Sometimes I see some variety of North American Little Guy (opossum, raccoon, etc. ) and I’m like “okay”

BUT THEN I start thinking about how excited somebody from not-North-America would be to see this Guy. Like, would an Australian be excited to see the only marsupial not from their country? Are there raccoons in zoos on the other side of the world that are regarded as unique and exotic creatures? Idk but it’s made me more excited to see Guys in my area.

it's me, i'm the person described in the tumbl

I went to a zoo in England this past summer, and there were crowds around the skunks, raccoons, and coyotes.

I'll never forget being at the Oregon Zoo and hearing people talk about how sad one of the chimpanzees looked. He was sitting on a log, his back to one of the viewing areas, hunched over. And they were saying "oh, he looks depressed, he must hate it here."

But then when you walked around to the other side, you'd see that he was simply busy beating his dick like it owed him money.

I almost forgot to mention: this woman came into the penguin enclosure with a KESTREL??? I said “oh my god is that an American Kestrel?” and she said “Yes! She was outside doing raptor education for the kids, but she doesn’t like to get rained on.”

#she was watching the penguins with what I will anthropomorphically project as skepticism

kestrel: i hate rained on!!

human: here is birds in water

kestrel: ......no.....

In 1982, quite by accident, a zookeeper at Izu Shaboten Zoo in Shizuoka Prefecture discovered that capybaras absolutely loved soaking in hot water, and the practice of providing them an onsen, or traditional Japanese hot spring, was born. Source Massimo; video @yu_haradakei.

Bonk

A baby Pallas cat was born in the Helsinki Zoo, look at this tiny baby who bleps!

The Korkeasaari Zoo celebrated the birth of its first pallas cat and they gave the news on 10 august 2023 but the kitten in the photo is already 2 months old and she is healthy.

While the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes the Pallas cat as a species of "least concern," their numbers in the wild have been declining. These cats inhabit the vast and harsh grasslands and mountain steppes of Central Asia. Manuls are part of European zoos' conservation programs aimed at safeguarding their future. Korkeasaari Zoo contributes to the protection of wild manuls during this year's "Night of the Cats."

It makes me sad to see how common the hate for zoos is in leftist circles. To me, zoos are so symbolic of the determination and optimism in leftist thought that I often use these facilities as an example to keep me going. So when I hear fellow leftists wanting to abolish zoos it makes breaks my spirit a bit. Especially considering how necessary zoos are in the fight against the current environmental crisis.

I am the first to admit that no zoo is perfect. I have worked at a world class, accredited, non-profit zoo and it was FAR from perfect. The institution treated me and the other workers like shit. Burnout, lean staffing, and poor adherence to safety protocols resulted in poorer animal welfare outcomes for the animals. And this is a world class facility. There are many facilities out there that shouldn't exist at all that are hardly better than the menageries of feudal kings.

BUT

Zoos are vital if we want our ecosystems to survive the current mass extinction event.

No other type of institution on earth has saved as many species as zoos. From tiny snails to 1-ton bison, entire species have been returned to the wild thanks to their preservation in zoos.

There are approximately 40 animal species listed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, most of which ONLY exist in zoos and aquariums. Many of these animals are only able to be taken care of because of the decades of animal husbandry science and institutional knowledge built up by our zoos and aquaria by working with other species.

There are many extinctions I cry for, but the ones that hurt the most are the ones happening in front of our eyes. The Javan rhino is all but gone. It's estimated that there would need to be about 100 rhinos for the species to survive genetically intact. There are now less than that, and none in human care. All it would take is a single tsunami or volcanic eruption and the entire population could be wiped out.

But if there were some in human care, if we had acted sooner and established a breeding population based on the centuries of knowledge we have of caring for their closest relative, the Indian rhino, we could have saved them.

So, when I see leftists talking about how all zoos are inherently destructive, I ask you to think ahead. To when polar bears, chimpanzees, or elephants go extinct in their natural homes, don't you want a place where we can save them? Where experienced animal care professionals can foster a population in human care so that one day these creatures can return to their homes? A global system of world class facilities dedicated to the survival of wildlife? So even more creatures don't end up like the Javan rhino; a species we could've saved if we'd had the will and the space to do so? If there had more zoos instead of less?

I'm not asking you to love zoos, I'm just asking that you recognize the practical necessity of their existence in the modern age. We won't survive the coming crises without other species. And they won't survive without us.

#dr henry wu is very handsome and did his job extremely well#its not his fault his job was science being abused by capitalistic hubris#he did in fact make some bomb ass dinosaurs just like he was hired to do#maybe get better security for your murder monsters

As an ex-animal welfare student I should watch the jurassic parks films and list every animal welfare violation I can find

Off the top of my head, the Indomunus Rex exhibit in Jurassic World is severely lacking in space, a human-sized entrance-exit, and a double-door system. All of those are very basic things every enclosure needs.

Not to mention the electric fence failure in Jurassic Park one. The fence had no backup power source and it was literally the only thing separating the dinosaurs from the visitors. At least use fences that can't be ripped through by a t-rex's teeth like scissors through paper. And add a freaking ditch, that's such a normal thing in zoos.

The Jurassic Park franchise has never been a warning about bringing dinosaurs back, it was a warning about following basic fucking zoo and animal welfare guidelines.

Now this is what I mean (metaphorically) by "enrichment in my enclosure"

Otter enclosure immersive experience...

