Ask a zookeeper (1 Viewer)

[valence]

If you had the chance to visit any ten zoos in the world, which would they be, in order -- and why?Also, GREAT thread! Thanks!

I'll list ten but not in any particular order. I still need to hit several of these some day:Bronx zoo - one of the largest, if not the largest zoo in a metropolitan area.Zoological Gardens of South Africa. I'm fascinated with how foreign zoos do things differently than us.Berlin Zoo - This place has been around since the mid 19th century and it survived WW2. Schonbrunner Zoo - oldest zoo in the world. late 18th century I believe.Singapore zoo - the exhibits in this zoo are absolutely amazing. Nearly all of perfectly simulate the animals natural habitats. Lots of "walk-in" type exhibits as well.San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park - A must see just for it's immense size and variety of animals. This park has been a pioneer in "cageless" exhibit design for the USDisney's Animal Kingdom - Nearly everything here is state of the art. Great for the animals and the guests. Some of the rides are pretty fun for adults too.Georgia Aquarium - Only place in this country that you can see Whale sharks. Pretty expensive, but totally worth the experience of seeing the worlds largest fish.Lion Country Safari - Pretty cool drive through Safari Park in West Palm Beach, FLAustralia Zoo - Home of the Crocodile Hunter. I miss that guy.

 

[valence]

Given your experience, do you think that keeping animals in captivity is cruel? If not for some species, then for others?

Some species yes. I don't think many facilities can correctly care for elephants. I include my zoo in this. There just isn't enough space for them at most zoos. I'm not sold on Rhinos in zoos either.

 

[valence]

Great thread. Do you ever got frustrated watching movies and Hollywood's unrealistic portrayal of animal abilities? For instance, in Madagascar, the animals talking.

Not really. I don't like clothes on animals though. Especially people that dress up their dogs.

 

[valence]

Can you milk a gerbil?

I'm sure you could if you tried hard enough. I'm not sure why you'd want to though. Really weird question btw. It reminds me of the episode of the Simpsons where Tony is milking rats and selling it to the school.

 

[valence]

How do you feel about pests in and around the the home such as mice, racoons, and fisher cats?Also, what do you think about herd populations and people? I live in an area that can support 3-5 dear per square mile, yet due to hunting regulations we have 15-20 deer per sqaure mile and serious problem with ticks and Lyme disease.

I'm not a small rodent type of guy. I don't really like rats and mice, especially ones that want to eat my food or leave droppings everywhere. I love raccoons though. I'm cool with them hanging around. I'm not sure I would call a fisher cat a pest.I'm ok with hunting as a way to control deer populations. That sucks. Overpopulation just leads to old and sick deer with diseases hanging around and that's never good.

 

[valence]

Pound for pound, which animal is the toughest/fiercest? For example if a raccoon was the size of a bear, could the raccoon win in a fight? (Lets assume all the animals would be hungry/in the mood to fight). My personal pick would be a wolverine or polar bear.ETA: Take venomous animals out of the equation...i'm looking more along the lines of who'd win in a scrap...If a gorilla starts attacking a zookeeper, what is the standard protocol for the other keepers as well as the guy being attacked?

Still going with Polar bear here. Perhaps a tiger shark. those things will eat anything. A giant raccoon would probably outsmart most things. that doesn't necessarily mean it would win the fight.

 

[valence]

What animal eats the most per its body weight?What animal requires the most personal attention and social interaction?What's the single most important thing a zoo visitor should do (or not do) to enhance their visit?Great thread!

1. Blue Whales can eat up to two tons of food a day. I'm not sure if that's the absolute most but it's got to be up there. Imagine how much krill you'd have to eat to hit 2 tons. Blue Whale babies can grow up to 200 pounds (up to 20% of it's body weight) a day while nursing.2. Elephants and great apes require a ton of attention because they are so intelligent. they need lots of activities to keep them busy and keep them from getting too stressed out. Parrots and Macaws require a ton of time as well because they are such social animals. That's one of the reasons they make terrible pets. A parrot not getting enough attention will not be a joy to be around.

