Life with Dylan

Category: animals

  • A Love of Reading Non-Fiction and an Eagerness to Learn More

    Any day my son wants to read is a good day in my book. Reading is one of my favorite ways to learn, not to mention an opportunity to transport yourself to another place and time. Dylan has enjoyed reading since he was very young. Whether I was reading stories to him or he was making up his own stories to the pictures, the love of reading has always played a significant role in his life.

    Dylan has never been one for chapter books like most kids his age or for fictional books. His passion is reading non-fiction. He wants to learn when he reads. Although he has read Call of the Wild, Gulliver’s Travels, and most recently Small as an Elephant, he really does prefer the factual books. 
    I’m sure many of you have been in gift shops with your kids and they want some plastic toy that you know will break in a few days, or a stuffed animal that will get tossed aside in a week or two. So you can imagine my excitement when we walk into a gift shop at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and he asks for a book. 
    Not just any book, but the book … the book he saw in the library when we toured the Beckman Center for Conservation Research. 
    The one and only LOST ANIMALS Extinction and the Photographic Record. 
    Now this book may not seem very interesting to you, but it ad Dylan grinning from ear to ear. Why you ask? Well, see that animal on the cover? That is a Thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian Tiger. Dylan has had lengthy conversations about this extinct animal with zookeepers and is truly fascinated with them.  
    So far he has learned about the Heath Hen, which became extinct in 1932. A devastating fire swept through the breeding grounds on Martha’s Vineyard and the remaining hens died from a mysterious disease, possibly the result of in-breeding. The last known Heath Hen was named ‘Booming Ben’
    One of the animals that Dylan spoke to Dr. Ryder about was the Quagga and he is anxious to read more about this fascinating animal. I love that he has an eagerness to learn more and can continue to nourish his passion for learning through reading books like this. 

  • A day of exploring the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    Over the weekend Dylan and I went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for a little adventure of our own. No meet-ups with other photographers, no special event, just a day to explore and have fun. This past weekend was quite warm, but we have been missing our animal friends at the Safari Park so we prepared ourselves for the heat and ventured out to Escondido.

    Of course our first stop is always the rhino statue with an obligatory photo. It’s kind of a tradition now.

    Nairobi Station is always fun to visit and even more so when the kids from Conservation Corps are there teaching kids about endangered animals. Whether it’s touching an ivory elephant tusk, seeing a giraffe vertebrae, or sizing up your hand to a gorillas hand … there is always something new to learn.

    Next stop, more adventure … and it looks like Dylan has the right of way!

    We had so much fun exploring and seeing our friends. We saw Wally the blue-tongued skink with her keeper and and Izu or favorite lion relaxing in the shade. We took a tram ride through Asia and Africa and saw Nola the Northern White rhino standing in the water. This pretty much made our day and I would have been fine going home. Any day seeing Nola is a great day!

    Luckily we continued our adventure and got to spend some time with the gorillas while they were having lunch. Winston is such a character, Frank and Monroe had us laughing, and Imani has got to be the cutest pregnant gorilla ever. The keeper said she’s due any day now!

    Tiger exhibit is completely closed off now because of the final stages for Tiger Trail … we have really missed seeing the tigers at the Safari Park, but know they are going to love their new home. Just a few more months and Tiger Trail will be open. An adventure without cats isn’t very fun, especially when you are a big cat lover like we are. Thankfully Ken and Dixie were out to share their cuteness with the world. I can’t believe how big they have gotten. (Pictures coming soon)

    So much to see and so much to explore.

    A day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is always an adventure! 

  • Did you know animals celebrate Valentines Day too?


    They give hippo size kisses …
    and mountain gorilla hugs …

    and koala size snuggles. 
    Happy Valentines Day!



  • Animal Conservation and Philanthropy – It’s in the Family Crest

    If you ever had doubts concerning how much my family cares about animal conservation, what you are about to read will chase those doubts away. I am sure you have figured out that conservation is pretty much what makes the world go around for Dylan, but this … well this is something that even I didn’t see coming.

    Dylan had a homework assignment that he was to complete over the winter break. He had to create his own family coat of arms using symbols, animals, and colors from a sheet his teacher gave him. Each item gave a description or a meaning of what it stood for. Here is what Dylan created as our family coat of arms.

    Bear 
           Protectiveness






    Flaming Heart 
           Passion



    Blue 
           Loyalty






    Green 
           Hope and Joy






    Pelican 
           Devotion



    The words I understood. They seemed like wonderful words to describe our family and I was proud of what he chose. Being that he is so passionate about animal conservation, I was not surprised that he chose animals for two of his sections. It wasn’t until I read his explanation on the back of the poster board that I realized he had just created the perfect coat of arms for our family.

    “My coat of arms shows my families love for philanthropy. My blue and green checkerboard shows that my family keeps all of our promises to conservation; and our hope and joy for conservation. The bear shows our families protectiveness of all animals we come across. My pelican shows my families devotion to save animals near and far. My flaming heart shows our passion for anything wildlife related.”

    Like I said, you can remove all those doubts from your mind. Dylan has now put it in writing and created a family coat of arms that I am proud to display.

    We are a family that believes in conservation.

    We take pride in our philanthropy projects.

    We value our belief that through animal conservation and education we can help save endangered animals all around the world.

    Yes, this is the perfect coat of arms for our family. Excellent job Dylan!

  • Tiga has a new friend

    Rather than spend our time rescuing Dylan’s stuffed animals from Tiga’s mouth, we decided to get her the next best thing. 

