By Carlos Miller
I visited the Miam Metro Zoo this weekend for the first time in more than 20 years and was able to put my Canon 300mm F/4L IS lens to good use.
But I wish I had not forgotten my 1.4x lens extender because is some cases, 300mm was still not long enough to get the close-ups that I wanted.
However, it was the perfect length for many of these photos, which can be enlarged by clicking on them.
For some reason, this lowland gorilla reminded me of the cops who arrested me. Thankfully, there was a moat that separated us.
I captured these Bengal tigers during feeding time as a zoo worker tossed them a piece of raw meat. (click on link to see more photos).
It turns out, the lowland gorillas are actually very gentle creatures who pick their nose when they think nobody is watching.
These monkeys are called Siamang and they spend their days on a small island swinging from trees.
The white handed gibbons are kept on another island next to the Siamang island and they also spend their days swinging from trees. Obviously, desegregation hasn’t reached the zoo.
The Indian elephants are slightly smaller than the African elephants.
This Asian bear looked as if he was sleeping off an MSG-laden meal.
The chimpanzees were not too social because most of them were sleeping, but I was able to capture this hand through a dirty glass.
The Malayan Tapir
The following pictures are of a waterfall inside the zoo.
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Fernandez, as I mentioned in a 
My favorite is the white tiger with the butterfly. You take great pictures Carlos.
That’s actually raw meat. I think it was a white bengal.
I love the sleeping bear. He’s all “leave me alone, bitches!”
Oh, meant to add – did you get any shots of the Komodo dragon?
Wow your right is is raw meat. Oh well it still is a really cool picture.
Tere,
If I remember correctly, the Komodo dragon was obstructed or was camouflaged by his surroundings, so I didn’t even bother taking a photo I know I would not post.
Scott – yeah, it was their morning snack. The trainer was all “don’t stand behind me; that’s the blood zone.”
T – My sis said that same thing about the Komodo Dragon – that the fake one was scarier than the real one.
Great pics, Carlos. I love the facial expression on the Gibbon (the black ones were the Gibbons, right?) So sweet!! Yeah, my “through-glass” pics came out terrible because the glass was so dirty. They need to train the chimps how to use a bottle of Windex and some paper towels!
“T – My sis said that same thing about the Komodo Dragon – that the fake one was scarier than the real one.”
Well at least Tere thought so. Isn’t that the one that scared her half to hell?
I typically go there with a min. 400mm 5.6L or my 500mm.
it’s been too hot lately, but as temps cool, you’ll see me there monster lens in tow …
these are good. that 300 lens is excellent and not as heavy …..
Love these Carlos! Especially the white bengal tiger . . . but all are great.
We shall not speak of the fake Komodo dragon that freaked me out!
you should sell coffee cups with the white tiger on it. it’s a fantastic picture. that and the gorrila with the stick in his mouth.
Oops. Do you have “white tiger attacks butterfly shaped meat hunk” in any resolution resembling 1280×1024? (1600×1200, even?)
For some reason, this lowland gorilla reminded me of the cops who arrested me. I wouldn’t malign the gorillas with such a comparison. Great shots! That 5D/300mm pumps out some excellent results. I’ve really been looking forward to a zoo trip w/the Pentax I got this year.
Srcohiba,
I would like to go again with my 1.4 extender to get extreme facial close-ups of the animals.
Genewitch,
I shoot in RAW so the image I have is twice as large as you mentioned.
Ms C,
Thanks for the continuing support.
Travis,
The gorillas did seem a lot friendlier than the cops I encountered that night.
Dude, check out my flickr. Went there Saturday during overcast skies and got in real close at 700mm (plus the 1.6x crop factor)
scary seeing these guys in your face at 700mm
Those are great shots. I love the shot of the Gibbon monkeys. That’s a classic.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pancier/2917631469/
I normally hate the 1.6x crop factor, which is why I purchased the 5Ds but in this case, it clearly works.