation. (Photo: November 28, 2018)

Goyang looks out from under a blanket on a cool December day at ZooTampa at Lowry Park. At 21 years old, Goyang has developed the large cheek pads that are symbolic to male orangutans. He is the lone adult male in the group and father to the four young orangutans in the family. (Photo : December 28, 2020)

The largest lizard on Earth, the Komodo Dragon relies on its eyesight to track and kill its prey.  The Komodo can see objects over 980 feet away and are better at seeing movement than stationary items.  They track their prey while hiding camouflaged in the brush.  Once it gets near they attack with their serrated teeth and toxic venom.  While the hunted animal may be able to escape the initial bite, the Komodo will track the victim and await the toxins to kick in which causes death.  This tactic helps Komodo Dragons kill and eat up to 80% of its body weight in a single meal.  (Photo: October 1, 2018)

The bright purple berries of the American Beautyberry bush provides a splash of color against the green foliage in the forest.  Native to the Southern United States the American Beautyberry is a food source for wildlife including deer and many species of birds.  The bush even has uses for humans as the berries can be used in jellies and wines while the roots can be used for herbal teas. But eating the berries raw should be minimal or avoided as the raw berries have astringent properties and may cause digestive issues. (Photo: August 25, 2018)