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# Welcome to the third and concluding part of episode #6 of the *Local Gem Safari*!
#### To learn what this series is about and how it works please go [--> **here** <--](https://steemit.com/photography/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-6-zoo-basel-part-1) and check out the first part. ####
 
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Our tour continues at the enclosure for the snow leopards. For me, these beautiful animals are the highlights of this zoo:

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The home of the Snow leopard (*Panthera uncia*) is the Himalayan. These shy predators are only rarely seen in their original environment. The first photo of a free-living snow leopard was actually made for the first time by the naturalist [George B. Schaller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Schaller) in 1972! As one may imagine, the wild animal population is severely endangered and consists of not more than 2000 animals today.

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We continue our circuit and visit the the snow leopard´s larger african relatives, the lions (*Panthera leo*). At this early hour, the "King of the animals" just begins to wake up. But only to fall back into it´s next slumber, as lions don´t get very active before dust.

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The curved beak is one of the distinctive features of the pink flamingo (*Phoenicopterus ruber roseus*). Inside the highly specialized beak sit interlocking horn lamellae. When feeding, the flamingo sucks water into his beak and then presses it out again, so that small creatures such as crabs and water snails are caught in the lamellae. A similar principle to that of baleen whales.

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Not hyenas, but a pack of wild dogs (*Lycaon pictus*) yawns here into the day. The endangered african wild dog lives in associations of up to 60 animals. They compete for food with lions and leopards - which they often can chase away.

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The Mufflon (*Ovis orientalis*) has been hunted down to almost complete extermination.  Only on the mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia a wild population remained.

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The zoo´s wolf pack (*Canis lupus*) has white, cream and gray animals. The wolf is the only mammal that exhibits such a pronounced color variation in its wildform. Usually a sign of domestication.

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Autumn with it´s blaze of colors got hold of the zoo, too.

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No way for me to just pass by the zoo´s bistro...

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...without allowing myself...

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...the second breakfast of the day! :-)

### I hope you also liked the concluding part of this episode. ###

### Don´t forget to also check out the previous posts of the *local gem safari*: ###
- [LGS #6, Zoo Basel, Part 2](https://steemit.com/photography/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-6-zoo-basel-teil-2)
- [LGS #6, Part 1, Zoo Basel](https://steemit.com/photography/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-6-zoo-basel-part-1)
- [LGS #5, The Goetheanum](https://steemit.com/photography/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-5-the-goetheanum)
- [LGS #4, Castle Ruin Rötteln](https://steemit.com/travel-local/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-4-castel-ruin-roetteln)
- [LGS #3, Downtown Basel](https://steemit.com/travel-local/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-3-downtown-basel)
- [LGS #2, Jurassic Encounter in Basel](https://steemit.com/travel-local/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-2-jurassic-encounter-in-basel)
- [LGS #1, The Vitra House](https://steemit.com/travel-local/@shaka/the-local-gem-safari-1-the-vitra-house) 

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###### All images were recorded by myself on October 18, with a Canon EOS 7D and a Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 lens and published on Steemit first. Factual informations about the animals were taken from the website of [Zoo Basel](http://www.zoobasel.ch/de/index.php) and the respective info panels on the spot. #####