Chester Zoo "Bears of the World" random discussion
- Thread starter Zooreviewsuk
- Start date
How does an unidentified keeper at Edinburgh intentionally giving out dubious information about Chester (which is what was suggested) help to find a 'leak'?
Also interested to know how chat posted on a chat forum has actually impacted animal movements?
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taun
Well-Known Member
It helps Edinburgh Zoo find out who is leaking information in their keeping staff. Easy enough tell keeper A, panda leaving for Chester. Tell keeper B pandas are going back to China. Well keeper A is the leak and you take action.
I don't think anyone here is suggesting this is a test by Chester zoo management, who to be fair have gone out of their way to engage with this forum.
I've split off the "Bears of the World" theme from the news thread.
The murky world of zoo-based espionage
I find it all a bit far fetched but you never know... management at Edinburgh keeping close tabs on the Zoochat Chester thread just in case their plan comes to fruition.
Did keeper A and keeper B fallout and stop talking to each other?
The murky world of zoo-based espionage
I find it all a bit far fetched but you never know... management at Edinburgh keeping close tabs on the Zoochat Chester thread just in case their plan comes to fruition.
A lot of zoos will keep a very keen eye on this forum which is exactly why some people should learn to think before posting!
taun
Well-Known Member
The murky world of zoo-based espionage
I find it all a bit far fetched but you never know... management at Edinburgh keeping close tabs on the Zoochat Chester thread just in case their plan comes to fruition.
Well I would assume they would hope it was posted on the Edinburgh thread as it is Edinburgh news firstly.
UK zoos are well aware of zoochat, from management to unpaid volunteers.
The pandas are only partly to blame, senior management is primarily the reason why the collection has gone West.
Really?
Quotes from @zoogiraffe (Chester Zoo - Chester Zoo 2017 #1):
"Doesn't matter who told him what,because I am willing to bet if it was zoo staff they were having a laugh,by telling a pack of lies to see just how long it was before it was posted on here!"
"It happens at more than just Chester,I know that it has happened at another place that this user has visited as the staff told me they did as they knew anything they said would end of on here!"
Called out by @FunkyGibbon and myself on that thread as how absolutely idiotic this is.
Can you tell us what these were and why?
In some cases - potentially including this occasion - the fact the information may or may not be eventually posted on Zoochat isn't as relevant as the fact it is posted somewhere; I know one occasion where a leak was plugged due to keepers deliberately letting a particularly juicy (but false) bit of information slip to a regular visitor whose trustworthiness had come into question. After the information was posted to social media, the staff of the collection in question were then told to stop telling anything off-record to that individual.
I would be more specific, but the user in question is still a member of this forum.
The murky world of zoo-based espionage
I find it all a bit far fetched but you never know... management at Edinburgh keeping close tabs on the Zoochat Chester thread just in case their plan comes to fruition.
As noted elsewhere, it wouldn't be the specific thread they would be keeping an eye on, but the forum in general.
I don't think it would be wise to name specific names or locations when it comes to the most notable example - which many of the more long-standing members might actually recall - but in general terms:
Collection A was to receive Species X from Collection B; however Collection B had not yet been officially notified by the studbook that this was going to happen. A Zoochatter with links to the latter collection heard a rumour about this and created a sockpuppet account for the sole purpose of leaking the information in order to cause trouble. Trouble did ensue and as a result this particular move did not happen. However, Collection A *was* able to obtain Species X several years later.
That's not plugging a leak, that's putting a bit of gum over the hole and hoping the water stops running into the basin.
taun
Well-Known Member
Am sure Zoogiraffe is right but maybe I should have said I do not believe it is about having a laugh at Zoochat members.
I am not trusting by nature, too many people in the world will pull your pants down. I will do something similar to see if I can trust someone, but it not fake news or its insignificant to not cause trouble.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
To be fair zoogiraffe, in that particular string of posts I had mentioned keepers lying, Zia was responding directly to my comment about keepers lying, and your response to Zia was lacking in punctuation and hence could easily have been misconstrued as you saying management as opposed to keepers were lying (in the context of the preceding posts).
Exactly so. Not to say that is the case, but, as I say, it's exactly the sort of thing you would use if you were attempting that - a big, attention grabbing story that can have details tweaked to tell different people.
In any case, I'd generally rather be cautious and only post things officially released or that are visible by any visitor to the zoo to avoid causing problems. We are (normally) on the zoos' side, after all!
That reminds me very much of Tyrion in Game of Thrones season two, if anyone gets the reference you get brownie points off me!
@zoogiraffe if you are going to post comments that are out of context of the conversation (and lacking in punctuation) then misunderstandings will happen. Nonetheless - it looks like that is in fact what you were suggesting previously.