Okay, so I decided to go to the zoo. I even got up early because at 10 they were having a cougar show. I got up at 8, showered, did my hair, and left.
When I got there I discovered that even with a $1 coupon the entrance fee was $18. That’s fucking unheard of unless you’re like, the San Diego or Australia zoo. Most zoo’s aren’t good enough to charge that much.
So, I get there, and look around on my way to the cougar show. They only had one white tiger, and he was so far back you could barely see him.
The cougars were unimpressive. A guy just stood there and talked about them, telling me nothing new. The cats took meat off a stick through the fence. Really anti-climatic after you’ve been licked and nipped by one.
I walked around and was very unimpressed by the animals. It was hotter than Hades and I was in a navy shirt, but I wanted to see the animals. Little did I know they had a piss poor collection. They didn’t even have a reptile exibit. The only way to see then was a show later on.
The shows were relatively boring and the keepers didn’t seem to want to talk much. The girl with the tigers told me they are wild animals and are not tame. They WILL kill you if you go in with them. I’m sorry, but if I ever run a zoo, you will go in with your animal. Yes there is danger, but the benefits outweigh the costs. For example, if a vet needs to give a shot, the keeper can assist and the animal may not have to be tranquilized. Which means less stress on the animal, and less health risks.
And the worst part is, the AZA tells people DON’T GO TO PLACES NOT SPONSERED BY US CAUSE THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT WILDLIFE. HOWEVER, the AZA does not support human-animal contact. Well you know what? FUCK THEM. I dont NEED them. I'll start my own zoo/park and it'll be the best fucking zoo around. The equivalent of the Australia Zoo. Steve loved his animals. I dunno how many clips I've seen of him playing with the dingoes, or running with the camels. That's why my zoo will be like. Its not about the people, its about the animals, and zoos these days just dont seem to get that. But back to Naples...
Even the alligators weren’t impressive, though the keepers fed them by hand, they had large sticks in case the gator tried to come up to far on the bank. ooooh, gators. Come on! I fucking canoed with them, AT NIGHT!
Finally they had a snake show. This I went too, and it was nice to see some snakes. They had a ball python (OMG, REALLY?! *snorts*) a huge 5ft milk snake, a copperhead, a cottonmouth, and an eastern diamond back.
Of course, when an idiot (trust me, they were dummer than shit.) asks if the ball python bites, they answer his question, but when I ask something intelligent like “If you’re holding a copperhead or a cottonmouth by the tail do they have the ability to come back up over their own bodies and tag you” it doesn’t get answered. The keeper either didn’t have any idea what I was asking, or didn’t know the answer.
Then he gets quite rude and insulting when I ask if they have any of the big diamondbacks. You know, 8 footers or something. He insults my sources and tells me that there never has been a 9ft eastern db and the only 8 ft one died back in some date I don’t remember.
THE FUCKING GIFT SHOP HAD MORE ANIMALS THAN THE DUMBASS ZOO! And even the gift shop sucked. MY GOD, how has this zoo survived for 40 years? It fucking sucks. Gatorland was better. Montgomery, little old piss ass Montgomery zoo was better. They had tons of animals. I loved Montgomery. and the Sanford Zoo.
Biggest waste of my time and money ever. I should have just slept in this morning.
FUCK!
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3 comments:
Here's just a little piece I posted that better organized with fewer cuss words.
This is kind of a rant as well as something I'd like to discuss.
I've been in contact with several zoos and zoo-like facilities lately, for various reasons and I've been informed of a fairly important fact.
That fact being, that zoos no longer attempt to tame their animals. The keepers do not go in with the animals, and as I was so informed today, if a keeper did go in to the enclosure with one of the more dangerous animals, they'd be dead within minutes.
Before I state my views, I will try to give what I see as both the pros and cons for keeper-animal contact.
I believe being able to interact with the animals at the zoo (as a keeper) is not only good for keeper and the animal, but proves to be a form of enrichment as well. The keeper can then get to know the animal well enough to notice the moment something is wrong. There is also the fact that if a vet comes for a check-up, sedation may not have to be used, which lowers the animal's stress levels as well as keeping them healthy. Sedation in the form of tranquilizers and anesthesia can kill if given in the wrong doses.
Now, obviously, these animals are wild and will always have their own minds. I have seen first hand how a cougar can go from licking you one minute, to zoning in for a pouce with a look that plainy says 'lunch' in the next. I don't want keeper's to die, or get mauled, nor am I crazy about the insurace and liability that goes along with it.
So, on to my exact thoughts on the piece.
I think all this no contact stuff is absolute bull shit. Yes, you could get sued (OH no! *snort*) but most places make you sign a waver when dealing with dangerous species.
I'm not saying they wont attck you if they know you, but I do believe that they will be less likely to attack you if they know you. Plus, there are some animals that are open to human contact. I don't know how many times I've seen Steve Irwin running and playing with the dingoes at the Australia Zoo. Animals like this get thrown into the 'do not touch' category and miss out on the fun and enrichment involved with human contact.
What makes me mad is that, for example, on the brochure for the zoo I visited today it said this: "Look for the AZA logo as your assurance you're supporting a quality wildlife facility." The AZA (according to a keeper at a zoo) does not support or condone human-animal interaction, and therefore will not accredit you if you allow your keepers in contact with 'dangerous' animals in your zoo. So, if you allow that, you wont have their support and are therefore a bad zoo, and may lose funding if people actually pay attention to little things like that.
I don't think that's right. Not at all.
Damn straight with what you said. Lol you should have slept in. I've heard of petting zoos for little kids that have more animals. Haha I bet you one of those little animals could have done more damage to a kid from the sounds of the animals at that zoo. :]
-Carmen
One of the keepers told me that the only animals they go in the enclosure with are the hoof-stock.
O.O
I was in an enclosure with two adult female cougars. Yes, they could have mauled me, and one was definitley thinking about it, but they didn't. Why? Because they were used to human interaction.
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