Being a zoo-goer, what are your greatest fears?

I've seen the gun topic come up in a couple different threads, there is even one that specifically discusses "why would anyone need a gun in a zoo". Take a look at where some metropolitan zoos are located. I love going to the Philadelphia zoo, which is located in West Philadelphia. Google search the crime rates and incidences in West Philly. Murders happen all the time. Armed robbery and car jackings happen in broad daylight. And the US seems to have a new philosophy that we should have compassion for criminals and let them off the hook. So am I expected to set myself to become a victim? If I can legally and responsibly carry a gun, why shouldn't I? I do it discreetly and responsibly, no one even knows its there, and have never had cause to take it out of the holster. But, if the choice is between taking it out of the holster or getting drug out of my car with my daughter strapped into her carseat, guess which one I'm choosing. People need to differentiate between the problem being criminals, or the fact that guns exist.

Meanwhile, now I go to the zoo and see people pushing a baby stroller with one hand and drinking a beer with the other, then getting in their car and driving home. How many people are killed by drunk drivers each year? How many families get wiped out? And what purpose does alcohol serve? People like it. I don't carry a gun because I like it, I do it because there are bad people who want to do bad things. Why does no one bat an eye at the fact that people can't make it through a trip to the zoo without drinking alcohol?
 
Atrox1214 said:
How many people are killed by drunk drivers each year? How many families get wiped out?
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In 2020, 11,654 people were killed in drunk-driving incidents within the USA. In the same year, a total of 45,222 people were killed by guns.

Even if this were not the case, your comparison is pretty much apples and oranges; last I checked, people don't intentionally kill or injure dozens of people in mass drinking-binges in public places on a several-times-a-week basis, and there aren't entire classrooms being targeted by drunk drivers making their way through school corridors.

Sad to say, there are "bad people who want to do bad things" the whole world over, but there are precious few places in the world where people practically worship their right to possess and use guns with impunity, and plenty of places where we manage to cope with those bad people without resorting to such means.
 
Atrox1214 said:
I've seen the gun topic come up in a couple different threads, there is even one that specifically discusses "why would anyone need a gun in a zoo". Take a look at where some metropolitan zoos are located. I love going to the Philadelphia zoo, which is located in West Philadelphia. Google search the crime rates and incidences in West Philly. Murders happen all the time. Armed robbery and car jackings happen in broad daylight. And the US seems to have a new philosophy that we should have compassion for criminals and let them off the hook. So am I expected to set myself to become a victim? If I can legally and responsibly carry a gun, why shouldn't I? I do it discreetly and responsibly, no one even knows its there, and have never had cause to take it out of the holster. But, if the choice is between taking it out of the holster or getting drug out of my car with my daughter strapped into her carseat, guess which one I'm choosing. People need to differentiate between the problem being criminals, or the fact that guns exist.

Meanwhile, now I go to the zoo and see people pushing a baby stroller with one hand and drinking a beer with the other, then getting in their car and driving home. How many people are killed by drunk drivers each year? How many families get wiped out? And what purpose does alcohol serve? People like it. I don't carry a gun because I like it, I do it because there are bad people who want to do bad things. Why does no one bat an eye at the fact that people can't make it through a trip to the zoo without drinking alcohol?
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The idea you become a victim of gun crime if you don’t have a gun is simply not born out in countries without huge number of guns in public hands. The assertion the US is soft on crime is not supported by the prison numbers or sentences compared to many other countries.

Perhaps consider the link between guns being freely available and gun related crime.

On the alcohol point it would be hard to find a link to recent mass alcohol massacres in the US. I can find a dozen gun related mass shootings with a simple google search. Guns are the problem not people. Not a welcome statement for people who like to own guns of course. But it is what it is.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
If Wikipedia is accurate on this point, there have been 16 in the past week alone!
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That’s tragic.

I’m not unsympathetic to people wanting to protect themselves and it’s a terrible dilemma in many respects.

But there’s a cycle at work and you can’t break out of it by adding more guns. It’s only at the gun law level this can change.
 
Atrox1214 said:
I've seen the gun topic come up in a couple different threads, there is even one that specifically discusses "why would anyone need a gun in a zoo". Take a look at where some metropolitan zoos are located. I love going to the Philadelphia zoo, which is located in West Philadelphia. Google search the crime rates and incidences in West Philly. Murders happen all the time. Armed robbery and car jackings happen in broad daylight. And the US seems to have a new philosophy that we should have compassion for criminals and let them off the hook. So am I expected to set myself to become a victim? If I can legally and responsibly carry a gun, why shouldn't I? I do it discreetly and responsibly, no one even knows its there, and have never had cause to take it out of the holster. But, if the choice is between taking it out of the holster or getting drug out of my car with my daughter strapped into her carseat, guess which one I'm choosing. People need to differentiate between the problem being criminals, or the fact that guns exist.

Meanwhile, now I go to the zoo and see people pushing a baby stroller with one hand and drinking a beer with the other, then getting in their car and driving home. How many people are killed by drunk drivers each year? How many families get wiped out? And what purpose does alcohol serve? People like it. I don't carry a gun because I like it, I do it because there are bad people who want to do bad things. Why does no one bat an eye at the fact that people can't make it through a trip to the zoo without drinking alcohol?
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Figures someone with your post count would chime in :rolleyes: Guns are NOT ALLOWED in the Philadelphia, even concealed. People like you are exactly what I worry about. What do you think the bag checks are for at the entrance? If you think you're going to get car jacked or robbed, don't go. It's that simple. Accidents are responsible for hundreds of gun deaths and thousands of injuries every year.

What purpose do guns serve? They have only one. It's hilarious that you're complaining about people having a beer at the zoo - no one is getting drunk at those prices - yet you can't even leave your house without a deadly weapon.
 
