Hey Lion!!! WAKE UP!!!!!

[kifaru]

When you see people yelling at or abusing animals in any way at one of your favorite zoos, do you personally intervene?

I know I do.

I recently saw a grown woman chasing a peacock-- she had one of the feathers from its train in her hand and was pulling on it hard by the time I got there, yelling for her to stop.

She let go, reddening with rage-- then turned really nasty, as did her hulking, Neanderthal family. They all rallied to shout (fortunately, not shoot) me down for intervening.

Fortunately, other members of the public saw what had happened and came to my defense.

The family quickly left the zoo ( I think they were on their way out anyway). But the zoo security caught them in the parking lot-- I don't know what went down after that...

But my point is, do you take the risk-- or do you call security first?

These days, I program the zoo security phone number into my cell phone (it is usually listed on the zoo map/brochure). If something awful is happening, security can be summoned very quickly. I often point this plan of action out to offenders when I see people yelling at animals or throwing something into an enclosure.

I say, calmy: " Excuse me, but if you do not stop _____ immediately, I have zoo security on speed dial and I will have them up here to escort you from the zoo."

It is appalling to consider the level of insensitivity routinely demonstrated by members of the public at zoos everywhere. I imagine it is especially bad in America.

Normally, if people say " Who the hell are you to tell me to stop..." I say I am a zoo member, that animal abuse is against zoo policy (not to mention wrong), and that I will not tolerate animal abuse at my zoo.

I am not some animal rights psycho, but I can't just stand there and do nothing either...

One day I will no doubt get clobbered.

 

[Lukeness]

Situations like these only lead to injury of either the people or animals and that's disgusting.
At out zoo someone got hold of the tip of a marmosets tail and yanked it so hard that the poor thing had mesh marks on its back at later died from the shock. People can be cruel and ignorant and if we can prevent them we need to!

 

[CZJimmy]

Situations like these only lead to injury of either the people or animals and that's disgusting.

And if it's the people that get injured, then you can be damn sure that the zoo will bleed through the nose for it, despite a visitors stupidity and ignorance!

Back on topic, I have often asked other visitors politely if they would stop banging on glass in ape houses, especially if the ape is showing signs of stress...

 

[kifaru]

And if it's the people that get injured, then you can be damn sure that the zoo will bleed through the nose for it, despite a visitors stupidity and ignorance!

I'm sure you've heard about the meerkats being euthanized at the Minnesota Zoo:

Euthanization of meerkats outrages Minnesota Zoo-goers

Kid climbs onto rocks, despite signage clearly stating Do Not Climb On Rocks and Do Not Touch Animals-- kid/parents ignore warnings, kid gets nipped, meerkats get the gas chamber...

 

[CZJimmy]

I'm sure you've heard about the meerkats being euthanized at the Minnesota Zoo:

Euthanization of meerkats outrages Minnesota Zoo-goers

Kid climbs onto rocks, despite signage clearly stating Do Not Climb On Rocks and Do Not Touch Animals-- kid/parents ignore warnings, kid gets nipped, meerkats get the gas chamber...

I had not heard of that story, but I'm absolutely appalled!

The child even refused treatment, how on earth can the zoo be responsible for that!

 

[okapikpr]

There is a HUGE lack of disrespect of the American public towards zoo and wild animals (im sure its the case elsewhere too). Even the San Francisco tiger incident did nothing to change the public's opinion. There was more pressure on the zoo instead of those boys and some other guys were caught throwing rocks and pinecones at rhinos a month later! This problem seems to get worse every year. 5 years ago it didnt see as many incidents as I do now!

And of course I intervene. I once prevented a woman from loosing her finger by a Kookburra, by explaining that I had seen a Kookaburra kill a squirrel (true story!) through the wire like the one she had her fingers through...she immediately withdrew. It's amazing what people will do. I worked at a zoo with free-ranging peafowl and it never ends with the public. And the glass tapping...ugh. I get the dirtest looks from parents when I tell their precious child to stop.

 

[CZJimmy]

There is a HUGE lack of disrespect of the American public towards zoo and wild animals (im sure its the case elsewhere too). Even the San Francisco tiger incident did nothing to change the public's opinion. There was more pressure on the zoo instead of those boys and some other guys were caught throwing rocks and pinecones at rhinos a month later! This problem seems to get worse every year. 5 years ago it didnt see as many incidents as I do now!

There is a similar problem in the UK, but it is more common in certain zoos than others, for example, Twycross zoo is one of the worst for offenses ranging from glass banging in the ape houses, to throwing snowballs at elephants! (There is even a picture of the last one in the gallery) However I have not witnessed much trouble at places like Chester and the ZSL parks (although I do remember someone poking the adult male gorilla with a stick through the mesh at London a few years ago).

I guess it's just something zoofans have to put up with...

