Bear Hollow

Athens has got a zoo, of sorts, called the "Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail." It's at the Memorial Park off Milledge, south of Baxter and north of the 10 Loop. Follow the signs, and you'll get there.

Anyhow, Bear Hollow's animals are all native to the Southeast US and are unable for whatever reason (crippling injury, etc.) to survive on their own in the wild. Most of the animal habitats are open wooded spaces, except the aviaries, aquariums, and the cages for smaller mammals. So, now for a quick (and incomplete) Dramatis Bestiae!

The Furred
Bear Hollow's got several mammals, including the eponymous bears. They live, appropriately enough, in a shady hollow. Hello, sleepy bear.
The otters aren't nearly as sedate as the bears. This is one of the handful of shots I got of otters that isn't a brownish-grey blur.

The Feathered
In honor of Athens's patroness, here's an owl. A barred owl. Get it? BARRED owl? HA! I kill me. No, seriously -- that's what it's called. Really.
This red-tailed hawk seemed to like the attention. It sat quite close to me in its aviary, changing poses every 10 seconds or so and holding them politely. Here's his "I'm a Regal Eagle" look.
They actually had a regal eagle, though: a bald eagle named Amazon. She lives in an open pen, but because of a crippled wing, cannot fly. She has a fierce glare, staring you in the eye, telling you to thank your lucky stars she can't fly, or your throat would be SO ripped out...
Finally, there's a small lake at the park, with the requisite ducks and geese. Geese tend to look pretty silly when they waddle around on land, but once roused can be fierce indeed. This protective Papa Gander got riled up by my approach: here he is, wings flared threateningly, looking as much like a vengeful archangel as a goose will ever manage.

The Scaled
They've got reptiles, too: snakes, lizards, turtles, and a gator. This shot turned out best: I thought it was a snapper, but the label said "musk turtle." Odd -- I always associated musk with weasels and elk, not turtles.

Finally, another shot of the red-tailed hawk, to remind you that when you go to the zoo, THEY'RE LOOKING BACK AT YOU.