#zoo things

[justlightmeonfire]

The struggle of making new enrichment while also managing my run by myself is make ME need new enrichment in MY enclosure

[chloeolson]

Cola Nut Tree @ the zoo.

[crimsonruse]

It’s so fun to join a new zoo. And have to find new khaki shorts for work. Where will you find them? Not the women’s section: women shorts are booty shorts with shallow pockets. Al. Ways. Same goes for the girls section. Men’s? Could fit two of me, maybe three. Sigh in sadness as your inevitable destination arrives at the boy’s section where you will discover a single pair of perfectly sized shorts. You are now a 16 year old boy.

[hawkewardn7]

I just touched like seven sting rays and oh my god

[keetani]

Zoo over nights are fucking exhausting.... -_-

[popcultureephemera]

I Mean, The Zoo Doesn't Owe Me Anything

Okay, it's not exactly pop culture but something from this past weekend is bothering me and I wanted to write about it. So this past weekend I went to Audubon Zoo. And it's great! It's a mostly well laid out zoo with a lot of interesting stuff and helpful signage and it is putting in a lazy river and if you don't want to ride a lazy river and maybe look at animals at the same time then I don't really understand you.

But one portion of the zoo gave me pause. It has a "Louisiana" section, which is more than fine. However, the framing of this section bothered me a great deal. Because in almost every enclosure is leftover boats and old stripped trucks or an abandoned house. The frame for the area is the same - there's a lot of old stores that act as walls or mini reptile houses. And it's weird to me, so weird that you would present the animals native to your region in the refuse of humanity. After all these animals were here before these human settlements. It's like saying these animals just live in our garbage. If there was more information about the interface between animal communities and growing human communities it might be one thing, but that's not what is happening. It was just a weird choice that bugged me as I went around learning about bobcats and black bears and fish. Oh, and a swamp monster. A weirdly placed Swamp Monster!

(And don't get me started on the exhibit at the aquarium that was sponsored by various oil companies that seems to be saying "Look at all the life around oil rigs!" Guess what guys - that life would be there without your rigs.)

[transfigurationsgonnacome]

I high-fived a stingray today!

More like ten stingrays, actually. They were so friendly, and the stings had been removed. My group and I trailed our fingers in the water and the stingrays swam up and slapped us with their wings. It was great.