Random Mammals

The meerkats at Taronga are some of the most entertaining inmates. They always look like they're enjoying themselves digging holes and keeping watch. Or maybe they're trying to dig their way out of the zoo and the watchmen are keeping an eye out for the keepers. In fact, maybe Taronga zoo is the meerkat equivalent of Colditz. Or a furry version of Hogan's Heroes if you prefer a humourous prisoner of war analogy. Taronga Zoo, Sydney, April 2006

A Red Panda. Look, I know it's not a great photo but it's in focus and the colours are nice. Which is a vast improvement over some of the other stuff I took at the same time. In fact, this gallery is pretty weak at the moment and I need to get my act together. Or I'll have to have a sit down and have a quiet word with myself.

Young feather tailed glider in care.....

Female ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) in care. This one was around 80g when she was rescued after becoming separated from her parents. She was buddied up with a group of other ringies of the same age and kept in care for around 3 months. The whole group was released into urban bushland around St Ives just before Xmas 2005. Ringies are -everywhere- in Sydney. I suppose they fill roughly the same niche as squirrels elsewhere. A full grown ringie is around 1kg (roughly 2lbs) and fairly timid but they do have sharp little teeth and claws and don't always appreciate being rescued. Blood loss can ensue. In care, Greenwich, Sydney, November 2005

The closest thing to a muppet with a heartbeat. Cute, cuddly and endangered.

It's probably wrong to ascribe human emotions to this magnificent ape but she just doesn't look like she's having a good time. The gorilla enclosure at Taronga Zoo is OK as fake habitats go but natural it ain't. But out in the wild, she'd be taking her chances against the poachers and farmers so, as a species, we've pretty much screwed up her future. Damned if she does, damned if she doesn't.

The more I shoot them, the more I like great apes. This cutie and his mum were at Singapore Zoo.

A ring-tailed lemur. Who appears to be mostly unimpressed about having his photo taken. I wonder what 'bloody tourists' translates to in lemur language.