 

[Harry Manback]

How do you feel about pests in and around the the home such as mice, racoons, and fisher cats?Also, what do you think about herd populations and people? I live in an area that can support 3-5 dear per square mile, yet due to hunting regulations we have 15-20 deer per sqaure mile and serious problem with ticks and Lyme disease.

New Englander?

Has to be.

 

[Harry Manback]

I had an indoor cat in newton, ma, moved out to the suburbs and decided to let the cat outdoors. Big mistake. The fisher cat won the battle.The fisher cat sounds like a baby/young child crying, it is an awful sound at night.

Yeah, my buddy lives up in NH and we've heard them scream.Really really creepy.Freaked his girlfriend completely out, we all laughed but agreed it was creepy as anything.

 

[Twilight]

If you had the chance to visit any ten zoos in the world, which would they be, in order -- and why?

Also, GREAT thread! Thanks!

I'll list ten but not in any particular order. I still need to hit several of these some day:Georgia Aquarium - Only place in this country that you can see Whale sharks. Pretty expensive, but totally worth the experience of seeing the worlds largest fish.

Definitely agree with this. Here's a couple of shots of the whale sharks passing overhead, although none really give a good size comparison.Pic 1

Pic 2(The sharks aren't the only ones that are impressive when they pass overhead. The large school of rays are just as cool in their own way.)

Pic 3

Pic 4 (No shark, but that's the tube through the bottom of the Main Tank where the sharks are)

I've been to quite a few aquariums and zoos, and the Georgia Aquarium is definitely #1 on the Aquarium list, with Monterey, then Baltimore behind it.

 

[Harry Manback]

Pound for pound, which animal is the toughest/fiercest? For example if a raccoon was the size of a bear, could the raccoon win in a fight? (Lets assume all the animals would be hungry/in the mood to fight). My personal pick would be a wolverine or polar bear.ETA: Take venomous animals out of the equation...i'm looking more along the lines of who'd win in a scrap...If a gorilla starts attacking a zookeeper, what is the standard protocol for the other keepers as well as the guy being attacked?

Still going with Polar bear here. Perhaps a tiger shark. those things will eat anything. A giant raccoon would probably outsmart most things. that doesn't necessarily mean it would win the fight.

I'd put my money on a polar bear sized wolverine personally.

 

[Twilight]

Given your experience, do you think that keeping animals in captivity is cruel? If not for some species, then for others?

Some species yes. I don't think many facilities can correctly care for elephants. I include my zoo in this. There just isn't enough space for them at most zoos. I'm not sold on Rhinos in zoos either.

Always have to show off this pic of a Rhino in a tiny enclosure in small drive through zoo in Garden City, Kansas

 

[gianmarco]

Given your experience, do you think that keeping animals in captivity is cruel? If not for some species, then for others?

Some species yes. I don't think many facilities can correctly care for elephants. I include my zoo in this. There just isn't enough space for them at most zoos. I'm not sold on Rhinos in zoos either.

Always have to show off this pic of a Rhino in a tiny enclosure in small drive through zoo in Garden City, Kansas

Love the sign at the bottom of the pic.

 

[gianmarco]

I would like to hear an "Oh My God, that did not just happen moment " story in each of the following three areas:

1) An animal displaying intelligence that shocked you

2) An animal displaying physical ability/agility that shocked you

3) An animal displaying empathy that shocked you

thanks, and again, just a great thread.

