the scariest moment in a zoo
- Thread starter foz
- Start date
Scariest moment for me was probably at Jersey.
Ya Kwanza, the male gorilla, stood just outside the indoor area by the giant windows. He stood perfectly still so I took a picture (no flash on) and as I was taking another photo, he just banged the window with full force. It really startled me!
I visited Jersey 3 times in that week and Ya Kwanza seemed to recognise me on the other 2 times (even charging at me on one point) and he wouldn't take his eyes off me.
Ya Kwanza, the male gorilla, stood just outside the indoor area by the giant windows. He stood perfectly still so I took a picture (no flash on) and as I was taking another photo, he just banged the window with full force. It really startled me!
I visited Jersey 3 times in that week and Ya Kwanza seemed to recognise me on the other 2 times (even charging at me on one point) and he wouldn't take his eyes off me.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
Particular animals are startled by paritcular things as a species, would anyone know what gorilla's react to? AS an example I know elephants react to very high and very low, frequency vibrations picked up in the ground.
taun
Well-Known Member
Surely its not that cut and dry? Animals will react different to most things with a few small incidents that prob cause the animal discomfort and therefore all seem to react to that one incident.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
oh, no I meant that certain animlas are most so sensitive to particular things,
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
That's pretty scary, when I went to Sydney two years back it was a terrifying experince!
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
My scariest experinece in a zoo w as as I've visted a zoo and the guy before me at the entrance bought the last zooguidebook....I've never visted that zoo again... Just a joke.
A few years ago, I've visted a german zoo, on my way to the elephant house, an african wild dog was running on the way straight in my direction....The keeper has forgot to close the exhibits door....Really good carnivore keeper...
A few years later, the same happend in another zoo, but in this case it was a female african elephant, which has escaped from the exhibit and was running towards me...
A few years ago, I've visted a german zoo, on my way to the elephant house, an african wild dog was running on the way straight in my direction....The keeper has forgot to close the exhibits door....Really good carnivore keeper...
A few years later, the same happend in another zoo, but in this case it was a female african elephant, which has escaped from the exhibit and was running towards me...
mstickmanp
Well-Known Member
Wow, an elephant running at you, I don't think anybody will beat that one.
My scariest moment in a zoo happened when I found out that there was a male orangutan on the loose. The scary part was that I was behind the scenes of the orang exhibit 5 mins before it happened, and that's were he had escaped to.
My scariest moment in a zoo happened when I found out that there was a male orangutan on the loose. The scary part was that I was behind the scenes of the orang exhibit 5 mins before it happened, and that's were he had escaped to.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
I agree the only thing scary than a female elephant on the lose is a bull elephant on the lose!
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
Fortunately it was a female elephant and she was not angry, but very curious. A keeper brought her back to the elephante xhibit, she could escape, beause there was an construction area and there was only a primitive fence to seperate the exhibit from the construction area, she used her chance and climbed over the fence.
in 1985, three adult lions escaped at the Frankfurt zoo, which was full of visitors that day...
in 1985, three adult lions escaped at the Frankfurt zoo, which was full of visitors that day...
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
I remember another scary moment at the Frankfurt zoo. It was in winter, shortly before the zoo closed,it was cold and the zoo was completly empty. I have to say, I was a few years younger than now. I used the oppurtunity to visit the Grizmekhouse, ( the Nocturnal house )completly without any visitor with the exception of me. It was amazing, so noiseless and quite and..so dark and I was ..alone ! I got an extremly panic attak so I was running out of the building as fast as I could ! Today I laugh about that and I wonder, how could that happen to me...Man, I'm a man and not a girl or something else.
I had another great experience in that house a few years later. It was in winter, too, my favourite time to visit that house(I had never again a panic attack). I turned around a corner in the nocturnal section and first thing i saw int he exhibit was a fully active sloth ! i've never seen the slothes in Frankfurt active until this day, it came very close to the window, I was so impressed, that I not saw a young human pair, having sex right in the corner of the exhibit...I've saw it first, after i've heared them. The first thing I've thought was : Should I tell them now they have to be qiute in the house or better not ? I think, most people had laugh about that and had left the place, but not me. I just wanted to watch the slothes, Sorry , so I stayed at my place. But the pair found that not very funny, they put on the clothes and dissappered in the darkness...
