Personal daftness in zoos

mazfc

mazfc

Well-Known Member
I thought I'd start a thread looking at our own daft zoo mistakes/experiences. I always read the zoo misconceptions thread thinking 'well I've probably done worse at one time or another' and I get I'm not the only one.

So a few things that if observed by a zoo chatter might get me that thread: :)

My total inability to read HWP abbreviation (highland wildlife park) as anything other than Hewlett Packard.

My insistence that flamingoes and giraffes are mingoes and raffs as its what what god daughter calls them (I'm 41, and say it even when she's not there).

Also having noticed the general publics obsession with animals passing water, we always says loudly in a daft voice 'he's weeeeeeeing' whenever one does :) Thrn of course there is 'he's bobbing' Can you work that one out? :rolleyes:

I have also on too many occasions to count pointed out a female animal, when suddenly evidence starts pointing to a he!
 
Unfortunately I think there are too many zoo snobs on this site who refuse to admit they could have possibly made a mistake. I haven't visited that many zoos but I often get my lesser known monkey species confused.
 
mazfc said:
My insistence that flamingoes and giraffes are mingoes and raffs as its what what god daughter calls them (I'm 41, and say it even when she's not there).
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I sometimes refer to wallabies by a name I heard a child call them at Riber Castle once - "wally-bouncers". That's a fine name, that is! :D
 
Mr T said:
Unfortunately I think there are too many zoo snobs on this site who refuse to admit they could have possibly made a mistake. I haven't visited that many zoos but I often get my lesser known monkey species confused.
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I avoid those errors by just referring to them as 'monkeys'. :D
 
Actually, I suppose having to all around Newquay Zoo twice because the first time there was no film in the camera qualifies here as well...
 
Maguari said:
Actually, I suppose having to all around Newquay Zoo twice because the first time there was no film in the camera qualifies here as well...
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This reminds me of the time I drove to Adelaide with a friend and looked everywhere for my camera before I left without finding it. I eventually found it in the glove box of my car just as we were driving back into Victoria on the way home.
 
Maguari said:
Actually, I suppose having to all around Newquay Zoo twice because the first time there was no film in the camera qualifies here as well...
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Haven't done that, but I did use the same film twice last year at Wingham. It wasn't a success.

Daftest thing I've done on a zoo visit was on the same day at Wingham when I forgot to look at the parrot house, despite it being third on my list of must sees. The first was gentle lemurs and the second was Gray's monitors. Managed to achieve those two ambitions.
 
Your not the only one trust me!

I went to Twycross the other day with my big digital camera to do some photography.... Got there and found I had left the battery charging on my kitchen table and didnt have a spare! D'oh!!

Also I have done work experience before at WMSP and was in the white lion house stroking some of the lionesses and cubs through the mesh which they were enjoying. I'd crouched down and totally forgot the male who then ran at the mesh growling, at which point I jumped out of my skin and fell backwards onto my arse much to the amusement of all the staff!
 
Many years ago I walked into the Giraffe enclosure with a fellow keeper and we found fresh blood smeared on rocks and the ground at several spots in the enclosure. It could have come from the giraffes, or zebra, or scimtar-horned oryx. My colleague said it was most likely bird blood. I rubbed some of the blood between my fingers and said "Nah, it's mammalian". Bird blood is sticky, and this felt quite fluid between my fingertips.

"No, it's bird blood" he said.

"No" I repeated "it's mammalian blood"

"What makes you so sure it's mammalian?" he asked.

"The erythrocytes are not nucleated" I replied tersely. "What makes you so sure it's bird blood?"

"That" he said, and pointed behind me. I looked around and under a bush was a guineafowl with blood smeared all over it's chest, and a trail of blood on the ground leading to it.

I had to tolerate a fair amount of well-deserved ridicule for a few hours until another keeper's actions completely took the focus way from me.

:p

Hix
 
Due to a genuine slip of the tongue years ago when my girlfriend accidentally for some reason called a Rhea a Turkey, all Rheas are now called turkeys, Emus are big turkeys and of course an Ostrich is biggest Turkey!
The two strangest things that have stuck over the years are that Bongos eat banana and chocolate pancakes when no one is looking and Cape Buffalo always have a preference for any dish involving boiled eggs. :confused:
 
Glad it's not just me :)

I haven't mentioned one of my all time classics. Having watched lechwe for months at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, I went to the West Midland Safari, mistook them for deer and fed them the deer food! Not my best moment!

Note - no harm was done to anything but my ego
 
It wasn't in a zoo but, several years ago, we were travelling down to the French Alps and as we went through one of the alpine passes, saw some marmots on the side of the road. "Oh look" I said to my husband "Otters":o

I'd seen them on previous visits and knew exactly what they were but somehow the wrong word came out - I blame the fact we'd been travelling for over 24 hours with only about 4 hours sleep!! I've never been allowed to forget it.
 
Hix said:
"What makes you so sure it's mammalian?" he asked.

"The erythrocytes are not nucleated" I replied tersely.
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:D:D:D:D

I can't wait for the autobiography!


Daftest thing I can think of was, while explaining to my partner (several months before our visit) the uniqueness and vital importance of seeing the Proboscis Monkeys at Singapore Zoo, calling them "******** Monkeys", so they would not be forgotten. :p
 
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