8.19.2009

Zoology 101










14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im with you. It's sad, even if it is a good thing.

and your zoo is WAY better than ours. boo.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary Ann!

I fell out of blogland and just the land in general this last year but wanted to say hi! I go down to my basement to craft and you come to mind from time to time. I always say I am going to email and then don't! I hope you are doing well and wish you the best! You are one of the first people to get me blogging and one of my first Etsy customers. Thank you for your inspiration! Hugs! Amy :)

PS. I am laughing about your comments above! It must be tough being a teacher! My hubbie's Mom was an English teacher and he is the king of correction by default!

Magpie said...

Oh, I know. Nice as they can be, there's still something ineffably sad...

Lisa said...

I just always remember how many animals we would lose forever if we didn't have zoo. Gorillas are at HUGE risk because of all the killing in the Congo. So while some zoos need to step it up they are huge when it comes to conservation.

rlu9 said...

I agree with you about the zoos. We have enjoyed many of the zoos countrywide - Denver and San Diego stand out in my mind. We have two large zoos locally, San Francisco and Oakland, plus a small local zoo.

Pretty much everyone knows about Tatiana the tiger at the SF zoo, which we have been members of since the 80s, and the attack in 2007. It makes you wonder if exhibiting the animals is still the best way to encourage knowledge, or does television and the internet take on that role?

I think there is something to actually seeing and being close to animals that engenders compassion/passion. I just don't know what the morally right answer is.

King Family said...

Great shot of that Bengal tiger. (Bengals) yeah! LOL

Mrs. G. said...

That picture of the tiger is amazing. Were you that close or do you have a fancy lens. And when I say close, I mean on the other side of glass, not in the tiger's cage.

Yarni Gras! said...

while getting her Masters in zoology, my niece did her internship there and said it was the best zoo...in front AND behind the scenes.

jenny said...

I know what you mean. We went to the zoo in Jacksonville, FL last year. It was nice, but when we got to the gorillas I felt so sorry for them. The big silverback was just sitting there, staring out the "window", while a bunch of people were staring right back at him. Then a lady walked up to the window and tapped it, made some sort of hand signal, and then the gorilla went NUTS! Turns out, my husband overheard her telling another person, that she used to be one of the trainers years ago and she always comes back to visit him. From the way the silverback reacted, I think her visits need to stop.

It wasn't a bad zoo, but they could do better.

Very Mary said...

@yarnigras: that really makes my heart feel VERY good. Thank you!

Chris Worthy said...

A starting point for screening a zoo is checking to see if it is AZA accredited. It’s not a sure sign that it’s a great zoo -- but if it isn’t on the list, that’s enough to convince me it’s not. :)

Dk's Wife said...

I don't feel bad about zoos as long as the animals are treated well, and I think for the most part, they are. What I feel bad about is poorly treated circus animals, domestic animals that are chained and caged, etc. Now that, pisses me the hell off.

Very Mary said...

Although it took multiple photos, I did manage to take this THROUGH the glass. Lucky for me, he was right there beside the window in all his glory. Magnificent, isn't he?

Julie said...

I agree the tiger is magnificent. Great shot!