My first job with the Erie Zoo came in 1991, the beginning of a long-term relationship.

The main building’s hallway featured a waterfall leading the way to an assortment of animal exhibits: hyraxes, lemurs, leopards, and my soon-to-be long-term friend, Samantha the gorilla.

First, the hyrax exhibit. In case you’ve never heard of a hyrax, it’s a cute, furry animal with a short tail, about the size of a small dog, and related, oddly enough, to elephants.

Thanks to films like Madagascar, most people these days know what a lemur is. Here’s the one picture I have of the lemur exhibit:

You’ll find separate posts for the lowland gorilla exhibit and the leopard exhibit. Here’s the other shot I have of the mural behind the waterfall: