tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360440317568283133.post7911644259838261107..comments2024-03-28T02:59:31.898-05:00Comments on The Middle Flipper: 27 Zoo Secrets You Apparently Didn't Know AboutCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14308864896529062835noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360440317568283133.post-63252539766480940382015-06-18T17:37:07.111-05:002015-06-18T17:37:07.111-05:00Good read! That's not surprising, though, cons...Good read! That's not surprising, though, considering that all of your posts are "good reads" :)<br /><br />Silly things guests say. . . like, back when the Commerson's were on exhibit at SWC, I overheard people saying they were "Baby Shamus"? Ugh.<br /><br />I also agree with Nicole's comment, especially the last paragraph.<br /><br />Keep up the great work, Cat!fulltimewhalenerdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360440317568283133.post-55271937129587561032015-06-18T17:26:56.425-05:002015-06-18T17:26:56.425-05:00I read the other article and laughed too. Seems th...I read the other article and laughed too. Seems this person is talking about zoos in some awful country, like China where they eat their own pets. Basically none of this stuff is true of Canada, that`s for sure.Winter Hawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13881042965155288417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360440317568283133.post-87613209756213363732015-06-18T17:23:24.071-05:002015-06-18T17:23:24.071-05:00The zoochosis thing: I don`t know about you, but w...The zoochosis thing: I don`t know about you, but we don't give drugs for that, and I don't know of any zoo that does. The trick is enrichment. It's the most fun thing ever for the zookeepers AND animals. None of the animals in our zoo get drugs because they're bored, we never let it get that far. We have exactly one animal (a tiger) that is in a bad mindset, but she came to us already like that and we are trying very hard to stimulate her and do some fun activities with her. If a zoo knows what the heck they're doing, they should be doing lots of enrichment and their animals should never even have the chance to go into zoochosis.Winter Hawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13881042965155288417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360440317568283133.post-2061089338648454932015-06-16T13:32:32.621-05:002015-06-16T13:32:32.621-05:00I agree with many of the points in the comment pos...I agree with many of the points in the comment posted above, but have to say overall I adore this article and agree that it reflects the values, priorities, and heart our staff demonstrate every day caring for our animals. If we did not have a sense of humor about what we do we could not last long doing it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360440317568283133.post-54790095536839820892015-06-14T16:17:50.256-05:002015-06-14T16:17:50.256-05:00Great list - and so true! However, I did read the ...Great list - and so true! However, I did read the other list and not everything on there is completely false, either, and they are things of which people need to be made aware. There are fantastic zoos and sanctuaries out there - all the ones for whom I have ever worked - that are doing the absolute best they can in terms of animal care and conservation. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of "sanctuaries" which are nothing more than archaic money-grubbing animal prisons. There are also some well meaning zoos and sanctuaries who are lacking the funding or who are still renovating from a time when zoo animals were little more than entertainment where some negative things, unfortunately, do still happen.<br /><br />Zoochosis is also a real thing, particularly in primates. Sometimes even in the best of conditions, even when given extensive space enrichment, captive animals can get depressed. Obviously the good zoos and sanctuaries do everything in their power to prevent this, but particularly for those zoos that are underfunded or in the process of renovation it's not always 100% possible to prevent. For some animals, captivity is like living like a king, for others, even the most elaborate enclosure is still no comparison for their natural habitat. We all know that, and it shouldn't be denied. We also know, however, that in many cases the reason that these animals are in captivity is because the political or social environment of their native habitat is not supportive to their population growth. At zoos, we believe that it is better to keep some animals in a less than ideal situation (captivity) in the hopes that we can prevent extinction, and someday eliminate any need for captivity.<br /><br />The other points I won't go into detail on, but I think the article is important for people to see. Some of the "secrets" are examples of bad zoos, not good ones, and some of them happen even in good zoos but not because the zoos aren't taking excellent care of their animals. Elephants do live longer in the wild, unfortunately, or at least they would if not for poaching. However, again, seeing as poaching is the main threat to their population, it is currently necessary to keep them in captivity. Captive animals do show stress behaviors, which can be decreased and managed through enrichment and proper environment. Some animals, particularly addax, fallow deer, and other hoofstock, do end up on hunting ranches; however, those hunting ranches (mostly in Texas) are generally putting at least some of their profit towards conservation. It's also in part because of those hunting ranches that we have a healthy, viable population of species that are currently critically endangered or extinct in the wild. Obesity is a huge problem in some zoos, one that can be treated through proper diet management and natural enrichment to encourage instinctive behaviors. Small enclosures are generally not healthy for animals, particularly hoofstock, which is why zoos like Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, The Wilds, San Diego Safari Park, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, Smithsonian, and White Oak all provide a more natural environment for their animals complete with large amounts of acreage and natural herd sizes.<br /><br />I don't agree with the overall tone of the other article, but for the most part their points are not untrue - they just weren't explain properly. I don't believe that zoos and aquariums should keep people in the dark about the negative aspects of wild animals in captivity, it only makes people more suspicious as to why we were hiding these things when they do find out. Instead, we should let people know that, yes, we know that a captive environment is not ideal - but here's what we do to help make it as close to ideal as possible.Nicolenoreply@blogger.com