#sanctuaries

[zoeflake]

“There is a shadow there: I see my soul, I hear my soul, singing among the trees!” — Charlotte Mew Ph. Lunaladee

[acti-veg]

Wanted to spread the word about this animal shelter in the Philippines, Happy Animals Club, which I've been supporting for many years now. They're urgently fundraising for a relocation at the moment. They're really wonderful people who've saved so many animals. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-friends-of-happy-animals-club

Thank you - happy to spread the word!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Jess :: @jessaricc

“There are my sanctuaries: music that stirs, nature that heals, poetry that whispers, and solitude that understand."

— Marina Tsvetaeva

[thepulchritudinousheart]

[realinfo25]

#Indianelephant, #rhinoceros #Horn #Wildlifetrafficking #BigFive #Savannah #TuskProtection #Nationalparks #Wildlifereserves #Biodiversity #Africanwildlife #Asianwildlife #Wildlife #sanctuaries #Elephant #calves #Rhinocalves #Wildlifepoachers #Conservation #efforts #Wildliferehabilitation #Antipoaching #measures #AnimalRights #Wildlifedocumentaries #Wildlifephotography, #Elephantbehavior #rhinobehavior #Conservation #organizations #Wildlifetracking #Wildliferangers #Wildlifeeducation #Ecotourism #Conservationbiology #Wildlifehabitats #Elephant #intelligence #Rhinointelligence #Wildlifeextinction #Wildlife protection #lawsAnimal #welfare #Wildliferesearch #Wildlife migration #Wildlife #populationtrends

A matchup between an elephant and a rhinoceros would be quite the spectacle! Both are massive animals with unique features and strengths.

In terms of sheer size, African elephants are the largest land animals, weighing several tons and standing up to 13 feet tall at the shoulder. Rhinoceroses, on the other hand, are smaller but still formidable, with the largest species, the white rhinoceros, weighing around 2.2 to 3.6 tons.

In a confrontation, the outcome would likely depend on various factors such as the species of elephant (African vs. Asian), the species of rhinoceros (white, black, Indian, etc.), the individuals involved, and the circumstances of the encounter.

Elephants are known for their intelligence, social structure, and formidable strength. Their tusks can be used as weapons, and they have powerful trunks that can push over trees and fend off predators.

Rhinoceroses, while not as agile or intelligent as elephants, possess thick, armor-like skin and formidable horns. Their charge can be incredibly powerful, and they have been known to flip vehicles in confrontations.

[evermore-grimoire]

The Evermore Grimoire: Sanctuaries

A Secret Grotto is a special place where merpeople keep their treasure trove of objects from the human world as well as the ocean itself. They are located in large caverns under the sea and are always well hidden, even from other merpeople. It was believed that they loved to explore shipwrecks, caves and the surface world and would take anything that appealed to their curiosity that they would then store in their grotto. However not all merpeople were curious about the surface world with many of them wanting to stay hidden forever. Instead they would use their grotto’s to store unique items such seashells, plants and even their own magical potions and remedies. Regardless, it was also believed that anyone who was lucky enough to discover a secret grotto would be amazed and dazzled from the beautiful treasures stored inside.

artwork by SeaOfFireflies

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

What do you look for/ ask about when you visit a zoo? Is an AZA accreditation a guarantee of a zoo being good?

At this point, I don't take any accreditation as a sign that a zoo or sanctuary is good or bad. I've seen too many issues at AZA zoos and enough stellar unaccredited places to make any blanket judgement.

Here's some of what I look at to decide how I feel about a place:

Are the habitats in good repair? Is there visible deterioration in the habitat furniture, water damage, etc? Are there issues like exposed heating elements that could hurt an animal? Are exclusion barriers around heating elements or staff access well-built and secure?

Have things been recently cleaned? (Obviously, some animals poop in their water elements the second they're let back on habitat after cleaning - so this is more looking at stuff that's more than a day old, like visibly rotting/stepped in food).

Is the age/activity level of the animals appropriate for the habitats they're in? This one can take a bit of asking to find out, but it matters when places have older construction. Some of the outdated exhibit styles with less space to move or climb are fine for geriatric animals, but not for younger, more energetic ones. Facilities can often repurpose old exhibits for different species, too, if they can’t renovate.

Is the messaging and signage consistent with the ethos of the facility? Is the signage correct? If things are older I can forgive minor errors or outdated info because that stuff is expensive to replace, but new signs should be accurate. Also, if things are incorrect, what's the topic? An error about habitat range is one thing, a sign misleading guests about USDA regulations is another.

Are they doing animal encounters, and if so, how are they set up? Are they voluntary? Are they safe for both the people and animals?

Do I generally feel safe / welcome at the facility? This can be based on things like cleanliness, fence height, general vibe. I've been to places that just don't feel like they want to be a zoo, or want guests, and it was weird AF.

Are animals that are visibly injured or sick under veterinary care? Is it being messaged about transparently?

Are they taking appropriate COVID precautions around susceptible species? (This one is hard lately because IMHO I've seen mayyybe one zoo reliably making staff wear N95s around cats and primates.)

Are the safety precautions appropriate? Are there easy places where guests could contact animals that haven't been addressed? Are spots where people frequently try to reach out to fencing retrofitted or staffed to prevent it?

As you can see, I'm generally looking at how a place functions. There's no specific lines about it something is good or bad - I try to evaluate situations and look at how a zoo is (or isn't) addressing it. The reality is that not every facility has the money to emulate the aesthetics of the big legacy AZA zoos, and so you may see chain fencing or unpainted concrete. As long as it's safe and functional and the animal welfare is good, that's what matters. Renovations cost money. Signage costs money. Places always have to juggle what to prioritize, and big donations are often earmarked for specific projects or species. So for me it sort of boils down to "what are they doing, why, and how" plus a general vibe check.