1.) I'll go with Malayan Tapirs for this one. I've only been working with these guys for the last two years since I've been at WPZ, but they have become one of my absolute favorites. Hoofstock in general are not considered to be extremely intelligent, but tapirs, or at least our tapirs seem to have some problem solving ability. Last fall when the leaves had pretty much all fallen off the trees, I witnessed it first hand. Mama tapir (Kelang) was stretching up to reach a branch that still had quite a few fresh leaves left, but the branch was just out of reach of her amazing mini-trunk like proboscis. She called a few times to baby tapir (Rindang) and Rindang (who was really a juvenile but we still call her baby) came over to investigate the situation. Keland sat down on her hind legs kind of like a dog sits. Rindang proceeded to prop her 700lb body up on Kelangs back and got just enough extra height to bring down the branch for them both to share. I couldn't believe it, but team tapir displayed a level of intelligence that I and their other keepers had not thought possible.2. One of scariest ones happened just last year when we got in our new male silverback gorilla Leonel. It was my first day working gorillas in quite some time and it was the first time meeting Leo. He has had a history of abuse with men so he wasn't so happy to meet me. As soon as I entered his area he charged the mesh separating me and him and hit it so hard that it left a 400 lb gorilla sized dent in some heavy gauge mesh. The female keepers promptly shifted him out of the area and facilities was called to immediately install a much much stronger barrier between him and the keeper staff.

3. I'll go with gorillas again on this one. Often times, a first time mother will reject their infants. In these cases the baby gorilla is often hand raised until it can take care of itself. We always try to find a surrogate mother for them. Usually an older female that has had experience raising babies. It always amazes me the level of compassion often shown to the baby who is not their own. That happened with our oldest gorilla Nina and one of our nine year olds named Akenji. Akenji's mother rejected her for whatever reason, but Nina stepped in and raised her and today they have one of the strongest bonds of any two of our gorillas.

Are you sure you don't like the tapirs because they have the longest penis of the animal kingdom?

They are pretty impressive. Plus they are barbed and honestly, who wouldn't want a barbed penis?

That is AWESOME. I didn't know they were barbed. Where can I get one?

 

[gianmarco]

Can you milk a gerbil?

I'm sure you could if you tried hard enough. I'm not sure why you'd want to though. Really weird question btw. It reminds me of the episode of the Simpsons where Tony is miling rats and selling it to the school.

 

[Verbal Kint]

Do many of the zookeepers hook up? And, since I'm assuming the answer is yes, where is the primo location in the zoo to "do it"?

Also, what's the difference between a hampster, a gerbil and a guinea pig?

 

[MC Gusto]

I've always been intrigued by birds of prey. Can you talk a little more about the bond that is formed b/t a bird and it's handler? It seems like they're such independent animals. What is it that makes them so loyal?

The bond between a Falconer and his bird is one based off mutual respect. Traditionally Falconers use their birds to hunt. After a successful kill the bird and the falconer share the meal so in a sense they rely on each other for sustinance. One reason almost every zoo has a Harris' Hawk is because of this previous fact. Harris' Hawks are unique in that they will work together with other Harris' Hawks to take down larger prey and share the kill. They make great Falconer birds because they handler in a sense becomes a member of the pack. Instead of hunting with other birds, they hunt with the handler.It's a tough road though. a bird of prey must go through a period of being "manned down" where they learn to take food from the handler(s), get comfortable on the glove and eventually get to a point where the bird can reliably fly untethered and return to the glove. This transition can take a long time and is different for every bird.Obviously in a zoo setting we aren't doing hunting with the birds, but the ones that can fly are used in an education show where they get to fly and show off their skills with a lure. Unfortunately, many of the birds we get in zoos are rehabs that were shot, or hit by a car or had some other injury that prevents them from flying.

Thanks! My first stop on every zoo trip is to see when the BOP show is! Thanks!

 

[Tecumseh]

Are anteaters generally pretty proud of being an anteater?

 

[valence]

If you had the chance to visit any ten zoos in the world, which would they be, in order -- and why?

Also, GREAT thread! Thanks!

I'll list ten but not in any particular order. I still need to hit several of these some day:Georgia Aquarium - Only place in this country that you can see Whale sharks. Pretty expensive, but totally worth the experience of seeing the worlds largest fish.

Definitely agree with this. Here's a couple of shots of the whale sharks passing overhead, although none really give a good size comparison.Pic 1

Pic 2(The sharks aren't the only ones that are impressive when they pass overhead. The large school of rays are just as cool in their own way.)

