Cow skulls and real cows, on the same day…

I took my boys to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park yesterday. Since it was Mother’s Day, I got to pick what I wanted to do for my special day and this was an easy choice. We got to see lots of animals, breathe in some fresh air and enjoy good weather, cool in the morning, then sunny but not too hot.

During our visit we took a path we don’t take very often called the African Loop. One of the first exhibits on the path is a whole bunch of vultures. And nothing says vultures like carcasses, in this case a cow / Cape buffalo skull.

Cow skull at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

As the path continued, we approached the entrance of the Heart of Africa. And nothing says Africa (actually, Africa drought) better than not one, but two cow skulls (again, Cape buffalo). 

On our way back, I spotted something on the side of the road. Fortunately I got the red light so I managed to use my cell phone and take a photo of a whole bunch of REAL cows grazing right by the side of the road. Now that’s something I don’t get to see every day!

I didn’t see just one real cow, but two of them

Actually I saw a whole bunch of cows yesterday when I drove with my boys to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We saw our first herd as we took our last turn before reaching the park. They were happily grazing and enjoying a beautiful sunny morning. I wasn’t expecting to see any cows on our way so I didn’t have my regular camera or my cell phone camera ready. Sorry, no photos of these cows for you…

After spending most of the day at the Safari Park in the company of  a few other thousand tourists visiting San Diego for Spring break, we got back in the car and started our drive home. Just a few minutes into it, I spotted more animals in a field on the side of the road. It was a whole herd of goats this time, with their shepherd walking behind (should he be called a goatherd?). Sorry, no pictures of goats either. And behind him, I spotted two cows. The kids missed the cows when we drove by, so I turned around and drove by again, more slowly this time so they could see them and I could try to take a picture. It’s not the best shot but you’ll still be able to see one Holstein cow and one black one in the tall grass. They were just quietly walking behind the man. I’m impressed!

Cows walking in a field

It’s not every day I see real cows but yesterday I saw a whole bunch. Quite a special day…

Holy cow, check out these horns

I’ve featured the Angola cow on this blog before but it was in 2011 and you may have missed it the first time. I took my kids to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this morning and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny and warm day, breathing fresh air and spotting lots of animals.

While on the 30-minute tram tour, we saw a lot of African and Asian animals, including several babies (’tis the season). We first spotted an Angola cow down in the valley but it was too far for my cell phone camera and my good camera was buried in my backpack. Later we got to see Angola cows a lot closer and I managed to take a few pictures.

Angola cow at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

I wouldn’t get close to this bovine but the deer on the left doesn’t seem too worried. They must have some kind of deal going on…

Here’s another Angola cow so you can see the giant horns.

Angola cow at the San Diego Safari Park

I understand the set of horns can be up to eight feet wide. I wouldn’t want to be the zookeeper taking care of scooping up this enclosure, would you?

What a nice set of horns you’ve got there!

We enjoyed a beautiful and surprisingly warm Fall morning at the San Diego Safari Park and took the railroad track-free “train” ride to see many African and Asian animals in a natural environment. We saw rhinos, giraffes, many types of gazelles and antelopes, Cape Buffalo (yes, a bovine!) and even a few ostriches. Towards the end of the ride, we stopped by for a close look at the Angola cows the zoo has on display:

Angola cows at the San Diego Safari Park

A set of horns on the Angola cow can measure up to 9 feet long. Quite impressive! And even though the cows look pretty mellow, you probably wouldn’t want to piss them off. So hold off on the “your mama’s so fat” jokes…

Angola cow horns

Our cell phone cameras stopped taking pictures after this, but the cow sightings didn’t stop and we actually saw A LOT more cows today:

1) On our way out of the Safari Park, I noticed a large herd of Holstein dairy cows right across the road. I have never seen it before so it may be new. Something to be on the lookout during our next visit.

2) When we reached the first intersection, we saw cattle grazing on wild grass on our right. I’m guessing these cows will not see a happy ending.

3) Finally, as we drove by a local farm advertising many things for sale, from strawberrys and tomatos (yikes, someone needs a lesson in spelling!) to ostrich eggs and ostrich jerky, we saw what looked like a petting corral. The pen included llamas, ostriches, sheep and… cow calves.

Again I apologize for the lack of photos but we were quite unprepared for such an overwhelming sight. 

Tomorrow’s Halloween but somehow I doubt I’ll see any cows when we go trick or treating. What do you think?

Everybody loves cows everywhere!

I took my kids to the San Diego Safari Park this morning (formerly known at the San Diego Wild Animal Park). We’re zoo members so it’s great to use our passes to spend a few hours enjoying the fresh air and the animal sightings, and leave when we feel the summer tourists are taking the place over.

Right down the road from the park, the kids and I spotted some cows in a distant field grazing on yellow grass. I had to make a right turn to get to the park so we didn’t drive in front of them and take a picture. On the way back the kids were exhausted and I completely forgot to turn the other way for my photo opportunity, so I have nothing to show you. Better luck next time!

But it’s OK, you can relax and breathe easy. My fellow blogger at Queen of Zoom posted many images of cows on her blog today, and I can’t help but acknowledge them. Her teenage daughter loves cows and collects them – I hope they keep all the bovines corraled in her bedroom… Her collection includes plush cows, cow toys, cow decor of many kinds. She even owns a cow keychain just like the one I discovered last week at Michael’s. Wow, she really is a cow fan.

Here’s one picture of her cow collection:

Cow collection at Queen of Zoom

Go see the rest of the cows at Queen of Zoom but watch out for serious overload of cow images!