Turs

Baby Caucasian Turs

One of the highlights of Hollywild's Photography Day event was getting to see these Caucasian Turs. Unfortunately, I don't recall if they are Western or Eastern Turs. Turs are from the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia. The San Diego Zoo is the only other facility in the US with this same variety of Turs. The Turs at Hollywild are part of a breading program and are not on display to the general public. They are not very large animals, and they were quite shy with all of us sitting there photographing them. They spent a lot of time hiding from us and watching us as they didn't know if we were going to eat them or not. I'm sure the large cameras and lenses didn't help either.

More after the jump.

Female Caucasian Turs

There were a couple of babies in the herd already. The one in the top photograph was the oldest and most outgoing of the two. The other infant was completely black, quite cute, and very shy. It stayed in the shade so much I didn't get any really good shots of it. The two kids should have a few more playmates in a couple of weeks as several of the females are expecting calves. The female in the second photograph above was one of the more visible of the animals. She may have been the designated "lookout" for all I know about them. The thing that I find most interesting about the Turs are their eyes. Look closely at the female and you'll notice that her irises are rectangular and not round. Quite an unusual feature I believe.

Prior to the event, I didn't know that Hollywild participated in breeding programs like this, but I suppose I really shouldn't be that surprised. It is good to know that a place here near Spartanburg, South Carolina is helping preserve some of the world's wildlife.

Keep shooting.