Pic 3

Pic 4 (No shark, but that's the tube through the bottom of the Main Tank where the sharks are)

I've been to quite a few aquariums and zoos, and the Georgia Aquarium is definitely #1 on the Aquarium list, with Monterey, then Baltimore behind it.

nice shots. here are some of mine I believe theres some whale shark shots in there. They might be in the Japan directory though from my visit to Osaka.

 

[valence]

Are anteaters generally pretty proud of being an anteater?

more specifically, that's a Tamandua.

 

[Tecumseh]

Are anteaters generally pretty proud of being an anteater?

more specifically, that's a Tamandua.

Do Tamanduas generally experience feelings of inadequacy and anteater envy?

 

[Workhorse]

Great thread which I'm only part of the way through.

Apologies if this has been already said but the one thing that has always made me uncomfortable about zoos is that it seems like you sometimes have animals that are being kept in climates that their bodies aren't used to. Is that a concern for cold weather/warm weather zookeepers and can you give us some examples of what zookeepers do to keep the animals comfortable in extreme weather conditions.

Thanks.

 

[valence]

Are anteaters generally pretty proud of being an anteater?

more specifically, that's a Tamandua.

Do Tamanduas generally experience feelings of inadequacy and anteater envy?

I believe that most tamanduas are quite content with their situation.

 

[valence]

Great thread which I'm only part of the way through.Apologies if this has been already said but the one thing that has always made me uncomfortable about zoos is that it seems like you sometimes have animals that are being kept in climates that their bodies aren't used to. Is that a concern for cold weather/warm weather zookeepers and can you give us some examples of what zookeepers do to keep the animals comfortable in extreme weather conditions.Thanks.

It's not really an issue with today's modern zoo's. Occasionally smaller zoos have a problem when they have extreme weather that they aren't prepared for. I believe a giraffe passed at the Tulsa zoo last month due to unexpected extreme cold, but there was probably something else going on there as well.Our giraffe barn is heated to 70 degrees pretty much year round and the animals have access outside (unless it's freezing temps) so they can choose where they want to be. The reverse is true for warm weather zoos. You have to keep in mind that most animals are hardier than people may think. Saying that an animal is too cold\hot is often just misplaced anthropomorphosizing. For instance, people often worry about the polar bears at the Phoneix zoo, but their 4" of blubber insulates them from the heat just as well as the cold. Although it is very dry there humidity wise, just like their natural habitat so that helps.

 

[Das Boot]

If you had the chance to visit any ten zoos in the world, which would they be, in order -- and why?

Also, GREAT thread! Thanks!

I'll list ten but not in any particular order. I still need to hit several of these some day:Georgia Aquarium - Only place in this country that you can see Whale sharks. Pretty expensive, but totally worth the experience of seeing the worlds largest fish.

Definitely agree with this. Here's a couple of shots of the whale sharks passing overhead, although none really give a good size comparison.Pic 1

Pic 2(The sharks aren't the only ones that are impressive when they pass overhead. The large school of rays are just as cool in their own way.)

Pic 3

Pic 4 (No shark, but that's the tube through the bottom of the Main Tank where the sharks are)

I've been to quite a few aquariums and zoos, and the Georgia Aquarium is definitely #1 on the Aquarium list, with Monterey, then Baltimore behind it.

nice shots. here are some of mine I believe theres some whale shark shots in there. They might be in the Japan directory though from my visit to Osaka.

This little guy is intense

 

[Das Boot]

nice shots. here are some of mine I believe theres some whale shark shots in there. They might be in the Japan directory though from my visit to Osaka.

Seeing this pic from your trip is funny after some of the earlier discussion.

 

[valence]

nice shots. here are some of mine I believe theres some whale shark shots in there. They might be in the Japan directory though from my visit to Osaka.

Seeing this pic from your trip is funny after some of the earlier discussion.

haha, that's actually from a trip to Switzerland though.

 

[jplvr]

Which animal smells the worst? And not their dung. Just their natural scent.

Carnivores like Tigers and Lions are pretty foul. It smells like death in those indoor holding areas.

Is that because they are in small areas? Seems that would be a big disadvantage to smell so rank in the wild.

