Jacob Blackwood
Well-Known Member
Wow hugging a Sumatran Rhino must be an amazing opportunity
Zoo "Confessions"
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Torgos
Well-Known Member
He was about 2 years old born at Cincinatti, went to White Oak in Florida where I met him before transfer to Indonesia. Honestly it was like being with a giant gentle goofy muddy puppy. Absolutely the best on- on-one zoo animal experience of my career. Lucky lucky lucky
Jacob Blackwood
Well-Known Member
Sounds amazing
There are some animals that I don't enjoy in discussion but still very much enjoy in person -- in conversation you would think I absolutely loathe red river hogs, because for a while they were used as filler to replace lost species in local facilities and because they are just so locally common they feel a little too easy to find... but when I'm visiting one of those zoos and seeing them in person, I do quite like them! Another pressing example is polar bears, which I think based on my zoochat history you would think I would have an issue with, but I love seeing them at the zoo, they're wonderful animals. There are some animals I just don't enjoy talking about but love seeing.
Dr. Wolverine
Well-Known Member
When I went to Singapore zoo, I missed the reticulated python exhibit despite that being one of the “don’t miss” things on my list AND the fact that @Zooish told me about the change in exhibits when I asked where the pythons were located. So to this day, I have not seen a single reticulated python in my life.
On my first visit to Singapore Night Safari, I completely missed it because there was no signage. Later I found out that it was being exhibited in the leopard cat/small tooth civet enclosure which I passed a gazillion times when I got lost on the Leopard Trail( yes, another confession).
On my first visit to Singapore Night Safari, I completely missed it because there was no signage. Later I found out that it was being exhibited in the leopard cat/small tooth civet enclosure which I passed a gazillion times when I got lost on the Leopard Trail( yes, another confession).
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Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
I have three confessions
1,During a visit to Durrell, many years ago, my wife and myself found ourselves in a very dark viewing area watching the Aye Ayes.I was so engrossed watching the animals I never noticed her go out.Once I realised that she had left ,I went to join her. Could I find the door, could I heck Eventually I managed to get out, by which time my wife had been joined by other members of the public who thought it was hilarious ,ifelt a right numpty
Confession number Two
Whilst working at Dudley zoo during my AMC I was asked to feed the Penguins ,I.was honoured. By the time I got to the Penguins a large crowd had gathered. I placed the two buckets of fish over the fence and then proceeded to join them, unfortunately my right foot connected with a lads head and knocked him sideways. Fortunately he was not hurt, unlike my pride.
Confession number three
Again at Dudley myself and another keeper went to feed and clean the Asiatic Bears when they were housed to the right of the old Polar bears enclosure. To gain access to the indoor dens you have go down a ladder to them.So we lowered the plastic barrel of food and tools down. It was decided that I would go outside to clean and my colleague would start the feeding inside now that the bears were inside their dens.I proceeded to about halfway in the outdoor enclosure when I heard the sound of a slide being lifted, I was horrified all I had was a grass rake, a shovel and a large bucket. I then realised that the noise wasn't the slide but my colleague dragging the food bin.I then heard the laughter, two other keepers were looking down at me. They said if I could have seen my face, it went from absolute horror to realisation of what had actually happened..I was the but of the jokes all day.
I have seen the funny side of all three (confessions)
1,During a visit to Durrell, many years ago, my wife and myself found ourselves in a very dark viewing area watching the Aye Ayes.I was so engrossed watching the animals I never noticed her go out.Once I realised that she had left ,I went to join her. Could I find the door, could I heck Eventually I managed to get out, by which time my wife had been joined by other members of the public who thought it was hilarious ,ifelt a right numpty
Confession number Two
Whilst working at Dudley zoo during my AMC I was asked to feed the Penguins ,I.was honoured. By the time I got to the Penguins a large crowd had gathered. I placed the two buckets of fish over the fence and then proceeded to join them, unfortunately my right foot connected with a lads head and knocked him sideways. Fortunately he was not hurt, unlike my pride.
Confession number three
Again at Dudley myself and another keeper went to feed and clean the Asiatic Bears when they were housed to the right of the old Polar bears enclosure. To gain access to the indoor dens you have go down a ladder to them.So we lowered the plastic barrel of food and tools down. It was decided that I would go outside to clean and my colleague would start the feeding inside now that the bears were inside their dens.I proceeded to about halfway in the outdoor enclosure when I heard the sound of a slide being lifted, I was horrified all I had was a grass rake, a shovel and a large bucket. I then realised that the noise wasn't the slide but my colleague dragging the food bin.I then heard the laughter, two other keepers were looking down at me. They said if I could have seen my face, it went from absolute horror to realisation of what had actually happened..I was the but of the jokes all day.
I have seen the funny side of all three (confessions)
When I visited Detroit Zoo, it was a fairly quiet day, and there were no other visitors besides my group in the room of National Amphibian Conservation Center, so I broke the rules and crawled through the kids only tunnel. Got a new lifer in the form of Texas blind cave salamanders. Guilty as charged, but I don't regret it.
I've crawled through kids tunnels a couple of times - I don't remember there being any kids only signage though. I just waited til the tunnel was open and then went and took a look. I can be a kid at heart about animals right? If they're gonna put cool species in kids tunnels some of us adults are still gonna want to see them too!
I do this every time I swing by there
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, I turned on a bright flashlight I had brought with me in the Nocturnal House with the Platypuses.
Not sure harassing notoriously sensitive zoo animals is something I'd brag about...
If there was a "dislike" button, everybody would be using it for this post.
Why would you even bring a flashlight? What an awful, awful thing to do.
To be fair, I bring a flashlight with me almost anywhere I go... but it is a tiny, two-inch long one attached to my keychain. However, I have enough common sense and basic human decency not to use it in completely inappropriate settings, such as the one @Nile Hippo Expert is describing.
Most of us now always have a flashlight available via our smartphones at this point - though most of us also have the common courtesy and respect to not attempt blinding sensitive nocturnal animals with them.
The way it was written, I perhaps wrongly assumed he'd brought a separate flashlight for this purpose. I would never say "I brought a flashlight with me" when talking about the one on my phone, I would say "my phone's flashlight". Which I use a lot
Considering the fact that the only platypus ever imported to the UK died due to the stress of hearing depth charges being detonated nearby as the ship carrying it passed through the Irish Sea during the height of WWII, the stress of suddenly having a bright light shone into the exhibit easily could have killed the San Diego animals.
Jonathan Petersson
Well-Known Member
Are you being serious or is this post a joke. I'm praying it's the later. If not I would recommend never doing this again
Oh God, I've always known many animals were sensitive to light but I had no clue it could be as severe as this, that's a terrifying thought.
An absolute bruh moment if I've ever seen one. If you have a phone with a good camera, there's something called "night mode". Alternatively, *let your friggin eyes adjust for 10 minutes*. I let my eyes adjust with the aye ayes at Philly and could actually see them really well. You had the privilege of seeing the US' only platypus, a privilege that most people don't even have, and you had the ironically bright idea to bring a flashlight and potentially blind them/make them EVEN MORE skittish? AT BEST? Good grief.
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