Rio Grande Zoo

We made a quick visit to the zoo and the aquarium before catching our flight back to Oregon. Both are a part of the Albuquerque Biological Park, along with a botanical garden. All pictures shown in this gallery are of captive animals.

Budgerigar

A male budgie at the Rio Grande Zoo
Budgies & Pythons
Ooh! No! You shouldn't do that — no that's dangerous. Yes, they breed in the sewers, and eventually you get evil-smelling flocks of huge soiled budgies flying out of people's lavatories infringing their personal freedom. Mrs. Conclusion to Mrs. Premise

Native to Australia, budgies are commonly kept as pets in many homes around the world. In the States, they are often called parakeets, although the term applies to other species as well. I first became aware of the budgie moniker in a Monty Python sketch in which Mrs. Conclusion warns Mrs. Premise about the dangers of flushing unwanted budgies down the toilet.

Koala Bear

A koala sleeps in a tree at the Rio Grande Zoo
Cats & Koalas
This is our cat Sam sleeping in the cat tree … no wait, this is a koala sleeping in a eucalyptus tree. You'll forgive the mistake, they're both cute and soft and sleepy. And armed with razor sharp claws, so stay on their good side.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

A baby black-tailed prairie dog emerges from a burrow at the Rio Grande Zoo
Prairie Babies
As if prairie dogs weren't cute enough, how about a baby?

Shark

A shark swims in a large tank at the aquarium in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Strong Swimmer
The aquarium has a nice big saltwater tank full of swimming creatures like this strong swimmer. I'm not sure what species of shark this is.

[ Home > The United States ]

Send me an email at
Copyright © 2010 Richard Cameron
April 16, 2010