Every morning and most evenings in Tirana, a deep roar rolls across the neighborhood outside our apartment.

For weeks we had heard lions announcing themselves somewhere beyond the trees below our balcony.

Today, Jess and I decided it was finally time to go meet them.

The animals responsible for those roars live at the Tirana Zoo — the very same zoo we can see from the balcony of our new apartment.

I have been to a handful of zoos over the years, but nothing quite like the one here in Tirana. We paid our six euros at the gate and excitedly set out to observe the animals.

When we first entered, we were greeted by the reptile enclosure. As you may or may not know, I am not the biggest fan of reptiles — especially snakes. Much to my dismay, the reptile room was almost entirely snakes.

No big deal. I’m happy to observe a snake from the comfort of its glass enclosure.

However, about forty seconds into being in the room, I noticed that one of the enclosures was open… and I could not see a snake inside.

It was not hot in the room, but I immediately began sweating like I was running a marathon.

Luckily, one of the zoo employees had the snake secured and was displaying it for onlookers to pet. While I will admit it was an objectively “cute” snake, I did not want to pet it.

Jess, however, enthusiastically did.

She turned to me afterward and whispered, “I got to touch the snake.”

She promptly named him No-Legs.

We moved on.

Deeper into the zoo we came across some beautiful peacocks that were kind enough to puff up their enormous feather displays for us.

Peacocks are such strange birds — I am always in awe when those massive tails suddenly fan open.

As we continued along the path, we said hello to the llamas we can see from our balcony, and then made our way to the wolves that I step outside to admire every morning.

They were sound asleep in the sunshine, completely uninterested in our presence.

We planned to continue toward the lions — the same lions whose spine-tingling roars wake us in the mornings and echo across the neighborhood at night — but part of the path was flooded.

In all my infinite wisdom, and because I was wearing my favorite white Adidas, I elected to “hop” across the worst of the mud and step into a nearby tree area where I assumed the roots would provide better footing.

They did not.

I instantly lost my footing, slipped, twisted, tucked my camera under my arm, and absolutely basted myself in Tirana zoo mud. Sliding down the small slope, I felt the mud seep into every crevice of my right side.

The camera, however, survived.

One particularly muddy duck witnessed the entire ordeal and quacked what sounded suspiciously like laughter, as if to say: “HA. Now you’re muddy too.”

Jess, being the wonderful and supportive wife that she is, immediately asked if I was okay and whether I wanted to go home. I laughed it off as best I could and insisted we continue.

I was determined to meet the lions.

We backtracked to the entrance of the zoo so I could clean myself up while Jess held the camera.

On our way back toward the lions we had a very strange human encounter. A woman approached Jess and asked if she could look through the lens of my camera.

While that’s not an unusual request — photographers get that fairly often — something about the interaction gave both of us pause. Reluctantly, we handed the camera over.

She immediately pointed the 200–600mm lens directly at the sun.

Jess reacted instantly, covering the lens with her hand and pulling the camera away before anything could happen. A strange moment… but thankfully a short one.

We finally reached the lions.

Sleepy and relaxed in the afternoon sun, the giant cats were a majestic sight to behold. It was strangely comforting to finally see the animals responsible for the powerful roars that echo through our neighborhood each day.

But the lions were not the only large predators at the zoo.

What I hadn’t realized before visiting was that Tirana Zoo is also home to three enormous Bengal tigers — two orange and one white.

The tigers were absolutely beautiful.

But I have to admit, I was taken aback by their enclosure.

The habitat seemed small for animals of their size, and the tigers paced frequently along the fence line. The enclosure lacked enrichment, and the large Saturday crowds appeared to make them uneasy.

As the crowds thinned, the tigers calmed.

One of the orange tigers approached the fence where Jess and I were standing. He huffed and grumbled softly as we photographed him.

Jess immediately named him Chuff, after the soft vocalization tigers make when greeting someone they recognize.

He chuffed at her several times — ears forward, curious, calm.

Of course, we both understand that if the fence disappeared, he would absolutely eat us.

But we love him anyway.

He can be curious and gentle while also being the perfect apex predator.

Both things can be true at the same time.

Just beyond the big cats we came across the bears, and they were impossible to miss.

The enclosure here is one of the larger habitats in the zoo, full of rocks, grass, and enrichment scattered throughout the area. Three enormous brown bears wandered slowly across the hillside, occasionally pausing to sniff the air or inspect something interesting in the grass.

Watching them move up close was a reminder of just how massive these animals truly are. Photographs never quite prepare you for the size and presence of a bear standing only a short distance away.

On our way out of the zoo we encountered the lemurs.

What a goofy bunch of creatures.

Some were basking in the sunlight with their arms stretched wide. Others scratched lazily against tree trunks. They photographed like tiny little humans.

One of my favorite moments came when one lemur nudged another while staring in our direction, as if to say:

“Look at these idiots. They PAID to look at us.”

Overall, the zoo was a good experience.

I remain somewhat torn about zoos, especially those that don’t quite match the modern standards I’m used to seeing in many zoos in the United States.

At the same time, zoos play an incredibly important role in conservation and education.

People don’t care about what they can’t see.

When someone spends time at a zoo and encounters the majesty of these animals up close, it inspires curiosity and empathy.

That connection matters.

Because we live so close to the zoo, we will continue to visit, document, and support the facility as long as the animals remain well cared for and conditions continue to improve.

One day, I hope to photograph every species in this story in the wild.

But for now, I’m grateful for the photos we captured today.

Living next door to lions, tigers, bears, lemurs, peacocks, and ducks is not something I expected when we moved to Tirana.

But it’s a pretty incredible thing to wake up next to.

Lions and tigers and bears may steal the spotlight…
…but even the lemurs, peacocks, and muddy ducks deserve a moment in the frame.