General Zoo Misconceptions

foz said:
One of the most common misconception is calling orangutans "orangutangs"
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Well in the Malay language "orang utang" means "forest man" Maybe the error is caused because of this, what do you think? :)
 
foz said:
One of the most common misconception is calling orangutans "orangutangs"
Click to expand...

While the spelling in English at least seems to have been standardized to orangutan, over the years it has been correct to call them orang outangs or orang utangs.

Hi Warriner, can you tell us what zoo do you work in?:)
 
Outside the Okapi exibit at Chester yesterday. A woman and 2 kids wandered over to the exibit and the woman said to the child "Look Luke it's a deer with stripey legs" :D

Poor Dicky walked off in disgust!
 
"Average is a long way down" and we all have to live with that cold fact. My biggest beef is visitors making the assumption that whatever the animal is doing, it's intention is to entertain the visitor. I've watched people chuckling at the amusing antics of a young female Diane monkey screaming with terror as the dominate female attacked her. Most people won't spend two seconds trying to figure out what's really going on. On the other hand, then those those zoo junkies (who would that be??) who can tell you every single thing about every single animal, bless their hearts.
 
Hi Pygathrix -I'm currently working at Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire, south wales.

as for more misconceptions - anyone ever heard a Zebu being called a baby camel before? that one i heard yesterday and was definatly a first for me!
 
Warriner said:
Hi Pygathrix -I'm currently working at Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire, south wales.

as for more misconceptions - anyone ever heard a Zebu being called a baby camel before? that one i heard yesterday and was definatly a first for me!
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I heard that one many years ago at Cotswold Wildlife Park.
 
I suppose at least there's a hump theme...
 
A few weeks ago at Belfast, me and my cousin were at the Meerkats (Admittadly doing "comparethemeerkat.com" bit lol) when there was an almighty shriek behind us as some obese lady ran off into the elephant house shouting "Ahhh I hate rats I hate rats!"
We Rofled for hours after that!:p

Also at Dublin zoo, this pack of emos came about the Asian Elephant trail and while I was watching the baby elephant playing in the water and the mother was standing beside her.
One of them asked "I wonder what it's doing"
Another replied in such a depressing voice "looks like it's trying to drown the little dark beast, everyones drowning each other in some form, even animals" and they walked off. There was even this american bloke behind me who had a WTF expression and then started laughing heartily.

And theres lots more such as the ring-tailed lemurs being called possums from Ice age....:confused:
 
She probably saw an actual rat, they're very common in zoos. I admittedly quickly backed out of Marwell's takin house once when I saw a rat scurry across the visitor area and then under the Crocodile Newt Vivarium!

And did you mean emos or emus? :p
 
Na, it was either the Meerkats or several Grey squrriels that live around the zoo. Never seen a right in Belfast, or any zoo for that matter, unless they're an actual animals to view.
And no, definatly emos...the human kind:P
 
Rats are regulars in zoos due to all the animal food; Belfast must have very good pest control!
 
lol wouldn't say that

anyway was at Exploris Aquarium today in Portaferry and some kid called an octapus a "big-ass starfish". Sea urchins were also referred to as tennis balls with spikes.:rolleyes:
 
Yesterday while at Chester Zoo a woman called an animal at first a baby Rhino then decided that it must be an Anteater because of its long snout,pity it was a pair of Babirusa that she was looking at pls the fact she had walked past at least 2 signs telling her what they were!
 
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