Animals know how to use the wind. You could soak a lion in diesel fuel and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't prohibit it from catching prey.

 

[General Malaise]

Are anteaters generally pretty proud of being an anteater?

:( Well played, Tecumseh.

 

[jplvr]

How do you feel about pests in and around the the home such as mice, racoons, and fisher cats?Also, what do you think about herd populations and people? I live in an area that can support 3-5 dear per square mile, yet due to hunting regulations we have 15-20 deer per sqaure mile and serious problem with ticks and Lyme disease.

I'm not a small rodent type of guy. I don't really like rats and mice, especially ones that want to eat my food or leave droppings everywhere. I love raccoons though. I'm cool with them hanging around. I'm not sure I would call a fisher cat a pest.I'm ok with hunting as a way to control deer populations. That sucks. Overpopulation just leads to old and sick deer with diseases hanging around and that's never good.

The local state park just outside of Birmingham recently had to do this. It was considered controversial at first, but when reported weights of does were under 50 lbs and bucks aging out at 5-7 years were often under 100 (should weigh 150+ and often over 200), something had to be done. At first the hunts were open to the public, but now I'm pretty sure they bring in specialist since public hunting often lead to trophy hunters. I was interested (and happy) at your response here. I drove by the park entrance every morning on my way to work and never understood the protestors considering the weights of those animals. It was more cruel to keep letting those deer live lives like that.It's kind of like a closed cell lake like we have on a piece of property. Catch and release is a good thing to practice in most situations, but in a 7 acre bass lake, a certain percentage of biomass of bass needs to be removed every year to keep the system in balance.

 

[NRV77]

This thing showed up at the jobsite when I was working in Hawaii. Do you know what it is?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35092502@N04/3254622994/

 

[caglassc]

1. How are successful zoos organized? Who typically owns a zoo? What is the management structure like? How do zoos acquire property? What type of facility managers and planners do you keep?

2. You mentioned PETA earlier - what other organizations have a beef with zoos? And, do the zoos counter protests (ban them, or launch marketing campaigns, etc)?

3. Are there national organizations that inspect zoos or provide them or individuals with some type of certification?

4. When you acquire a new animal or need to move an animal from the zoo are there companies that specialize in that type of thing? Or, does the zoo do it themselves?

By the way this is a great, great thread. Very interesting!!!

 

[jplvr]

And ditto on the great thread.

There are many a book on zookeeping though, I'd guess. This Q&A format has been pretty interesting to follow though with plenty of humor mixed in. I don't know how you'd translate that to a book.

 

[Drifter]

I would like to swim with the seals sometime. It looks like they are having fun. If I dove in with them would they bite my nibblets off or try to have carnal knowledge of me. (Not that either would necessarily discourage me.)

I snorkeled with sea lions in the Galapagos. Was pretty damn amazing. That's the females of course. I wouldn't mess with the males.

 

[Mrs DaVinci]

Thank you for such a great thread.

We were members of Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium before my children started school full-time. The kids and I probably visited the zoo/or aquarium every other week because we loved the "special exhibitions/behind the scenes activities" that we got to see/participate in.

I liked Atlanta's set-up where they focused on one animal per week. I used it as a learning tool for the kids. Just the amount info/knowledge that they were exposed to on each animal was amazing. Even today, my children can give specifics on the animals of the marsupial family, tell you about the habitat of the white faced capuchin monkey, etc. etc...all of which I contribute to our zoo and aquarium programs.

Does your zoo offer these type of activities for the kids? Do you ever lead the exhibitions/activities?

This thread is super awesome..

 

[Clown Car]

This thread is great and has made me look even more forward to our trip to Zoo Atlanta and GA Aquarium next week! Thanks so much. Write that book, it would be wonderful.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

I would like to swim with the seals sometime. It looks like they are having fun. If I dove in with them would they bite my nibblets off or try to have carnal knowledge of me. (Not that either would necessarily discourage me.)

I snorkeled with sea lions in the Galapagos. Was pretty damn amazing. That's the females of course. I wouldn't mess with the males.

