Yes, the misspelling (at least in context) of 'Tails' in the title is deliberate. I felt it appropriate, given the nature of the board and all the zoos I've been to so far.

On that note, introductions are in order. Bruce Lane, holder of amateur (ham) radio callsign KC7GR (formerly WD6EOS). Despite the fact that I now call Washington state 'home,' I'm proud to think of myself as an unrepentant Californian. This is due to the fact that I spent most of my life in Berkeley, and a couple of years in San Diego, before finally giving in to temptation. I dream about returning, someday, when the home prices don't require a cache of solid gold as security and the government finally realizes that it's not necessary to ban ferrets as pets.

Wasn't that a nice segue into my animal experience? ;-) Let's see... I've been visiting zoos and oceanariums since my age was in single digits, and I've always been able to get along well with animals. One of my more unique companions from many moons ago was a hybrid owl, a cross between long-eared and screech, named Runsible. Regrettably, I had to give him up when he took an intense dislike to my father. However, I'm pleased to report that, with the help of the park rangers in a nearby wildlife area, he readapted to the wild, found a mate and raised a family of his own.

Later in life, I developed a strong interest in marine mammals, dolphins and whales in particular, and ended up as a "regular" visitor for no less than 17 years to the now-defunct Marine World park in Belmont (San Francisco peninsula). As I grew up enough to be able to travel on my own, I started visiting zoos and oceanariums all over the country (and more than a few outside of it as well).

This led to about a year's worth of professional experience in the marine mammal field by way of serving as a volunteer at (among other places) Oklahoma City Zoo and Magic Mountain in southern California (back when they still HAD a dolphin show). I still maintain an active interest in the field, but I have chosen not to make it my life's career for various reasons.

Most recently, I've gained an interest in falconry. My wife and myself have begun what promises to be a long and patient apprenticeship (and friendship) with a terrific journey-level falconer in BC (Vancouver Island, to be more precise). We probably won't actually get our licenses and birds until we're ready to retire, though, simply because we both work and we don't feel that a lifestyle like that would be fair to the birds. Better to wait until they can be our full-time occupation.

Quick index to the photos. The top one is Bianca, a young Arctic Gyrfalcon, belonging to one of the members of the BC Falconers Association. She's hand raised, and is quite people-friendly as a result. That particular snap was taken at the BC Renaissance Faire in Fort Langley, over the Labor Day 2008 weekend.

The middle photo was also taken at the faire. That's my wife, Dana, with Saber, an 18-week old hybrid falcon, specifically a Gyr/Saker cross. He belongs to our falconry mentor, Joanne Bentley. He's still young enough to have powder-blue feet, though you can't see them in the photo, and the same shade of blue around his cere. Both feet and cere will turn bright yellow as he matures.

The bottom photo is me with fifteen pounds of gorgeous golden eagle named Skye. She is, unfortunately, no longer with us as the result of a tragic (and, IMO, entirely preventable) accident at the Greater Vancouver Zoo (Aldergrove, BC) which is where that photo was taken. The short answer is that she became a meal for one of the lionesses.

The owners of zandavisitor.com have asked that no negative posts about zoos or oceanariums be placed in this forum, so I am unable to discuss the details any further here. Please check my postings at zoobeat.com (search for author kc7gr) if you want to know the details.

Other than that -- What you'll find here will be all kinds of observations, pictures, and news from the places we visit. Actual "tourist-type" reviews or trip reports may end up here, on TripAdvisor.com, or both.

Happy travels.