 

[snowleopard]

People who rap their knuckles on glass-fronted exhibits are just plain dumb. The world is full of folks who gain all of their knowledge from crappy television shows, and never bother to read books, educate themselves, or even bother to peruse the interpretative signs outside zoo enclosures. Most families that I see at zoos skip past exhibits on the way to buying burgers and ice creams, and don't give a damn about tapirs or other "bizarre" animals.

I tutor young Korean students, and they tell me stories about bringing loaves of bread for the animals at a zoo in Seoul, or yelling at monkeys to encourage them to "freak out" and race around their barred cage. Brutal.

 

[Toddy]

Seeing people in zoos behaving like that makes me sick!

Naturally, I always tell them off. Now that I work at my local zoo and have a uniform, making people stop is so much easier. I don't have the authority to kick someone out of the zoo, without consulting with the security staff or one of my bosses, but fortunately, the visitors behaving wrong don't know that

About the meerkats, a zoo can't protect itself from that kind of stupidity. If a visitor really want's to break the rules and climb into an animals enclosure, it's very easy. If the zoos have to protect themselves from any incidents of that sort, all animals would have to be kept in indoor glass enclosures.

 

[Pertinax]

There is a similar problem in the UK, but it is more common in certain zoos than others...

I too have noticed how prevalent bad behaviour is at some zoos, but not at others. It very much depends on the 'type' of visitors which each zoo attracts, and that dependsmainly on its location. For example, in several visits over the years I have NEVER seen anyone tease an animal, shout, run about wildly etc at Jersey, as it has a rather different 'visitor base' to other zoos. Contrast with (say) Dudley or Colchester which are easily accessible to big groups and families and where I've often witnessed stupid behaviour. Zoos with glass viewing windows e.g. for Apes, suffer badly too as banging on glass windows seems to be the greatest temptation of all.

On the continent I have noticed that unruly behaviour among zoo visitors seems to be lacking, even among children.

 

[okapikpr]

I also have a picture of this stupid guy reaching down to touch a cassowary! If only he knew that they can jump and disembow a person. His arm couldnt quite reach the bird and the cassowary was too interested in what was on the ground than what was above him...lucky guy!

 

[chieflx]

The thing that really annoys me is people taking flash photos in nocturnal exhibits. It not only upsets the animals, it also blinds everyone else in the exhibit. I sometimes ask people not to use the flash but I do look carefully at the person taking the photo first. I know why it's not possible but I would like to see all nocturnal exhibits permanently manned to stop this behaviour, unfortunately it appears very common as I've seen it in zoos in America, UK and Australia.

The other thing that really annoys me but at least doesn't affect the animals is parents giving their children the wrong information, how hard is it to read a label before you speak?

 

[Simon Hampel]

The thing that really annoys me is people taking flash photos in nocturnal exhibits. It not only upsets the animals, it also blinds everyone else in the exhibit. I sometimes ask people not to use the flash but I do look carefully at the person taking the photo first. I know why it's not possible but I would like to see all nocturnal exhibits permanently manned to stop this behaviour, unfortunately it appears very common as I've seen it in zoos in America, UK and Australia.

Most such exhibits have signs asking for no flash photography ... if someone takes photos while I'm there, I'll usually try a polite "the sign says no flash photography", which mostly works.

I find most people will stick to the rules if they have been personally made aware of them. In most cases I think it is ignorance - they don't see the signs (even if right in front of them), don't follow instructions unless given to them personally (group instructions never apply to them ), or they are simply ignorant of the reasons why they should not do something and have to have it spelt out to them.

I find being polite is the best approach for 99% of people, as getting angry just makes them angry too (unless you are wearing a uniform).

But there's no helping some people ... I often wonder how people can fall off cliffs and such - but after seeing the tourists at places like the Great Ocean Road and the Grand Canyon, where someone always has to climb the fence to get a better photo (the fences were put there specifically to stop people killing themselves - yet they are completely ignorant of the dangers).

Similarly, tourists who swim or camp next to crocodile infested waters in northern Australia - although after visiting the Florida Everglades, my wife and I have come to the conclusion that the docile American Alligators are partly to blame for the misconception that all such creatures are mostly harmless!

 

[patrick]

i don't know why, but i'd go as far to say that australians might be a little bit more respectful. certainly i don't seem to notice much bad behavior at melbourne.

of course all teenagers act like %$#!heads, and scream and shout, kids will always bang on glass even if they were told five minutes ago not to by their parents and you get teh occasional foreign tourist who think they can play with the animals like they can back in korea, but overall i think melbournians are a pretty respectful bunch.

so, on that note let me say this. and i've said it before. since visitors have a tendancy to these behaviors, how is it not the zoos fault for failing to adequately protect their animals from stress.

someone mentioned above people constantly banging on the glass in the monkey house. if everyone does it - isn't it the zoos fault for not making sure it doesn't happen? putting up a barrier, making sure it doesn't happen..

a few years ago i saw a bunch of japanese guys terrorise the kanagroos and emu's in the walk-through exhibit at melbourne. the animals have "protective zones", and these guys jumped the barriers and tried to literally corner and catch an emu. the animals were crashing into the fence and risking injury.

i told a keeper a mere 20 meters away who, to my surprise, shrugged it off and made a comment about it happening a bit, and stood there waiting for me to walk away so they could go back to work. a few minutes later the japanese guys i described passed her and i noted that she said nothing to them.

if it happens all the time then the zoo needs to look at ways of stopping it, not blaming other poor behavior.

