I am using a Sony HX1 20x zoom $400 (I paid $250 ) for a bridge camera, until I am ready to move up to SLR, and a cyber-shot 10x zoom $190 for a pocket camera. You can get a good used camera on ebay or craigslist to start with.
I had tried a cannon but did not like the fact that you couldn't take a picture while using the LCD.
My advise, I am not a photographer, for cameras and pictures is:
.... patience, wait for someone to get out of the shot, or way, if possible.
....Always take more than one pic if there something that you might not see again or is just a great shot. If you get the White Tiger sitting on the log you want to make sure you got the picture. I have taken shots that look fine on the LCD but are blurry on the computer when blown up. It is no problem to erase a bunch of pictures to ensure a good one.
....Take pics at different times of day, shadows and lighting changes through out the day.
....Choose a camera, or lense, with image stabilization.
....Spare batteries and memory cards. Buy the most memory you can get for a reasonable price, again ebay is a good resource for cards Memory cards have writing/downloading speeds, just something to think about. A car charger is not a bad thing either.
....Make sure you have a tag on your camera, strap, case, or backpack. Your name and number can get you back your stuff. Seen it happen.... put down camera... walk away... and forget it. Something as simple as a pet ID tag could get you back your camera and pictures, the pictures (most times) are more important than camera.
....Know your camera settings. youtube has a lot of tutorials.
....Always back up your picture files after you upload them!!!