That had to be sweet. Did you see any of those iguanas they have. I understand they will dive in the surf zone, cling to the rocks, and have themselves a nice munch. I'd like to do that some day. I keep trying to sell my wife on a Puru trip with a side to the Galepagos.

 

[McJose]

This thing showed up at the jobsite when I was working in Hawaii. Do you know what it is?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35092502@N04/3254622994/

Wow. That's sweet.ETA: Just looked it up. Oleander Hawk Moth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphnis_nerii

 

[Drifter]

I would like to swim with the seals sometime. It looks like they are having fun. If I dove in with them would they bite my nibblets off or try to have carnal knowledge of me. (Not that either would necessarily discourage me.)

I snorkeled with sea lions in the Galapagos. Was pretty damn amazing. That's the females of course. I wouldn't mess with the males.

That had to be sweet. Did you see any of those iguanas they have. I understand they will dive in the surf zone, cling to the rocks, and have themselves a nice munch. I'd like to do that some day. I keep trying to sell my wife on a Puru trip with a side to the Galepagos.

These guysOnly iguana in the world that swims. They sit out on the rocks until they warm up sufficiently and then dive into the surf and eat the seaweed and algae on the bottom. Then, before they get too cold to move, they drag themselves back to the rocks and sit in the sun and digest.

They're everywhere. The first time we saw one, we were all excited and snapping pics, and then we went around the corner to a rocky point and there were hundreds of the buggers.

Very cool trip. Highly recommend to anyone interested in nature. Quito and surrounding area is also very cool

 

[Guest]

I would like to swim with the seals sometime. It looks like they are having fun. If I dove in with them would they bite my nibblets off or try to have carnal knowledge of me. (Not that either would necessarily discourage me.)

I snorkeled with sea lions in the Galapagos. Was pretty damn amazing. That's the females of course. I wouldn't mess with the males.

That had to be sweet. Did you see any of those iguanas they have. I understand they will dive in the surf zone, cling to the rocks, and have themselves a nice munch. I'd like to do that some day. I keep trying to sell my wife on a Puru trip with a side to the Galepagos.

These guysOnly iguana in the world that swims. They sit out on the rocks until they warm up sufficiently and then dive into the surf and eat the seaweed and algae on the bottom. Then, before they get too cold to move, they drag themselves back to the rocks and sit in the sun and digest.

They're everywhere. The first time we saw one, we were all excited and snapping pics, and then we went around the corner to a rocky point and there were hundreds of the buggers.

Very cool trip. Highly recommend to anyone interested in nature. Quito and surrounding area is also very cool

I saw this on David Attenborough's show... Blew me away!!! When I was on the Reef last month, on a tiny island, he was there BTW. Left the day I arrived. Could walk around the whole island in forty minutes... Would have been fun to watch him shoot! He was doing something on invertebrates. As usual, I was a day late and a dollar short.

 

[FBGirl79]

awesome thread! I've been to the Cincy zoo a ton but I really want to see the Columbus zoo. I'm gonna have to head up there this spring.

After reading this thread I want to go dig out all the pictures from my safari in Kenya in 2004. After going to Africa and seeing the animals freely roam I had a hard time going to the zoo for a while because I felt so bad for the animals being confined. It makes more sense and a little comforting that most of the animals are born that way and not captured from the wild.

When I got back from my trip and went the zoofor the first time again I immediately noticed that the giraffes and lions looked so different at our zoo than they did in Africa, is that because of them not being born there or are there different types?

 

[Fro]

Bear vs. Gorilla. Who ya got?

 

[prosopis]

Nice thread I am at page 1.

 

[cosjobs]

The zoo is on fire.

You can save seven animals.

Name them.

(forget logistics or logic, you get to save seven. period)

Which animal was 8th and why didn't it make the cut.

 

[cosjobs]

Given the choice that you could come back reincarnated as one animal at your zoo, what would it be?

I don't believe in reincarnation, but I'd have to say that big cats have it pretty good. Sleep 20+ hours a day and never have to hunt for their food.

