Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (number of animals)

[NAIB Volunteer]

I'd like to commend the veterans here on Zoochat for their polite, well thought out, and insightful posts, but I think it's time we close up shop here on these back and forths. @snowleopard created a wonderful timeline (as always!) highlighting the work Omaha has accomplished over their master plan. Let's leave these tit for tats with Mr. Lamb alone and focus on the original intent of the thread.

 

[Chlidonias]

I'd like to commend the veterans here on Zoochat for their polite, well thought out, and insightful posts, but I think it's time we close up shop here on these back and forths. @snowleopard created a wonderful timeline (as always!) highlighting the work Omaha has accomplished over their master plan. Let's leave these tit for tats with Mr. Lamb alone and focus on the original intent of the thread.

Yeah, I have now split the numbers discussion off from the Timeline thread (which is here, for anyone reading this in some future timeline: Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo: Timeline [Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo]).

 

[Chlidonias]

Since you all insist on sources simply go to wikapedia and it will state that the omaha zoo has 17,000 animals and 982 species.

Interestingly enough, the Wikipedia page for the zoo doesn't give a total number for the zoo's animal population at all. The number 17,000 itself doesn't appear even once on the page (using Control-F). The number of species on the Wikipedia page is currently given as 962, and the reference for that number is the zoo's website from 2007 (!).

The point people are trying to make is that the numbers you give are on the internet but you are ignoring when they were put on the internet. You are just taking the figures you like and ignoring all surrounding context.

This isn't an echo-chamber, but that appears to be what you are looking for - you simply want people to agree with you and not point out all the problems in your argument. When they do, you just say that they are "rude" or "need to do their research".

Someone up-thread said "Wisdom is receiving constructive feedback when necessary". Perhaps think about that.

 

[TinoPup]

This is my last reply I'm signing off I have MUCH better things to do than arguing with you. NOTHING I said has been debunked. This is common information on zoo websites. Compare our species list with other major zoos before getting mad at me. I'm not the only one who feels this way. Your last comment about being debunked by a certain individual was especially rude. People who dont agree with you are also reading this and if you represent the omaha zoo in any way, you better watch what you are saying to everyone. I am done, so you are too.

Did you really just threaten a member? He has nothing to do with the zoo, and certainly isn't the one who keeps using the phrase "our zoo" like you do, implying you have anything to do with it at all.

Everything you've said has been debunked repeatedly. Please stop wasting our time.

 

[Lenny P. Lamb]

Did you really just threaten a member? He has nothing to do with the zoo, and certainly isn't the one who keeps using the phrase "our zoo" like you do, implying you have anything to do with it at all.

Everything you've said has been debunked repeatedly. Please stop wasting our time.

One last thing, I slightly exaggerated the numbers on the bats to make a point, the actual number is probably 2000 to 2300. It was really petty to "call me out" on that one. Really?!? That's the ONLY thing you debunked me on. Cheap shot actually and way off the point. Anyway just wanted to clarify that. I'm not responding anymore to this now pointless debate. You dont want to discuss how to make our zoo better, you just want to be insulting. Again I'm signing off. I've got better things to do.

 

[IndianRhino]

One last thing, I slightly exaggerated the numbers on the bats to make a point, the actual number is probably 2000 to 2300. It was really petty to "call me out" on that one. Really?!? That's the ONLY thing you debunked me on. Cheap shot actually and way off the point. Anyway just wanted to clarify that. I'm not responding anymore to this now pointless debate. You dont want to discuss how to make our zoo better, you just want to be insulting. Again I'm signing off. I've got better things to do.

That is definitely not the only thing everyone has "debunked" you on. Several people have stated several times that the numbers you are stating are incorrect and you continue to use them. If you are so sure about the numbers you are giving us why don't you post your sources here. And anyways, zoos throughout the country are downsizing their collections because they want to focus on a smaller group of animals and honestly even though it is a little disappointing I do think it is the right decision.

I also find it funny that you keep saying "I'm signing off and I've got better things to do" but you continue to come back over and over again

 

[pachyderm pro]

One last thing, I slightly exaggerated the numbers on the bats to make a point, the actual number is probably 2000 to 2300. It was really petty to "call me out" on that one. Really?!? That's the ONLY thing you debunked me on. Cheap shot actually and way off the point. Anyway just wanted to clarify that. I'm not responding anymore to this now pointless debate. You dont want to discuss how to make our zoo better, you just want to be insulting. Again I'm signing off. I've got better things to do.

I agree, @TinoPup was extremely petty for debunking an incorrect statistic, showing you don't have full knowledge of what you're so stubbornly insisting, which makes your other statistics less credible. The nerve of some people!

We can agree on one thing though, there are better things for all of us to do then engage in this non-dialogue with one another. If you ever change your mind, and attitude, feel free to come back and we can discuss this further in a more civil matter.

 

[TinoPup]

One last thing, I slightly exaggerated the numbers on the bats to make a point, the actual number is probably 2000 to 2300. It was really petty to "call me out" on that one. Really?!? That's the ONLY thing you debunked me on. Cheap shot actually and way off the point. Anyway just wanted to clarify that. I'm not responding anymore to this now pointless debate. You dont want to discuss how to make our zoo better, you just want to be insulting. Again I'm signing off. I've got better things to do.

