Our trip to Prescott to shoot the full moon rising over Watson Lake began earlier in the day with a visit to Prescott's Heritage Park. For starters, this is not a zoo. This is really a rescue operation. The Sanctuary can either provide medical care and release the animal or keep the animal if it is not able to return to their natural habitat. The Sanctuary and its staff are active in a number of conservation programs, such as the re-establishment of Mexican Grey Wolf populations. The whole site, while maintained as best as it can be, looks a bit ragged and in need of donations and more volunteer effort.
So, eight photographers roamed the Sanctuary's grounds. Below are some photos from their collections. This is not easy photography! Fenced cages, shadows, dirty glass windows, very low light in some areas and animal movement can make for a challenging shoot. We were up to it!
The tiger at Heritage Park was taken in from a zoo that was closing. If homes cannot be found for such large animals, they are euthanized. Feeding and caring for this animal can be done because local Prescott groceries contribute food to the Sanctuary, including Sprouts and Trader Joe's. We were told at the entrance that the tiger would be fed at 10. We scurried to be there on time.
If you look very closely above you can see Rick's reflection in the bird's eye.
Sometimes it is just not possible to get a good shot at a face. Maybe this ostrich was hiding its face because it was having a bad hair day.
I noticed as I posted these images that as long as the eye was clearly focused the rest of the image could be a bit less in focus as a result of the fence. Great job and thanks to the photographers who shared.
From the Sanctuary and Willow Lake area we headed into Prescott for lunch and some strolling along Gurley Street. Those images will be in the next post.