Can't believe its been three years since I joined on ZooChat. Can't believe of how much I grew up ever since.
I actually found out about this website like around early 2020 or even in 2019. I accidently found a photo of an red giant flying squirrel on Google (
red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista) - ZooChat), back then I think I was making random google searches on some obscure Taman Safari Bogor species (I.e Cuscus Taman Safari Bogor, polar bear Taman Safari Bogor, etc.). The background and the surrounding of the flying squirrel looks oddly familiar, so I clicked on it as I was curious. The photo looks neat and I did found out that it was taken at Taman Safari Bogor, and I also found about other interesting stuff that this zoo had and other Indonesian zoos had as I explored further.
I remember fondly how I try and failed signing in on ZooChat for I think for about several months. Finally, on September of 2020, I tried to emailed the website administrator (I think that's the name). I got answer, they explain that it was due to some kind of blocker to avoid spam posts, can't remember exactly. After like months of failing, I finally became a member of ZooChat.
During those times, I visioned myself as a somewhat of a professional ZooChatter (Can't think of a word), giving the best information that I knew of as possible and giving the best picture on the Indonesian gallery to show to the rets of the world. Which, as you can probably tell, is not what happened, both back then and today.
Back then, I'm like that annoying kid that shoved any "cool" thing that he knows of down to your throat. From 2020 and early 2022, my mood was only like "Hey, do you know that this have that, this have those off display, this used to had that, or this housed with that". The only thing I cared back then, is just making hundreds of posts telling peoples that these specific zoos have or have had that species.
I definitely felt like I ruined the Indonesian gallery. Most of the time, I took a screenshot from someone else YouTube visit to these zoos and aquariums, and shamelessly spammed these crappy-quality images on ZooChat and just, "Oh, this used to be displayed but they no longer was, this is housed with this and this", or my usual "photo taken at x year".
I always felt so awful of this time period, the only thing I cared of was that these zoos have, in the opinion of past me, the most "rarest and unique" species, complete, nothing else. Especially Batu Secret Zoo and Lembang Park and Zoo, yeah, especially the latter. I used to be a massive fan and bootlicker of this zoo, I'll fought a goddamm internet war for this zoo if I had to, just because this place have what back then I perceived as "rare" species. If Lembang Park and Zoo acquired anything I perceived as "rare", 2020-2021 would just go:
That was until 2022, when I realized how awful and entertainment-oriented this zoo is. From around mid-2022, my view kinda changes, for the best for me and had to be for the worse for the Indonesian forum. Since then, my posting was the usual news, reviews, and all that, but sometimes with a mix of a emotional rant. Like the one at the Bandung Zoo thread which is the bigger one, like a absolute Twitter thread rant. Though, I will always stand with these believes until proper reform of this zoos and aquariums, but damn, the way I convey my beliefs felt like one of those "Sir, this is Wendy's" meme. I treat that forum like my own personal therapy session, its like as if I tried to gather a mob for a revolution or something with how sometimes fiery I am, which is not the case since these have barely any engagement.
So yeah, ZooChat have had a huge impact on me honestly. Especially regarding my view on Indonesian zoos and aquariums, the "If this zoo had rare species, then it is a good zoo". I used to bashed Taman Safari Bogor only because they have what I perceived as "downgrade species", now the things that I bashed about them is their treatment of elephants and other important stuffs.
So yeah, just felt like I need to share this because why not? Especially in my very first post where I introduced myself to everyone else on ZooChat. I think people might consider this as just another silly, emotional rant by me, whatever you think man that's alright. Just felt like sharing this because why not?
Thought ZooChat have quite a number of members that I think have the same old belief as mine, including a couple or two that I'm very aware of.
