Confrontations with other visitors

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Zoofan15 said:
Out of my friends who know little about zoos, the three dangerous animals they’re most surprised to learn are dangerous are chimpanzees, cassowary and tapir.

So much emphasis has been given to gorillas being portrayed as gentle giants over the past few decades (to offset the negative opinion generated by King Kong); as well as orangutans, chimps are often tarred with the same brush.

Tapir only appear to present a danger when it’s a mother protecting their young; but they can still deliver a nasty bite. I met a pair of them up close once and kept a safe distance, with my rucksack shielding my junk. I didn’t entirely trust them. :eek:
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Definitely agree with tapirs.

People always seem to think they are these goofy placid cowlike / horselike animals (here in Brazil the name for tapir "anta" is even used to refer to a stupid gormless person) and they are typically amiable but they can turn aggressive.

When you see them do the flehmen response and catch a glimpse of those gnashers it gives you pause for thought as does how temperamental they can be.
 
I remember the Dublin incident, I also remember once getting sprayed on by a tapir when I was a child, luckily it was only my feet.
 
I've met my share of obnoxious zoo visitors while visiting other zoos. I intervene when their behavior endangers themselves and others as well as poses an issue of animal welfare violation. So far, no backchat; they bite their lips and toddle off. Being tall and looking stern seems to help.
For the young, shy members: when witnessing such behavior, analyze the situation and act accordingly. A friendly, short word of advice might work better with some wrongdoers than a lengthy lecture. Don't get entangled in arguments. When in doubt, contact the zoo staff.
 
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Batto said:
I've met my share of obnoxious zoo visitors while visiting other zoos. I intervene when their behavior endangers themselves and others as well as poses an issue of animal welfare violation. So far, no backchat; they bite their lips and toddle off. Being tall and looking stern seems to help.
For the young, shy members: when witnessing such behavior, analyze the situation and act accordingly. A friendly, short word of advice might work better with some wrongdoers than a lengthy lecture. Don't get entangled in arguments. When in doubt, contact the zoo staff.
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That’s fair enough, personally I don’t have an issue regarding height or confidence, I find that socially compared to a lot of people my age I’m very confident around adults and can hold a good conversation, however I’m only 16 and due to that I sometimes feel like an adult would disregard or ignore me due to my age if I attempted to challenge them.
 
Jude T said:
personally I don’t have an issue regarding height or confidence, I find that socially compared to a lot of people my age I’m very confident around adults and can hold a good conversation
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Well, not a lack of confidence there... ^^
Maybe don't approach it as "challenging adults", but as doing your part for "the greater good."
 
Batto said:
Well, not a lack of confidence there... ^^
Maybe don't approach it as "challenging adults", but as doing your part for "the greater good."
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Haha I’ll bear it in mind, for the greater good ;)
 
Jude T said:
That’s fair enough, personally I don’t have an issue regarding height or confidence, I find that socially compared to a lot of people my age I’m very confident around adults and can hold a good conversation, however I’m only 16 and due to that I sometimes feel like an adult would disregard or ignore me due to my age if I attempted to challenge them.
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Also I apologise if this came across slightly arrogant, it’s not what I was intending.
 
littleRedPanda said:
Back in July just after the reopening of zoos and still under the advice of staying 2 metres apart, while I was focusing on the young bear at Wingham, some prat shout "booh!" behind me, coming so close I felt his breath on my neck.
I was genuinely stunned at the stupidity and I could hear his wife/gf giving him grief for it. I didn't even flinch though and kept focussed on the bear, finally turning round as the family walked out of view.
It seemed obvious to me I was his target and really wanted to say something when I saw them queueing at the cafe a little later. It even entered my mind to post a photo of the lout on the Wingham facebook, but I thought better of it.
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I apologise for not replying earlier, it seems he was just trying to show off to his female companion, an attempt that clearly didn’t work.
 
GiraffeJack10 said:
I once had a bit of a confrontation with a zoo visitor before. It was at Dudley zoo, one of my 'local' zoos, inside the giraffe house believe it or not. Some of you may have visited but if not I'll explain it to you, inside there is a tall barrier used to contain the giraffes, then there is a smaller barrier to keep visitors away from the giraffes. It was Summer so it was very busy and as I first entered the giraffe house that day I saw a group of small children standing on the other side of the lower barrier, presumably to get closer to the giraffes, but they left a few seconds after I arrived. Later in the day on my second visit to the giraffes I saw a man on the other side of the barrier lifting up a young child towards one of the giraffes, who was eating out of a bucket attached to the tall barrier. At first I just looked in a bit of disbelief at the ignorance of the man but after I said "You shouldn't be over there!" He glanced over at me and continued holding his child towards the giraffe. I tried to just shake if off and ignore it at first but then he decided to reach through the barrier and stroke the giraffe on the head while he was trying to eat. It was obvious that the giraffe felt uncomfortable with the man touching him. Seeing the animal stressed out by the ignorant and selfish behaviour of a zoo visitor really upset me so I said to him "I told you to stop!" He ignored me again, trying not to set a bad example to his child. Luckily the keeper was outside cleaning the paddock so I went outside and to tell them. Being a shy, introverted teenager, I felt nervous talking to tell the keeper because I didn't want to bother them but I did anyway. I said "Excuse me. Someone's on the other side of the fence stroking Kubwa." At first the keeper seemed annoyed as if I was making it up but when I mentioned the giraffe by name she ran out of the paddock and straight into the giraffe house. When I followed I heard her say to the man "As an adult you should know better!" And she told the man to leave.

That's the only time I've ever confronted a visitor. Normally I just mutter under my breath when I hear someone say something untrue about an animal, usually people calling apes, monkeys or telling their children myths about the species as if they were facts, but seeing someone ignoring signs and stressing an animal out in the process really angered me. Sorry for how long this is, I didn't plan on writing so much.
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As a shy teen who prefers animals to people I respect and applaud your speedy reaction. That could have ended badly for the guy's kid.
 
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I once had a minor argument on whether this was a grouper(him) or parrotfish(me)(I couldn't figure out what else it was)
506px-Humphead_Wrasse_at_Aeon_Okinawa.jpg

this is a hump head wrasse
It really doesn't look like either so we had to ask an aquarist who told us what it was.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
For real ?

I mean you have actually observed that in a zoo or botanical garden ?
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Yes. And it is more common then one may think.

Westcoastperson said:
elaborate
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Smoking in a tropical house is bad for the animals that live freely in their since the smoke will easier get into their lungs etc, as well as for visitors with asthma or other possible conditions that it may affect, as well as being quite gross to inhale 2nd hand smoke.

In this specific case smoking was strictly forbidden and has to be confronted. Most people are understanding but I've had 1 or 2 cases people went a bit out of line.
 
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