Said beluga is a young male named Tyonek, rescued after being found alone in Cook Inlet.
Animals That Simply Don't Interest You
- Thread starter BedildaSue
- Start date
I've never been a fan of seeing domestic animals in zoos, unless they are really interesting looking or striking or extremely cute etc - and of course if they aren't in a "farmyard area", then I don't understand why they even display them. Even semi-domestic animals such as water buffalo bore me to tears.
I also get a bit bored when a zoo displays far too many species of ungulate. Don't get me wrong, I do like ungulates, but I don't really want to see 7 species of deer, 7 species of wild goat, and 7 species of antelope all in the same zoo. I much prefer zoos which display one deer species, one antelope species and then use the leftover resources to display other interesting animals. I think that Mogo Zoo (in Australia) really does this well. The ungulates they have on display are White Rhinos, Giraffe, Zebra and Fallow Deer (and the deer can be fed) - I really like this model because all four ungulates are very different to each other. Another zoo in Australia (Altina) simply displays every ungulate species it can get its hands on, and I just find it a boring zoo for that reason.
The other thing I find is that I don't really get excited about seeing an animal which I feel is "out of place" - so if a zoo has an African savannah theme, then I feel that Gorillas are out of place as rainforest animals, and I've got myself in the headspace to see savannah animals.
Like others who've commented here, I'm also not a great fan of chimpanzees - and I don't really know why. Perhaps it's that their simply too similar to humans and I go to zoos to get away from people.... who knows.... I love watching most primates, but for whatever reason chimps just don't do it for me.
And of course, as an Australian, most Australian animals are less interesting to me than exotic animals for obvious reasons.
That said, I love visiting zoos and I do tend to enjoy watching any animal - even the ones I'm not too enthusiastic about.
I also get a bit bored when a zoo displays far too many species of ungulate. Don't get me wrong, I do like ungulates, but I don't really want to see 7 species of deer, 7 species of wild goat, and 7 species of antelope all in the same zoo. I much prefer zoos which display one deer species, one antelope species and then use the leftover resources to display other interesting animals. I think that Mogo Zoo (in Australia) really does this well. The ungulates they have on display are White Rhinos, Giraffe, Zebra and Fallow Deer (and the deer can be fed) - I really like this model because all four ungulates are very different to each other. Another zoo in Australia (Altina) simply displays every ungulate species it can get its hands on, and I just find it a boring zoo for that reason.
The other thing I find is that I don't really get excited about seeing an animal which I feel is "out of place" - so if a zoo has an African savannah theme, then I feel that Gorillas are out of place as rainforest animals, and I've got myself in the headspace to see savannah animals.
Like others who've commented here, I'm also not a great fan of chimpanzees - and I don't really know why. Perhaps it's that their simply too similar to humans and I go to zoos to get away from people.... who knows.... I love watching most primates, but for whatever reason chimps just don't do it for me.
And of course, as an Australian, most Australian animals are less interesting to me than exotic animals for obvious reasons.
That said, I love visiting zoos and I do tend to enjoy watching any animal - even the ones I'm not too enthusiastic about.
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
You'd hate Tierpark Berlin, then
As much as I would love the mentioned Altina if they really have every imaginable species of ungulate hehehe
Only 7? When I visited Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin the next, I think I have seen over 20 (sub)species of deer in two days!
I saw 23 deer taxa between the two collections back in September. It's heaven to me!
@Grant Rhino I do understand your position here but only displaying one or two ungulate species from each group is how we end up with endangered species being phased-out and an overall lack of biodiversity in captivity. I'd be interested on your thoughts on a zoo like Bronx (or Berlin Zoo for that matter) which has 32 non-domestic ungulate species (12 Bovidae, 10 Cervidae, 2 Giraffidae, 2 Suidae, 1 Tragulidae, 2 Equidae, 2 Rhinocerotidae, 1 Tapiridae) but a grand total of roughly 117 mammal species overall, meaning ungulates as a whole only account for 27% of the mammal collection. Not to mention they have roughly 300 bird species and roughly 220 herp species, meaning the zoo has an incredibly well-rounded collection despite the above average number of ungulates.
~Thylo
I think when a zoo has 117 mammal species then I would be more than happy with the large ungulate collection - especially since it's diversified having 2 rhino species, a tapir species, giraffes and presumably okapis, zebras and another type of horse, 2 pigs and various cattle and deer species. That is a really good diversified collection of ungulates - and I'd enjoy seeing it (albeit some more than others).
What I don't like is when a zoo has say 45 species and 32 of them are ungulates and they don't include the rare and interesting ones like okapi, rhinos, tapirs, giraffe etc. I know that the "purists" would like to see 8 species of deer in the one zoo, but really, to most of the general public they are all just "deer"... I'd rather the zoo display 2 deer species well in a really good enclosure and maybe include a primate with them - perhaps axis deer, blackbuck antelopes and common langur monkeys, rather than displaying 7 deer species, 6 antelope species etc in boring enclosures and not having enough room for rhinos. I find that zoos that do the second option feel a bit like farms or supermarkets. It just doesn't really feel like what I'm looking for by visiting a zoo - and it takes up valuable space which could be used to display other interesting species. It's a bit like buying shares on the stock market and having all your shares from one sector (say mining or something) - it all becomes too heavy in that sector.
That said, if a zoo is big enough and good enough to display 117 species of mammal, then I don't begrudge them for having 32 different ungulates, because they are proving that they can still fit other interesting things in as well! Good luck to them!
Stinger
Member
I admittedly often skip the lion, otter, and tiger exhibits in favor of seeing the more 'unusual' animals a zoo has to offer - or at the very least, prioritizing these.
The other animal I often skip is chimpanzees, but this is solely due to my (admittedly odd and irrational) fear of them.
The other animal I often skip is chimpanzees, but this is solely due to my (admittedly odd and irrational) fear of them.
There’s nothing irrational about fearing chimpanzees.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
...probably only possible in Zoos with heavy subsidies? If the bills are paid for directly by the public, that sounds a bit risky....
Zoo Berlin receives 0 subsidy, the Tierpark was dependent of subsidies for 38%, but this will probably become lower in the coming year (without a reduction in deer taxa).
Luke da Zoo nerd
Well-Known Member
Meerkats, Ring tailed lemurs, Cougars, and even garden eels simply don't interest me. Probably because they are repetitive species found in zoos, and just bore me after a while.
YMMV of course - puma/cougars are rather less common on this side of the big puddle.
I've seen too many meerkats and ring-tailed lemurs, but I rarely see cougars. I like seeing garden eels, but I don't them often enough.
Luke da Zoo nerd
Well-Known Member
That is true, Thanks for pointing out. Here in the U.S. , cougars are pretty common. I find them less interesting because I see them practically every month when I take my Monthly trip to the Minnesota zoo.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
Does it pay - commercial business rates on its site, based on turnover, not profit - full rate VAT on all its income - full corporation tax on all it 'betterments' ie all new building - 120% tax on all new buildings - if not, then it could be argued that even if there is no direct subsidy then there is considerable indirect help.
In case you want answers on all your questions, I suggest you contact the zoo directly. In general German zoo entrance costs seem to fall under the lower VAT bracket (7% instead of 19%). The Zoo Berlin annual report is not very specific and taxes full under a category which is 27% of their total costs (rent, taxes & other "betriebliche aufwendungen").
For me it’s Koalas (during the daytime), Elephants and Bush Stone Curlews. I don’t dislike them I just find them boring animals that aren’t exciting to watch.
Reptiles, except for Giant Tortoises and the Crocodilians.