 

[NZ Jeremy]

I think anyone who loves zoos has a special hatred for glass tapping and lack of knowledge about animals...

so, on that note let me say this. and i've said it before. since visitors have a tendancy to these behaviors, how is it not the zoos fault for failing to adequately protect their animals from stress.

I think this is a good point, I’ve often wondered why zoos do not have a big sign; somewhere near the entrance that can’t be missed (I’m sure this is the case somewhere), in the handbook and drilled into the staff, what the rules are, example:

ZOO DON’T DO
1). No tapping on the glass (this scares the animals); repeat offenders may be asked to leave.
2). Please don’t feed the animals (this can make them sick).
3). Don’t chase free animals (the stress of being chased can kill them).
4). No flash photography inside Zoo buildings.
5). Do not climb fences or into enclosures, you will be asked to leave the zoo.
6). Pets not allowed.
The zoo reserves the right to ask any patron to leave, behaviour such as excessive noise, intoxication or violence, may result in persons being escorted out of the zoo.
ZOO CAN DO
1). Please read the animal information provided.
2). Have fun.

Additionally each exhibit should have signs with their specific requirements, don’t tap on the glass, no yelling, do not enter etc, as far as I’m concerned this indemnifies the zoo of any responsibility if some idiot (San Fran) disobeys them, i.e. they were told twice. The staff should be instructed to intervene whenever they see a breach and slightly embarrass the person, i.e. can’t you read..? Giving a warning to the person...

If I was a zoo director and had the above system in place and someone climbed into an exhibit and was mauled, I’d take the media to the enclosure, point to where they climbed in, point to the sign and say “I think Darwin was onto something”...

I’ve read that many zoo directors find the management of the public much harder and time consuming than the management of the collection... I’m reminded of the zoo director in charge of a large US after he had been there for a year who, when asked “What have you achieved after your first year?” sighed and said, “I think we’ve finally got the hamburger situation under control”...

 

[Rookeyper]

Most people will immediately tune out if they see a sign with negative instructions--they simply don't read it at all. When we have folks tapping on the glass front of my reptile exhibits I love to open the shift door and just stare at the offender, or whake my head and wag my finger. In other areas of the zoo I've been known to follow kids acting like fools. Sometimes I pretend to key my portable radio and give "descriptions" of the offenders. That usually calms them down quickly--they think I'm radioing for the police to come arrest them. As for chasing peacocks, I sometimes ask how theywould like it if someone yanked out their hair. If there is a group of unusually rowdy visitors we call ahead to other areas of the zoo to warn them. At that point keepers enter the public areas and keep an eye out for bad behavior. In severe cases I call our maintenance director who has a hook to replace the hand he lost years ago. All he has to do is just let the hook be visible!!

 

[NZ Jeremy]

Sometimes I pretend to key my portable radio and give "descriptions" of the offenders.

I used to do that when I was in a patrol car and some idiot cut me off... Pick up the hand set and pretend to talk... Some nervous looks in the rear vision mirror would follow...

 

[Pertinax]

When we have folks tapping on the glass front of my reptile exhibits I love to open the shift door and just stare at the offender, or whake my head and wag my finger.

HeHe, I love it... they're certainly not expecting to see a face looking at them from that direction...

 

[Zooish]

Signs don't work. You can put a dozen of them in huge bold fonts and there will still be a couple of goons who insist on banging the glass/using flash on nocturnal animals/touching dangerous animals.

Many visitors seem to have extremely low safety awareness; Whenever I see people try to touch an animal they're not suppose to, I'll just scare them by saying that animal could take out a finger or such. It's usually enough to scare them off. And then there are those who understand the message but are simply anti-establishment or plain reckless.

Zoos could always put up extra barriers but I feel its not the right solution. Since majority of visitors don't bang the glass/touch the animals, it seems wrong to penalize them by not allowing them to come up close to the animals because of the actions of a few goons. I believe better enforcement is the way to go; have staff constantly monitoring the exhibits and empowered to remove unruly visitors.

 

[Sun Wukong]

@NZ Jeremy: The Chengdu Zoo has such a (quite graphic) sign: do not feed animals, do not harass them, don't sleep on the benches, don't pee into the hedges, don't run around without a shirt on...doesn't help.

A German zoo had a smart pun written on its glass tanks: "Nur Bekloppte klopfen", with means "Only schmucks knock". Seemed to have helped at least a little bit...