# Had some fun on Saturday



## robbins.photo (Jul 11, 2016)

Managed to get one I really liked:




20160709_3107 by Todd Robbins, on Flickr


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## waday (Jul 11, 2016)

That's a very nice self-portrait


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## weepete (Jul 11, 2016)

Looks to me like he could be playing chess!


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## robbins.photo (Jul 11, 2016)

waday said:


> That's a very nice self-portrait



I knew that selfie stick would come in handy, eventually.. lol


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## waday (Jul 11, 2016)

Joking aside, I really like that shot!


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## robbins.photo (Jul 11, 2016)

waday said:


> Joking aside, I really like that shot!



Thanks Waday - so far at least I'm liking the Sigma 70-200mm non-os, the OS version was a bit faster to autofocus but this one does the job pretty well.


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## ZombiesniperJr (Jul 11, 2016)

Nice shot


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## goooner (Jul 11, 2016)

Lovely. Great shot.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 11, 2016)

goooner said:


> Lovely. Great shot.





ZombiesniperJr said:


> Nice shot



Thanks folks.  Had a good time even though I didn't come away with a lot of keepers.  Weather was just too hot, most of the critters were snoozing away.  Lol


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## zombiesniper (Jul 11, 2016)

Great photo.


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## Rick50 (Jul 11, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> Thanks folks. Had a good time even though I didn't come away with a lot of keepers. Weather was just too hot, most of the critters were snoozing away. Lol


Thats the way the zoo is here in the summer. I avoid it till October when it cools down again.


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## jcdeboever (Jul 12, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> Managed to get one I really liked:
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> ...


Wonderful capture technically. However, I feel bad as I am absolutely curious with this beast. Poor big guy, trapped in the humans world even though they saved his life as documented. This is really a depressing capture. Talk about prison! I am feeling it. 

Forgive me, I am not trying to take anything away from the photo. It really is aesthetically pleasing from a curiosity standpoint but your skill as a photographer really rendered the reality.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 12, 2016)

jcdeboever said:


> robbins.photo said:
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> 
> > Managed to get one I really liked:
> ...


Well in truth your reading things in here that aren't actually there.  Like all of the male gorillas at the Henry Doorly, he wasn't captured.  He was born at the zoo.  

Truth is most zoo animals are born in zoos.  Very few if any are actually born in the wild.


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## jcdeboever (Jul 12, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> jcdeboever said:
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> > robbins.photo said:
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He may have been born in there but he is captured. Do you think they belong in there? He never had a choice.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 12, 2016)

jcdeboever said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > jcdeboever said:
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Well I've had this debate countless times before but since you insist...

Animals born in zoos wouldn't be able to survive in the wild, so releasing them would not be in any way humane.  It would in fact be condemning them to a rather nasty death.

Zoos are actually the reason that most of these species still survive in the wild.  It's their efforts and support that make most of the conservation efforts possible.  So if you close down all the zoos odds are good a lot of these species will go extinct.  Again, not what I consider a great solution.

You also need to understand that while you are reading despair into this photo, the truth is the big guy is simply settling in for a nap on a very warm summer day.  Gorillas have a very different set of facial expressions than humans.


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## goooner (Jul 12, 2016)

The Zoo thing is a difficult topic. You might see him as being captured, he might see at as living in a luxury hotel being fed 3 times a day, and have his woman brought to him when needed. Projecting human feelings onto animals is treading a thin line, and no-one really can answer that question. Getting a bit off topic here.

Having grown up in Africa and having had the privileged of seeing wild animals roam the savannah might give me a different perspective on things though.


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## Gary A. (Jul 12, 2016)

I like the lighting and your exposure. 

The truth is that we don't know in general how different species feel about captivity.  Unfortunately, Robbins is right that most of the animals born in captivity will be doomed in the wild. Which is a dilemma of our own creation.  While anthropomorphic in tosses a huge curve ball into the discussion, one cannot dismiss that animals do have complex feelings and awareness.  Out here there is a big effort to make zoo's  more spacious and designed to better reflect a creatures native environment ... But captivity is still captivity ... And we don't know if the animals appreciate the catering or hate the walls.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 12, 2016)

Gary A. said:


> I like the lighting and your exposure.
> 
> The truth is that we don't know in general how different species feel about captivity.  Unfortunately, Robbins is right that most of the animals born in captivity will be doomed in the wild. Which is a dilemma of our own creation.  While anthropomorphic in tosses a huge curve ball into the discussion, one cannot dismiss that animals do have complex feelings and awareness.  Out here there is a big effort to make zoo's  more spacious and designed to better reflect a creatures native environment ... But captivity is still captivity ... And we don't know if the animals appreciate the catering or hate the walls.



Well from chatting with their keepers on occasion they tell me that the Gorillas at the HDZ seem to really enjoy themselves most of the time.  From my own observations I don't see signs of any undo aggression which is what one would expect if the Gorillas were upset about something.  They will occasionally show normal, healthy signs of aggression in displaying there dominance but that's to be expected of a healthy silverback.  But nothing suggests that they are overly stressed, depressed or pining away for an existence that frankly they have no knowledge of whatsoever. 

They interact with each other and with visitors regularly and nothing in their behavior seems to indicate that they really give a fig one way or the other that they are in Omaha rather than in Africa.

I get that people feel sorry for them but honestly I don't see anything to warrant that response, at least not at the Henry Doorly.  They are extremely well cared for, they have a very significant enclosure that mimics their natural habitat very well - the folks at the HDZ really do put a lot of thought, care and effort into caring for these animals.


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## FITBMX (Jul 12, 2016)

Wonderful shot. I would say that the whole trip was worth it, just for that shot!


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## annamaria (Jul 12, 2016)

Wonderful shot of a beautiful animal.  


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## baturn (Jul 12, 2016)

excellent! As I have said before I am quite jealous of your proximity to a zoo.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 12, 2016)

FITBMX said:


> Wonderful shot. I would say that the whole trip was worth it, just for that shot!





annamaria said:


> Wonderful shot of a beautiful animal.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



Thanks folks 



baturn said:


> excellent! As I have said before I am quite jealous of your proximity to a zoo.



Well if you ever get out this way let me know, I'll give you the nickel tour...


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## Dean_Gretsch (Jul 12, 2016)

I have to say that a zoo is one of my favorite places to go. I have been to a few across the US and I get as excited about going as I did when I was young. The primates are my favorite to see and I always spend more time there than any other part. Your pic is great and very thought provoking as the posts have proved. Congrats!


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## LarryLomona (Jul 13, 2016)

Well done, cool photo


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## gckless (Jul 15, 2016)

Great photo. The way he seems to be so concentrated makes me wonder and want to see what's in his hands, though. Or maybe he's just nonchalantly sitting there, and it's just his face that looks like that. I dunno. Something something art interpretation.


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