Adding 50% isn't a "slight" exaggeration. It didn't help you make any sort of point, either. It showed that you were willing to make up numbers to suit your needs. How is it "petty" to point out something that you yourself just admitted you were wrong on? You've repeated the claim multiple times, so I'm not understanding how it's "off point", either, when it's one of the main things you've said.

Once again, all you have to do is provide the links to the websites where you're getting these numbers from. You can't seem to manage even that much, so why should anyone take what you say seriously? Multiple users have shown that they can't corroberate the statistics you're claiming.

I'd love to discuss how to make Omaha even better. Omaha is perhaps my favorite zoo in the USA, actually. But a discussion about that needs to begin with facts, not lies and exaggerations.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Compare our species list with other major zoos before getting mad at me.

I'm not mad at you, promise.

I make a point when visiting zoos to take handwritten notes of every taxa I see as part of my expression of this hobby. One benefit of this is it allows me to actually compare (on-exhibit) figures of different zoos. I haven't sat down and done this specifically for Omaha (I supposed I could if it was needed/wanted by many) but having been to many of the most specious collections in the country within the last few years, including Omaha, both San Diego's, and Bronx, I can personally assure you Omaha ranks very well against other major US collections.

I'm sorry we cannot share in your frustration and you haven't gotten the experience you wanted from this forum, but please do not attack, threaten, or make accusations towards us for this. There is nothing wrong with debates and differing of opinions but that is rather unnecessary here imo. I was not attempting to attack you or whomever the others you speak of are, and I apologize if my reply was antagonistic. I wasn't attempting to attack anybody.

I will, however, not apologize for pointing out inaccuracies in your figures. I imagine you probably never intended to quote outdated or misleading information, but at the end of the day that's what it is. It's not an attack on you to point that out nor is it a mark on your integrity or your overall argument to acknowledge that some of your initial information is wrong. Having been there, Omaha does not having thousands nor hundreds nor even dozens of bats in their Madagascar house, and I doubt they have more than 50 in the nocturnal house (idk about off-show but certainly not on-exhibit). I could be wrong and be surprised at how many they really have, but you haven't provided any proof of these claims so it's hard for me to entertain that I am.

I sincerely hope you and your wife continue to enjoy Omaha despite your experience on ZooChat as it really is a wonderful zoo.

~Thylo

 

[Coelacanth18]

I doubt they have more than 50 in the nocturnal house (idk about off-show but certainly not on-exhibit).

An aside: not sure if 50 is a typo or if something has changed, but when I visited the nocturnal house had a colony of Seba's short-tailed bats that - judging by how many I saw and heard - numbers in the hundreds at least. They might have 50 or so individual bats in the main bat area containing the other species though.

 

[Gondwana]

An aside: not sure if 50 is a typo or if something has changed, but when I visited the nocturnal house had a colony of Seba's short-tailed bats that - judging by how many I saw and heard - numbers in the hundreds at least. They might have 50 or so individual bats in the main bat area containing the other species though.

Was there last month, and indeed there are many hundreds of Seba's short-tailed bat in that exhibit, perhaps a thousand. It's not an exaggeration to say that every cubic meter of airspace was occupied by a constant churn of multiple bats. Hundreds of Egyptian fruit bats in the Lied Jungle as well. But, there's also plenty of other non-bat mammals.

As for a comparison among the big collections in the US, Omaha is a bit light on large carnivore species at the moment with four large cats, one bear, and no large canids or hyaenids. This is obviously a recent development resulting from the closure of the cat house and bear grottos. However, Omaha's megaherbivore diversity (five species of elephant/rhino/hippo/giraffe) is comparable to San Diego/Bronx/St. Louis/Columbus (6-4-4-3); Omaha's two marine mammals match the highest total at the other zoos; the primate collection is strong (Columbus lags the others here); general hoofstock diversity is strong but behind San Diego and Bronx and always has been; Omaha's small mammals diversity is distinctly better than all but Bronx; Omaha's bird collection is good but not on the level of San Diego and Bronx; all have strong herp collections (Columbus lags a bit); Omaha blows the others out of the water with aquatics; and for terrestrial invertebrates Omaha's collection is strong but maybe a bit behind St. Louis, while clearly above the other three. Omaha is the only one of these zoos without at least one notable weakness.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

An aside: not sure if 50 is a typo or if something has changed, but when I visited the nocturnal house had a colony of Seba's short-tailed bats that - judging by how many I saw and heard - numbers in the hundreds at least. They might have 50 or so individual bats in the main bat area containing the other species though.

I had forgot about the Seba display and indeed was only referring to the main bat cave area with all the other species. That's my mistake

~Thylo

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Was there last month, and indeed there are many hundreds of Seba's short-tailed bat in that exhibit, perhaps a thousand. It's not an exaggeration to say that every cubic meter of airspace was occupied by a constant churn of multiple bats. Hundreds of Egyptian fruit bats in the Lied Jungle as well. But, there's also plenty of other non-bat mammals.

As for a comparison among the big collections in the US, Omaha is a bit light on large carnivore species at the moment with four large cats, one bear, and no large canids or hyaenids. This is obviously a recent development resulting from the closure of the cat house and bear grottos.

While I generally agree with your sentiment here, if the zoo’s spending hadn’t been oriented towards tourist attractions (23 million dollar childrens zoo, etc) I don’t think this would’ve been the case…at least we have wolves at the safari park though I guess?