Visiting Elmwood Park manuls!
I'd been trying to wait until the weather got cooler, but I had a few days off this week with nothing special to do and got impatient so I decided to make a manul pilgrimage to Elmwood Park Zoo to try to see Kasper and Reza in their new home.
It's a small zoo, but nice! Seems clean and well-maintained. It's pretty much right off the Pennsylvania Turnpike so even though it's farther than Prospect Park for me, it's probably easier to get to.
Found the manul enclosure between the North American porcupine and red-tailed hawk. All three enclosures look new and aren't on the zoo map yet so I presume this space was built just for Kasper and Reza. ☺️ And just look how nice and big it is! Both sides belong to them.
I arrived a little after the zoo opened at 10. When I first got there, a keeper was cleaning the enclosure. She said they should be out once she was done. Sure enough, almost immediately after she disappeared, someone emerged! I'm not sure if it was Kasper or Reza though. He looked very handsome and skinny in his nice summer coat. 😁 He also looked quite young to me, which I guess at 3 he still is!
He walked directly from the air conditioned indoor area on the right over to the air conditioned indoor area on the left so I only managed to get a few photos. 😅 But considering it was already 90 degrees, I did not blame him! Fortunately, there was a shaded low wall across from the enclosure where I was able to sit and wait to see if he or his brother returned.
Bought some beer and cheese fries to sustain me, confirming, I fear, every American stereotype ever.
Unfortunately, neither Kasper nor Reza made any further appearances. I waited for several hours, but the temperature climbed to over 100 degrees and I was melting. 🥵 Plus I wanted to watch the England/Argentina match at my favorite bar, which happens to be in Philly. 😅 (Did I eat more cheese fries there? Yes, yes I did.)
No manul merch in the gift shop, but I suppose they're a new exhibit so I'll let it slide this time. (This is my third manul zoo after Prospect Park and the Smithsonian, and so far, no place has had merch!! 😠 The US needs to take some cues from Japan... They always have the best stuff!)
So not the most fruitful manul pilgrimage but honestly better than I had feared given the heat. I will definitely be returning in the fall when it's cooler! Hopefully, I can meet Kasper and Reza properly then. 🤞
Comments 15
Well done! It's so hot in the US!
I live in the western part of Japan, and it's as hot as in the US, too🥵
It was wonderful that you saw a manul even if just once😊
As for manul merch, I guess many zoos in Japan started selling them after manuls became popular in Japan. Maybe it was after this song.
I hope something big happens in the US soon that kicks off a Pallas's cat boom😃
Manul: I'm clocking in for duty~ Well, hello there, human... oh, it's roasting! Air-con! I desperately need air-con!(Walking to the air conditioned indoor area on the left)
Even though he didn't linger, I could still tell he was very handsome.
Maeko Ushiro, Yes, we need a viral moment to make manuls more known over here! I find most people have never heard of them. 😭 All the zoo merch here tends to be of the large animals like elephants and tigers and giraffes. (Maybe that says something about us as a people. 😂)
Thank you very much for sharing your pilgrimage story; it was interesting to read, and I understand manuls and the heat so well, because I’m sure that soon there won’t be such intense heat for our fluffy ones!!
What interesting and beautiful enclosures — you can think up all sorts of things to do when you’re a cat😁 The summer manul is adorable😍 Thank you for the wonderful report❤️
Good looking enclosures and of course manul. Thanks! Prrrrrrrrrrrrr
Thank you for sharing your trip story.
When I meet manuls in Novosibirsk, I always get fries too😀
mnamosyna, thank you so much for your wonderful manul report! I read it with immense pleasure and a huge smile on my face (especially the part about fries with cheese sauce😅).
The enclosure seems very good and spacious to me and, wow, with two whole rooms with air conditioning — I’m very happy for the fluffy brothers! You can see that the zoo really made an effort for the dear manul boys 🥰
By the way, I also can’t make out who exactly came out to you: Kasper or Reza 🤔
Manul experts, maybe someone managed to spot it?
By the way, there’s very little manul merch in European zoos too😐 Mostly, just like with you, the merch features large animals (tigers, bears, lions, etc.)
There used to be very little manul merch in Russian zoos too, but after 2022 there’s more and more of it (Zel 🏆)
Once again, thank you so much for your story! We’ll be waiting for the "autumn* issue! 🤗
Thanks! Seems Kasper and Reza have been provided with a properly sized and conditioned enclosure. Glad you were lucky to meet at least one manul.
Thanks for the report!
Looks like the manuls have also gone home to watch the match)))
helga ingvar, perhaps they even have a bar set up in their air-conditioned room. And they were drinking sbiten with a mouse-infused tincture, enjoying the cool air 😀
Thank you very much, it was very interesting.
An air-conditioned indoor space for manuls is a sign of genuine care 🥰
How wonderful that the esteemed manulizers created such an international community. The manuls have only just arrived at the new zoo, and already you can soon see news from manul lovers!
l83, Fries are clearly a key part of manul watching! 😄
Vika Malyshkoverified_filled ,
Yes, he moved, not quickly, but with definite purpose which kept him largely in profile so it was difficult to assess his barcode or look for Kasper's distinctive right eye (especially since that was the farther eye). Maybe when I get a better look at the boys in the future, I'll be able to retroactively work out who I met today.
So what I'm hearing is I need to work on making an American manul as famous as you guys made Zelenogorsk and maybe we will finally get merch... Okay, on it! 🫡🫡
mnamosyna (rachael), 👏🏻👏🏻🔥