Incorrect 'facts' heard at zoos
- Thread starter nanoboy
- Start date
Whipsnade have a sign saying that 'saigo' were once present in the United Kingdom. I emailed and complained and was told that they had "forwarded your email to the relevant department and they have advised that it will be amended on the next re-print of the signs!"
I don't know what is worse, that it happened in the first place or that apparently it hasn't been noticed and there is no rush to correct it. It's supposed to be a serious scientific organisation.
They also have a common hippo labled as a pygmy hippo in their guidebook and I have seen the word 'breed' used instead of 'species' in a newsletter. It's just sloppy.
I don't know what is worse, that it happened in the first place or that apparently it hasn't been noticed and there is no rush to correct it. It's supposed to be a serious scientific organisation.
They also have a common hippo labled as a pygmy hippo in their guidebook and I have seen the word 'breed' used instead of 'species' in a newsletter. It's just sloppy.
I really hate to see this too...
also the young of antelope etc referred to as 'foals.' It is lowered standards.
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Mr T
Well-Known Member
Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a 'saigo'? I have never heard of them before and a google search came up with nothing.
It should be 'Saiga'- a Russian steppe-living antelope.
Saiga did but saigo didn't. I find this kind of thing annoying because even if you are a communications person or someone who writes copy without a zoological background you should at least get things checked. My work involves writing and important things get doubled checked and triple checked before publication by multiple people. Sometimes mistakes slip through but they are generally minor or obscure, not basic facts and terms.
Mr T
Well-Known Member
Right sorry. You mean that they had made a spelling mistake regarding the species rather than providing false information about previous distribution. Spelling mistakes are a nuisance but to be honest it is not unusual to find a zoo which has spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in their publications, be it newsletters, guide books or signs.
I know what you mean but I find it particularly irritating when ZSL make mistakes as they are a major scientific organisation. I would be more forgiving with a small family-run collection, for example.
..or either species of beaver, or a pacarana! Crested porkies can't be higher than fifth.
But then, Colchester have form in the area of rodent-related mistakes: http://www.zoochat.com/57/hutia-colchester-06-a-36564/
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Passing off the wolves as being European doesn't impress me either.
azcheetah2
Well-Known Member
Oh, that is a real funny sign! I'll be giggling about it for days!
azcheetah2
Well-Known Member
I've never heard a keeper give incorrect information, but have heard 'educators' do it plenty of times. One said the new tiger they'd just gotten had come from the Woodland Park Zoo...in OREGON! Another said she didn't know where the tiger had come from. Yesterday I was at the zoo watching the male Jaguar walk around and a docent walked up and said "it looks like the female is out today" when clearly it was a male cat. When I told her it was the male she asked if I was sure then I heard her say "This is Harry, the male Jaguar" to some people who'd just walked up. Oftentimes I know more than the volunteers do.
Another time I was at Sea World and one of their educators was at Shamu Close-Up. He gave the wrong age of the whale that was swimming around. The same guy, on a different visitor, said you could tell Corky from the others because she often swam around upside down. That's all well and good except the whale that was swimming around was also swimming upside down and was NOT Corky. They ALL do that behavior. I knew it wasn't Corky due to the lack of coloring on the mammary slits. She's the only female orca at Sea World who has black markings there.
Another time I was at Sea World and one of their educators was at Shamu Close-Up. He gave the wrong age of the whale that was swimming around. The same guy, on a different visitor, said you could tell Corky from the others because she often swam around upside down. That's all well and good except the whale that was swimming around was also swimming upside down and was NOT Corky. They ALL do that behavior. I knew it wasn't Corky due to the lack of coloring on the mammary slits. She's the only female orca at Sea World who has black markings there.
I have noticed various mistakes in guidebooks and on enclosures.
The most offputting was when I visited a snake farm in Bangkok. An animal enclosure had the magic words 'flying lemur'. My guides kept wondering why I kept returning to the enclosure. Eventually, the animal emerged - it was a giant flying squirrel - a very attractive animal, but not a flying lemur.
The London Zoo guide book had a series of amazing facts. One of these was that nearly all Australian mammals are marsupials. I accept that few people are interested in Australian bats and rodents, but they total about the same as the number of marsupials.
Inside Zoo World in London Zoo's Casson Pavilion is a photo of a 'ruffed lemur' - it is an indri.
Years ago, London's Oxford Street had a dolphinarium, but the photo on a London postcard was taken at Miami.
In the gaur enclosure in the Paris Menagerie, two notices give the gaur two different scientific names.
The most offputting was when I visited a snake farm in Bangkok. An animal enclosure had the magic words 'flying lemur'. My guides kept wondering why I kept returning to the enclosure. Eventually, the animal emerged - it was a giant flying squirrel - a very attractive animal, but not a flying lemur.
The London Zoo guide book had a series of amazing facts. One of these was that nearly all Australian mammals are marsupials. I accept that few people are interested in Australian bats and rodents, but they total about the same as the number of marsupials.
Inside Zoo World in London Zoo's Casson Pavilion is a photo of a 'ruffed lemur' - it is an indri.
Years ago, London's Oxford Street had a dolphinarium, but the photo on a London postcard was taken at Miami.
In the gaur enclosure in the Paris Menagerie, two notices give the gaur two different scientific names.
Mr T
Well-Known Member
This is not uncommon given they will have been translating it from Thai into English. Whenever you translate there will be mistakes. Also you state it is a snake farm, not a zoo and probably not there for educational reasons.
You're right, Mr T
I wasn't expecting to see an an unusual species at the snake farm, so I was pleasantly surprised to see an enclosure supposedly containing a flying lemur, one of the animals that is high on my list of animals I want to see. I have seen other animals that have been labelled wrongly, but none that are so distantly related to the species I expected to see.
I wasn't expecting to see an an unusual species at the snake farm, so I was pleasantly surprised to see an enclosure supposedly containing a flying lemur, one of the animals that is high on my list of animals I want to see. I have seen other animals that have been labelled wrongly, but none that are so distantly related to the species I expected to see.
at the Angkor Zoo in Cambodia there were two ID signs I particularly liked: one on an aviary containing quail said "(Turkey?)" [yes, with the question mark] and then there was one saying "strange snake head of boa body of cobra" - there was a python in that cage but I'd love to know what the sign was actually for!Dassie rat said:
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
The track Frank Zappa never got round to performing live.
Again at Whipsnade- the information boards for the female Indian Rhinos have the photos of the two adult females transposed, so on the wrong boards- I'm presuming they are still like that.
I have several times heard staff in 'talk and feed' sessions refer to an animal being very important genetically 'because his/her parents were wildcaught' whereas in fact the true reason is because that particular animal is not genetically well represented in the zoo population. There is some difference between the two statements.