Family of giraffes from the hidden raised platform...
...Japanese macaque colony...
...Bengali female grooming (sister #1)...
...wild geese honking at sleeping tiger (sister #2)...
...he likes to move it move it...
Nelly is not a small Indian elephant, rather those are BIG doors (pigeons on the ledge for scale)...
...free roaming peacocks...
...and Petronilla (aged 32) playing hide and seek with my son beyond the glass.
What I like most of the Rome conservation zoo is the near absence of bars. The 1908 original floor plan in fact included ditches and pits instead of cages, generous green spaces, rocks and water and other more visually attractive enclosures. There has been great care in maintaining these ideals throughout the years and numerous renovations.
For example, the family of 5 Giraffes lives in a beautiful area, where the covered sleeping stables are decorated in moorish style. And the raised terrace is camouflaged, so you can look the long-necked creatures in the eye–especially Esmeralda and Macchia, the 2005 and 2009 puppies–without interfering in their meals or playtime. Another great space is the huge Lion jungle enclosure, where if you’re lucky you can stand nose to nose with the Alpha-male or his beloved queen, separated only by a sturdy sheet of shatterproof glass. My place is the Tiger compound, where two exquisite Bengali specimens stand just a few feet away in an open space. The invisible ravine that prevents us Sapiens from being lunch for the felines creates an impressive effect (see photo #4).
