When I first started visiting the Denver Zoo, I was not as big of a zoo nerd as I am today. But – like all normal people – I had a soft spot in my heart for Red Pandas. Little did I know, I was introduced to the Denver Zoo right before the building in which their Red Pandas were kept was about to be closed for (much needed) renovation, and and most of the animals were scheduled to be moved to other AZA institutions.
So in doing research for the first big trip of my “visit the top 10 zoos in America” project, I knew a stop at the Red Panda habitat in Omaha was a necessity. I knew that after I saw the rest of the zoo, I’d be perching outside that habitat for an hour waiting for a chance to get the perfect photo of what is objectively the world’s most adorable creature.
Thankfully, I didn’t need to. This little girl, Tofu, seemed as excited to see me as I was to see her. A good solid twenty minutes was spent watching her explore and play in her habitat: climbing up and down trees, playing on every bridge, seemingly going into every good photo spot just because I was there.
Of the 1278 photos I took that day, about 300 were Tofu related. There were a lot of keepers, but this one turned out to be my favorite. The look of sheer joy on her face, it’s like a puppy who’s so happy you’re finally home from work. It perfectly captures the mood she seemed to set for the few people who stopped by to watch her.
The Zootographer 