I've had the privilege of being less than half a meter away from a young female Siberian tiger. She was behind mesh, but right up against the bars, acting very much like a domestic cat enjoying a view as she watched people come and go. (I.e. she was sitting in sphinx pose, gently curling and uncurling her tail, with that typical feline "smile" -- whisker pads raised, vibrissae pointing forward, eyes squinted, ears relaxed.) I chatted with her keeper for quite some time -- evidently her brother was completely disinterested in people, but she loved to look at them up close. Even as genial as she obviously was, she had tremendous *presence*. They really are completely different from lions in even the subtlest mannerisms.

Those are gorgeous Rothschild giraffes, by the way. They're in *super* condition. I have have a bit of an eye, having seen the Rothschild, Reticulated, and Maasai giraffes in the wild. I really love the delicacy of the Quokka, and it's good to see a nice, healthy Tasmanian Devil after all of the graphic pictures of the cancer spread.

Thank you for sharing these photos! As always, they're fabulous. :)