The names of all the animals are written on cards and placed in a goldfish bowl.You will be reincarnated as the animal whose name is drawn from the bowl.You get to choose five animals who will not be included.Name them.

 

[cosjobs]

I saw a dude hand feeding a lion horse meat at MGM Grand.Is he totally crazy?

Just don't yank it back and go "nah nah".

"neigh neigh?"

 

[zoonation]

Bear vs. Gorilla. Who ya got?

a bear would smash a gorilla. that wouldn't be a long fight

 

[valence]

1. How are successful zoos organized? Who typically owns a zoo? What is the management structure like? How do zoos acquire property? What type of facility managers and planners do you keep?

2. You mentioned PETA earlier - what other organizations have a beef with zoos? And, do the zoos counter protests (ban them, or launch marketing campaigns, etc)?

3. Are there national organizations that inspect zoos or provide them or individuals with some type of certification?

4. When you acquire a new animal or need to move an animal from the zoo are there companies that specialize in that type of thing? Or, does the zoo do it themselves?

By the way this is a great, great thread. Very interesting!!!

1. This one is a little above my head as I'm not involved with the management of the zoo. It's unfortunate that the higher up you get in zoos, the farther you get from the animals. For that reason, I'm undecided as to whether I would want to eventually be in management. Back to your questions though... Zoos are typically owned by the city or are privately owned nonprofit organizations. It depends on who owns them as to how they get property. Zoos typically have an entire facilities and maintenance department. Their workers are part of different unions, so they pretty much do maintenance and upkeep on all facets of the zoo grounds. We also have a horticulture department that cares for all the plants on grounds. On the other side of it there is an HR department, planning and development, marketing, fundraising etc. All of the other stuff most businesses have.2. There's a million of them. Friends of Elephants is one who regular protests outside our zoo.

3. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) are the regulating body. All zoos must meet strict guidelines in order to achieve AZA accreditation. Every four years you are inspected and either reaccredited or loose your accreditation.

4. It depends on the animal. a lot of them are shipped larger ones are crated and either driven by one of the zoos or flown. If able, one of the keepers goes with the animal to the new zoo to help acclimate them to their new home. For the case of really big animals like giraffe, you might have to hire someone that have these giant modified telescoping horse trailers. They can extend to 18 feet tall or lower for going under overpasses and such.

 

[valence]

Thank you for such a great thread.We were members of Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium before my children started school full-time. The kids and I probably visited the zoo/or aquarium every other week because we loved the "special exhibitions/behind the scenes activities" that we got to see/participate in. I liked Atlanta's set-up where they focused on one animal per week. I used it as a learning tool for the kids. Just the amount info/knowledge that they were exposed to on each animal was amazing. Even today, my children can give specifics on the animals of the marsupial family, tell you about the habitat of the white faced capuchin monkey, etc. etc...all of which I contribute to our zoo and aquarium programs.Does your zoo offer these type of activities for the kids? Do you ever lead the exhibitions/activities? This thread is super awesome..

We do have activities like those for kids during the peak season. we have a special kids section of the zoo called "Zoomazium". I do public keeper talks and giraffe feeds and things like that but I don't specifically lead kids activities though. My first job at the SF zoo was as a summer camp lead teacher though.Glad you are enjoying the thread!

 

[valence]

I would like to swim with the seals sometime. It looks like they are having fun. If I dove in with them would they bite my nibblets off or try to have carnal knowledge of me. (Not that either would necessarily discourage me.)

I snorkeled with sea lions in the Galapagos. Was pretty damn amazing. That's the females of course. I wouldn't mess with the males.

That had to be sweet. Did you see any of those iguanas they have. I understand they will dive in the surf zone, cling to the rocks, and have themselves a nice munch. I'd like to do that some day. I keep trying to sell my wife on a Puru trip with a side to the Galepagos.

Peru is awesome man. I highly recommend doing the 5 day Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu If you are a hiker in decent shape. Amazing trip. I've always wanted to go do a liveaboard dive trip in the galapagos. Haven't made it yet, but some day.