WILD EYES IN A CONTROLLED WORLD

On the occasion of Easter I return to the topic of animals. However these will not be bunnies or rabbits, but animals that I encountered during my walk in the zoological garden in Berlin. They may not be very unique animals, but rather those that are closer to my heart.

First and closest to my heart today I present photos of a GORILLA. I simply love this type of animals. Gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys — they have an incredibly friendly and charming appearance to me. I have always dreamed that if I had a much bigger apartment or a house, I would happily adopt a smaller monkey and create a kind of monkey grove in one room. 😁
Why do I feel such a strong affection for these animals? Probably because they have something… For me they have the most human-like traits. Their behavior is incredibly similar to ours. And on top of that, those sweet facial expressions!!!

When I saw this gorilla relaxing in the sun, surrounded by green grass, a smile immediately appeared on my face. In real life it looked simply adorable. You could see in its eyes that it felt really good there, very relaxed, fully enjoying the sunny day.

Gorillas are, of course, the largest primates in the world. They are among the most intelligent animals. They mainly inhabit Central Africa, living in rainforests and mountainous areas covered with dense vegetation. They are very family-oriented animals. They live in groups led by one adult male, who is responsible for the safety of the entire group.

Gorillas are herbivores and their diet consists mainly of leaves, shoots, fruits and tree bark. Despite their rather intimidating appearance, they are very calm animals that avoid conflicts and only show aggression in situations of threat. I think this is exactly the kind of behavior we can also observe in zoological gardens.

While walking further through the zoo, I came across MEERKATS. Meerkats can now be found in many zoos, but I remember that when I was a child, they were rather a rarity. They are also animals that I have a great fondness for.

They can be very agile and fast and when needed, they stand completely still, which attracts attention and often brings a smile to people’s faces — it really is a lovely sight. 😁 Unfortunately in my photos you can’t see their famous “standing guards.”

I once wondered where this behavior comes from and I learned that it is part of their social structure. While some of them move around on the ground, there is always one that stands guard, watching and warning the others if needed. They communicate using sounds.

Meerkats live in Africa, mainly in southern Africa and similarly to gorillas they live in groups, just in a more chaotic way. They are very social and are able to cooperate well with each other. They are extremely alert and sensitive to any movement around them.

And finally I invite you to take a look at a few photographs of ELEPHANTS. An elephant is what it is — everyone can see that.😄 These animals have probably stolen my heart mainly because of their monumentality and above all because of their friendly facial expression. Somehow, whenever I look at elephants, I have the impression that they are smiling and it also brings a smile to my face. And that’s exactly how it was in the zoological garden in Berlin. I had the impression that these animals were walking around smiling all the time.

Elephants are the largest land animals in the world. Despite their size they are exclusively herbivores and can eat even several hundred kilograms of food per day! They have one of the best memories in the animal world. They remember places, water sources and even other individuals for many years.

They have an extremely empathetic nature — they can show care, help other members of the herd and even mourn deceased individuals. I think these are exactly the traits that can be very well observed in zoological gardens.

This is my entry for PhotoFeed Contest - Wildlife Photography Round 164

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