    Tiga loves Mr. Monkey and hasn’t bothered Dylan’s special animals in weeks. I think we solved that problem! 

  • Endangered Species Monday – Orangutan

    When I see an orangutan I can’t help but smile. These animals are so animated and they definitely have individual personalities. 

    Orangutans are also very much like humans – from their mannerisms to their emotional expressions. In fact, orangutans are closer to humans than you may think. They share 96.4% of our genetic makeup, which makes orangutans genetically closer to humans than any other animal. The female orangutan is considered to be one of the most caring and gentle mothers in the animal kingdom. 


    Some young orangutans will stay with their mother up to eight years; nursing for the first three years and then learning how to fend for themselves. 

    Although orangutans live a mostly solitary life, they create bonds that last a lifetime. It has been said that these bonds are renewed during forest encounters later in life. Aside from the nurturing and bonding, orangutans are highly intelligent animals that learn many things from copying. On several occasions, I have watched the orangutans at the San Diego Zoo cover up with large leaves or a burlap sack when it is raining. That is a pretty smart orangutan!



    Orangutans once lived all over Southeast Asia, but now only inhabit the warm tropical jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammal and are 100% dependent on the rainforest for survival. This being said, you can see why habitat conservation is so important. 


    From 1980-1990 heavy logging and land development reduced the orangutan population by 50%. Large forest fires destroyed more habitats in 1997. Today, the harvesting of palm fruit for the palm oil is one of the main causes of habitat loss for the orangutan. Palm oil is in everything from cookies, chocolate and cosmetics to biodiesel and unfortunately is not always labeled as palm oil. 


    A sign at the San Diego Zoo educates people about palm oil

    Recently there has been a lot of talk about the health benefits of palm oil and people are now actively looking for products with palm oil. This is not good for the survival of orangutans. If you must buy palm oil, then please support the companies who are members of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) You can find a printable shopping guide here. 


    Educating people and making them aware that our actions have a direct impact on the rainforest is imperative to saving endangered species. To save the orangutan we must first save their home. All attempts that we make to save the orangutans will ultimately fail unless we can assure that their quickly disappearing rainforest home will be there for many years to come.

    For more inofrmation on the palm oil crisis and what you can do to help visit the Cheyenne Mountian Zoo website.

  • Giraffe lashes are the best

    The best Halloween costumes are those with false lashes, but this girl doesn’t need any.

    Who needs false lashes when you are born with these?

  • Endangered Species Monday – 5 ways you can help save them

    There was a time not to long ago when I asked myself “What can I do to help? How can one person help to save the endangered species?”

    The answer wasn’t difficult to find once I stopped looking at it as something that was impossible and started looking at it as something that could be accomplished.

    So rather than feature another endangered species this week, I decided to share some ways that you can help save endangered species. Little things you can do that will make a difference – things that will make an impact bigger than you ever imagined.

    1. Protect habitats. You can do this by following the rule of Leave No Trace when you go places. When you go for a walk, go to the beach, visit parks and nature preserves, heck any time you leave your home you should leave nothing but footprints. 
    2. Make room for urban wildlife. You can do this by building or buying a birdhouse for your yard or putting out a bird bath for the neighborhood birds. Plant a tree that will become shelter for an animal. 
    3. See the animals first hand. Visit zoos, parks, wildlife refuges, aquariums – anywhere you can see these animals and learn more about them. Learning about the animals and seeing what an important role each one plays is the first step to protecting them. 
    4. Get involved. Whether you join an organization and donate money or simply sign up to receive monthly newsletters and stay informed, getting involved with larger non-profit organizations will help and allow you to choose your level of involvement. 
    5. Talk about it. Yes, talk. Talk to your friends, family, coworkers – anyone who will listen to you. Tell them about the threatened or endangered species. Not just the sad stuff like the amount of rhinos and elephants being poached, but the good stuff too, like the success story of the California Condor. 
    What do you do to help protect and save endangered species?

  • You Looking at Me?

    Have you ever wondered what the animals might be thinking when you are taking their picture?

  • Endangered Species Monday – What is the IUCN?

    Since starting the weekly posts Endangered Species Monday, I have had some people ask me what the IUCN is and exactly what they do? So today, rather than feature another endangered species, I am going to give you a little background on the IUCN and how endangered species are classified.

    IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization.

    Many people have heard of the IUCN Red List, but not all know the depth of it – including myself. What I do know is being that being high up on the Red List is not a good thing.

    Under the Endangered Species Act, an animal classified as endangered receives more protection than one classified as threatened. The IUCN breaks the classifications down into 7 categories and rates the level of threat based on certain criteria.

    • Extinct
    • Extinct in the wild (only captive individuals survive)
    • Critically endangered (almost certain risk of extinction in the immediate future)
    • Endangered (faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future)
    • Vulnerable (faces a high risk of extinction in the future)
    • Near threatened (could be considered threatened in the near future)
    • Least concern (no immediate threat to the survival of the species)
    Plants and animals are listed by the IUCN and what many people don’t understand is that every living creature, both plant and animal, have a very specific place in the ecosystem. If a plant becomes extinct and it is the main food source for an animal, then that animal will most likely become extinct too. 
    Once a species is classified as endangered, certain laws and restrictions can be put into place to help save them and hopefully remove them from the endangered status. Unfortunately, for some species this puts a higher price on the animal for hunters and they quickly move up to critically endangered. When this happens, I am thankful for organizations who work together to help bring species back from the brink of extinction.