What do you do if you see an animal/human safety issue while at a zoo?

A few days ago, I witnessed a lioness find a long piece of rusty wire a guest had shoved into a gap in the fencing… and before I could grab it from the public side, she pulled it through and began chewing on it! I knew how to find someone to address the problem, and she’s fine (they recalled the lions indoors and found where she had dropped it) but it made me realize it’s something not everyone would know as much about.

So, if you’re at a zoological facility and see a safety issue - dropped objects in a habitat, animals eating or playing with something they shouldn’t, people climbing fences or trying to pet animals - here’s how you report it:

In general, it is always way better for you to interrupt someone’s work or cut a line to alert staff to a safety issue than for an animal or person to get hurt. Some zoos have signs posted on grounds with a number to call if you notice a safety issue - it’s a great idea and I’d love to see all facilities do it!

WHY THE FUCK DID NOBODY TELL ME ABOUT THIS

washington zoo has had it's first armadillo (southern three-banded) birth in 116 years and the baby is so so so so so precious i could cry

congratulations to new armadillo parents Vespa and Scooter!!! (x)(x)

They named the baby Segway.

Jurassic Park except they provide proper enrichment for the animals and they therefor don’t feel the need to hunt slow, small humans.

“We stuffed this pumpkin full of live goats for the T. rex watch him try to get them out with his little fingers.”

“Turns out the raptors are cage breakers, so we’ve gotten them a series of door handles to manipulate. Little guys just love it.”

"The Rexes are incredibly affectionate pack animals, so we were careful to breed multiples. Be sure to come during spring time to watch them go broody over anything even vaguely egg-shaped." "We put the Raptors through target training and now if they are bored, hungry, or just want a scratch under the chin they go to spot near the bars and ring a little bell for attention." "Imprinting after hatching was so common that we now have keepers under contract to care for the animals well into adulthood to prevent them from pining." "The Gallimimus turned out to be just giant Canada Geese, and so fear nothing. Their keeper regularly has to stop them from trying to attack fences, guests, feeding buckets, and the now traumatised pack of Ceratosaurs in the next paddock."

"We also fired Dr. Henry Wu."

I have questions for OP either about how big they think a pumpkin is or about how small they think goats are.

In a fictional genetic theme park, we play by Roger Rabbit rules. They’re however large they need to be to make my joke work.

I respect that. Question withdrawn.

I had a real brain blast moment and decided the best possible birthday gift I could give myself would be to run absolutely hog wild through the American Museum of Natural History's online gift shop for 20 minutes and fulfill all those childhood museum gift shop promises I made to myself way back when, so I did that!

also in all seriousness, museums, zoos and aquariums are in dire straits from the pandemic so if you're looking for some scientific plushies or toys, please consider checking to see if your local institutions have an online store you can use!

Watching Jurassic Park and I have Opinions on this place as a zoo. Feeding the predators live prey?? There's other ways to provide enrichment! Also that enclosure is way too small for multiple large animals like that! Electric fences? Ha! Electric fences won't stop a fucking goat! Where's the zoo experts? Who designed these enclosures?? Were all zoos this shitty in the 90s???

This t-rex is so happy to be tearing a car apart and pushing it over a cliff! She's got so much energy! She needs healthy outlets! Where the fuck is her enrichment team???

Yeah there’s an AU fanfic here where people with actual knowledge of how to handle captive animals run Jurassic Park and manage to get through the whole crisis with only two fatalities and the park still intact. 

This is the Burmese Roofed Turtle. There are perhaps six of them left in the wild. There’s over a thousand in zoos. This is a very, very good thing.

There are five known females and while nobody’s seen a male in a while… well, we know there’s at least one. Habitat loss and environmental degradation have made this handsome beastie functionally extinct in the wild- but we’re not going to lose them. In fact, there’s a captive population of over 1000, including the 63 that hatched from the 110 wild eggs collected along the Upper Chindwin River in Myanmar. 

These hatchlings would not have survived in the wild. There’s too much against them.

Had they managed to hatch, they would have been at risk from predation and resource depletion. They would have been hunted- for collectors, or for food. One of the last wild adults was seen in 2007 in a Chinese market, after all. It’s not safe for this turtle anymore in the wild- but thanks to a carefully managed breeding program and six assurance colonies/reservoir populations located at Yangon Zoo, Lawkanandar Wildlife Sanctuary, Limpha Field Station, Htamanthi Wildife Sanctuary, Mandalay Zoo, and Singapore Zoo, this turtle has a future. Perhaps one day, there will be habitat for the Burmese Roofed Turtle. Perhaps one day, the water will be cleaner, the land in less demand. 

But even if it’s not, we won’t lose this species. We’ll be able to tell its story and make it clear that once these beautiful turtles swam in the wild- and they don’t anymore, but maybe one day they will again. Stuff like this is why I get so frustrated with blanket anti-zoo rhetoric. There’s literally no other way to preserve species like this in the actual world that exists today. For some species, in situ conservation is only delaying the inevitable; setting up healthy assurance colonies in zoos where the genetic diversity can be preserved and the species can be propagated is the only way forward. Without these programs, the Burmese Roofed Tortoise would go the way of the baiji or the vaquita. If you’d like to know more about the Turtle Survival Alliance and their work with the world’s critically endangered turtle species, they post a lot of cool stuff on Facebook.