Oh my God, what amazing things I've seen in my live in zoos..In the Opel-Zoo Kronberg could I see a mid forty man with his trousers down who tried to mate a donkey mare in the petting zoo very early in the morning, I was the second visitor after these guy...Some keepers put him out of the zoo...In the same zoo, I've seen a young man ,too, with his pants down also, standing before a magic mirror on the childrens playground, which made all things bigger....
I had another great experience in that house a few years later. It was in winter, too, my favourite time to visit that house(I had never again a panic attack). I turned around a corner in the nocturnal section and first thing i saw int he exhibit was a fully active sloth ! i've never seen the slothes in Frankfurt active until this day, it came very close to the window, I was so impressed, that I not saw a young human pair, having sex right in the corner of the exhibit...I've saw it first, after i've heared them. The first thing I've thought was : Should I tell them now they have to be qiute in the house or better not ? I think, most people had laugh about that and had left the place, but not me. I just wanted to watch the slothes, Sorry , so I stayed at my place. But the pair found that not very funny, they put on the clothes and dissappered in the darkness...
Oh my God, what amazing things I've seen in my live in zoos..In the Opel-Zoo Kronberg could I see a mid forty man with his trousers down who tried to mate a donkey mare in the petting zoo very early in the morning, I was the second visitor after these guy...Some keepers put him out of the zoo...In the same zoo, I've seen a young man ,too, with his pants down also, standing before a magic mirror on the childrens playground, which made all things bigger....
zaphod1313
Member
Two episodes come to mind right now. The first was leaving a service area and coming face to face with our male Addax--it was probably about 100 feet, but it felt like he was breathing down my neck. (He was quickly herded back into the holding area).
We recently acquired a female amur leopard, we have not had leopards in our zoo for quite a while but I do remember their "attitudes". I was cleaning her quarantine holding while she was locked on one side. When it was time to switch her, she literally threw herself against the enclosure door growling, hissing and spitting. Scared the heck out of me!
We recently acquired a female amur leopard, we have not had leopards in our zoo for quite a while but I do remember their "attitudes". I was cleaning her quarantine holding while she was locked on one side. When it was time to switch her, she literally threw herself against the enclosure door growling, hissing and spitting. Scared the heck out of me!
NZ Jeremy
Well-Known Member
How European...
I got quite scared at Auckland Zoo one day...
The female sumatran tiger Molek is kept in an old lion pit exhibit, I've been worried about the height of the wall in one location for a while but not too worried assuming the zoo staff knew what they were doing... When Molek was pregnant, Oz (the male) and her swapped enclosures... I got to the zoo early one day and he was exploring the enclosure (very actively), Oz is a very impressive, athletic and large (for a sumatran) male... He leaped up onto a log that was high and from a great distance and I got quite scared because I firmly believe he could quite easily have gotten out of that enclosure if he wanted to if he performed a jump like that at the low point of the enclosure wall...
Lets just say I quickly moved on to other exhibits...
I don't blame you, Jeremy!
I remember the old lion and tiger pits at Taronga. The lion pit was no more than 5 metres deep, but the tiger pit was considerably deeper. Lions were occasionally put into the (empty) tiger pit, but I don't think tigers were ever put into the lion pit.
Too risky!
I remember the old lion and tiger pits at Taronga. The lion pit was no more than 5 metres deep, but the tiger pit was considerably deeper. Lions were occasionally put into the (empty) tiger pit, but I don't think tigers were ever put into the lion pit.
Too risky!
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Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
As if other countries don't have their share of weirdos and perverts...
Not in a zoo, but in a circus I experienced an elephant going mad and smashing its trainer to the ground. I was a toddler back then, but I still remember that scary moment...
The early visitor catches the Donkey, so to speak...
It sounds like an example from Heini Hediger's famous book 'Man & Animal in the Zoo'.
zaphod1313
Member
Hey JZ Jeremy,
I was on vacation. Regarding your inquiry about the Jersey Devil, I don't know anything about it but our Vet Tech researches all of that stuff. When he gets back from a conference I will get him to answer you.
Gina
I was on vacation. Regarding your inquiry about the Jersey Devil, I don't know anything about it but our Vet Tech researches all of that stuff. When he gets back from a conference I will get him to answer you.
Gina