Tag: Elephant

Paddy and the Crocodile - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett’s Spa Weekend

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

Paddy and Plunkett in Leamington Spa - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties
Sometimes you just need to get away from it all – even if you’re an adventurous little woolly monster! So when Paddy and Plunkett were offered the chance to spend a weekend in Leamington Spa, they thought it would be a super opportunity to catch up on a little R&R. And how better to start their break than with a sedate stroll around Jephson Gardens?
Feeding the Ducks at Jephson Gardens - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties
Aaaaah, that’s better! Jephson Gardens are named in honour of Dr Henry Jephson, a local doctor and philanthropist who did much to promote the healing properties of the town’s spa waters. As a result, the small town of Leamington Priors (as it was then known) boomed, and became known as Leamington Spa. The final flourish was the granting of a “Royal” prefix by Queen Victoria in 1838, and now Royal Leamington Spa is apparently one of the best places in Britain to spend your retirement!

So, after a wander around the duckpond, a visit to some of the park’s busier residents…
A Hive of Activity! H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesPaddy and Plunkett at the Beehive - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

… And a look at the sculpture garden…
Paddy and Plunkett at the Sculpture Garden - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties
…The boys were feeling pretty chilled out!

But they can never stay out of trouble for long… Um, is that really a good idea, Paddy?
Paddy and the Crocodile - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties
“Of course! I’m being very caref… AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!”
Paddy Gets Too Close to the Crocodile - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties
Oh no! PADDY!!

But thankfully, help came along in the nick of time – thank you, friendly passing elephant!
Elephants to the Rescue! H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties
Maybe that’s enough “peace and quiet” for one day! Time to hop on a boat home, I reckon.
Paddy and Plunkett at Hawkesbury Junction - H Crawfod/CrawCrafts Beasties
See you next week!

Exploring the Kaziranga Forest Trail… and then some!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

Explorer Beastie with ElephantsExplorer Beastie Watching the Elephants

Sounds exotic, doesn’t it?

The best part is that we didn’t even need to leave Dublin to do it! Explorer Beastie was most miffed when he found out that I haven’t shared the photos of our trip to Dublin Zoo yet, especially since he had so much fun posing with the animals. So, to keep the peace at home, here some of the highlights of our day out!

One of the first places we went was the Kaziranga Forest Trail – isn’t that so much more exciting than “the elephant house”? Since I was last in Dublin Zoo, they’ve built a whole new enclosure for their Elephant Poolgroup of Asian elephants, which more closely resembles their natural habitat. It’s surrounded by trees (that covers the “Forest Trail” element, then) and there are pools of water for them to swim in as well!

Our next port of call was the African Plains, where Explorer Beastie put his climbing skills to good use to get a proper look at the giraffes, rhinos and gorillas!

Explorer Beastie with GiraffeExplorer Beastie with RhinosExplorer Beastie with Gorilla

 

 

 

 

 

But the highlight of our visit was meeting the newest addition to the Dublin Zoo family… an okapi! These incredibly pretty creatures live in the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and they’re related to giraffes. It was a real treat to be able to see one of these beautiful, graceful animals so close to home!
Explorer Beastie with OkapiOkapi at Dublin Zoo

 

 

 

 

 

Well, after all that exploring, we both felt a little like these orangutans…Sleepy Orangutans

… And we figured it was time to head home for a nap! But we’ll be back for more Beastie adventures soon!