I usually don't have a stance on guns and usually say that the responsible gun owners should not be compromised over the actions of people who disregard the law and human life. However after seeing the numbers I just can't help but say "wow" when the same country that literally restricted the trade of Java sparrows over something that happened over a island, doesn't seem to do much with such a great number of casualties that grows cumulatively throughout the years.
 
PossumRoach said:
I usually don't have a stance on guns and usually say that the responsible gun owners should not be compromised over the actions of people who disregard the law and human life. However after seeing the numbers I just can't help but say "wow" when the same country that literally restricted the trade of Java sparrows over something that happened over a island, doesn't seem to do much with such a great number of casualties that grows cumulatively throughout the years.
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The numbers have deliberately been down-played for decades. The Dickey Amendment, passed in 1997, prevented the CDC and anyone else who received government funding to do research into gun deaths, accidental shootings, and anything else gun related (specifically they weren't allowed to "advocate or promote gun control", which any research would do). The CDC was previously the main organization doing research into firearms-related injury prevention and other related things. It finally started up again, in 2020, but obviously they have a lot to catch up on and the funding is very limited.
 
Atrox1214 said:
People need to differentiate between the problem being criminals, or the fact that guns exist.
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And how does that work out in practice? Just in the last couple of weeks in the USA:
  • Police go to the wrong house, man comes to door with gun and police shoot him dead.
  • Teenager knocks on door of wrong house and man shoots him though door.
Statistically you are many times more likely to commit suicide with your gun than ever shoot a baddie.

We have good friends in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. None of them have ever had guns in their house, and all of them seem to have survived.
 
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MRJ said:
Teenager knocks on door of wrong house and man shoots him dead though door.
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Fortunately, the teenager in question survived.... even after the homeowner decided to "double-tap" him in the head after opening the door. He is, however, still in critical condition.

Interestingly enough that was the precise case I had in the forefront of my mind when posting the above response, too.
 
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TeaLovingDave said:
Fortunately, the teenager in question survived.... even after the homeowner decided to "double-tap" him in the head after opening the door. He is, however, still in critical condition.

Interestingly enough that was the precise case I had in the forefront of my mind when posting the above response, too.
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Just corrected my post.
 
MRJ said:
And how does that work out in practice? Just in the last couple of weeks in the USA:
  • Police go to the wrong house, man comes to door with gun and police shoot him dead.
  • Teenager knocks on door of wrong house and man shoots him though door.
Statistically you are many times more likely to commit suicide with your gun than ever shoot a baddie.

We have good friends in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. None of them have ever had guns in their house, and all of them seem to have survived.
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These are just the ones that have made international news. Stuff like the second one, especially, happens weekly. It just rarely makes national news, yet alone worldwide.
 
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My greatest fears are parents who don't watch their children. Besides the fear of a child falling into an enclosure, children also can throw things into exhibits that can injure the animals or make them sick. I just hope every time I go that everyone in the zoo quietly and respectfully observe the animals with respect.
 
Corangurilla said:
When I went to the Cincinnati Zoo in 2019, my worst fear was the Aardwolves being off-display because I believed that was my one shot at ever seeing them without going out of country. Thankfully, they were on-display, but the aardvarks weren’t and I was a little salty.
I’ve also had recurring nightmares about witnessing the death of the Phoenix Zoo’s last elephant (Marius style), and I thought those fears came true when she wasn’t outside when I went this January. Thankfully, she’s still alive, but man, it felt like a nightmare come true. :oops:
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Went to the San Diego Zoo for the first time back in April and I did not get to see a single rare animal I've always wanted to see my whole life - Tasmanian Devils, wombat, hyenas, and honey badger. All were either off exhibit or completely hiding. I've never seen these species, and considering how rare they are I might never. Here's to hoping I get to see the platypus when I go to the Safari Park this summer.
 
Mazoku said:
Three things.


- Not seeing my "bucket list" animals at zoos. This is the worst feeling ever, one time I visited to the zoo, knowing that zoo had Amur Leopard which I was looking forward to see most. I got to their exhibit with a sign saying they're not holding Amur Leopard anymore, the last leopard died. I was SO gutted not seeing Amur Leopard in that zoo anymore.
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This was my fear too. Went to the San Diego zoo for the first time in ten years this past April, none of the animals I wanted to see (Tassie Devil, wombat, hyenas, honey badger, bonobos, etc.) were on display at all the day I visited. Being that I live so far away I might never get another chance to see these rare species.
 
It's frustrating when local zoos don't keep their websites updated regularly. I've had experiences where I've seen an animal on their website, only to arrive and find out that it has passed away. For example, I was really looking forward to seeing the blue shark at Tokyo Sea Life Park, but when I got there, I learned that it had unfortunately been deceased for some time before my visit.
 
I had my first camera more than 15 years ago, ever since I have never go to a zoo without a camera... Now one nightmare I have sometimes is me going to a zoo and realizing at the entry that I forgot my camera
 
Dr. Wolverine said:
It's frustrating when local zoos don't keep their websites updated regularly. I've had experiences where I've seen an animal on their website, only to arrive and find out that it has passed away. For example, I was really looking forward to seeing the blue shark at Tokyo Sea Life Park, but when I got there, I learned that it had unfortunately been deceased for some time before my visit.
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The same thing happened to me a few times. I visited Sorocaba in 2016. On the zoo's old website, there was an incredibly outdated list of animals. So I went there thinking I would see gray kangaroos and snowy owls, but there wasn't a sign of them anywhere.
 
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My biggest fear is the death of the last female elephant living at my local zoo. In addition to having come from a circus at twenty-six, she is already fifty-nine years old. After her death, I don't know what they will do in her enclosure, as elephants are hard to come by these days, especially with the zoo's tarnished reputation.
 
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