Someone Asks Zookeepers “What Are Zoo Secrets That People Wouldn’t Believe?”, Gets 21 Replies

TheGoodBoi

TheGoodBoi

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I'm sure it is expensive! Our local aquarium is $50 per adult and $35 per child last I checked...

cetaceans should not be captive in aquariums.

Evidently, keepers also smell of the animals that they take care of, and because af that can rarely date anybody but another keeper. It takes more than a couple of showers to get rid of the smell of most animals, if you have been in close proximity with them for a while..

Definitely. I used to do IT support at the Sydney Aquarium and since I got on well with the keepers, I used to hang with them a lot. They always got one of the first seafood deliveries of the day from the fish markets just across the harbour and it was always top-quality seafood

I would hope it's expensive to take care of animals you are responsible for their health and a happy life, however one thing I have a problem with is them not paying their employees enough. If you want someone with special knowledge and who will pay good attention to an animal and give it proper care you better pay them accordingly!!!--- same for schools, any job that requires a care of some form deserves great pay

Excellent! 100% True, and so seldom explained.

This is very simplistic. A lot of animals are omnivores, but rarely eat in a 50/50 split, so you may not realize it. For example, squirrels, hippos, dogs, corvids. Some animals (like deer) are opportunistic omnivores, in that they will eat meat, but they dont need to. Some animals (like horses) are true herbivores, in that their systems dont process meat well, but occasionally they will kill and eat small animals for who knows why since it could kill them.

I once saw a cow in a field just casually chewing on a dead hare it found in the grass

And on the flip side, we should talk about the carnivorous plants 😁

Having seen cardinals who are "seed eaters" happily devouring cooked chicken, mice eating mice, and having a photo of a cow contentedly eating a living snake as I watched, well...

Well, it's pretty close to how it goes in nature so guests shouldn't complain.

There is a large cat rescue and a park with wolves, both happily accept unwanted meat, carcasses within reasonable freshness. The wolf park does research and their wolves have better teeth than those in zoos because they are mainly fed carcasses where they have to tear into the hide and bone

That's just practical. Either way it involves a dead animal being eaten. Not wasting an animal that died accidentally is just good sense.

Zoos in my country also accept people's pet horses, donkeys, alpacas mm when they need to be put down due to old age. It saves you the vet bill for euthanasia because the zoo will take care of that for you plus being eaten by lions is a noble and badass end for any well loved animal.

I’ve just come up with a new business idea where you can donate your body to the zoo. I’d happily sign up for it. Who else is with me? 🐅 edited to say *after* you have died from natural causes.

I do a fair bit of dentistry work at zoos, and I try to make sure I get to know the workers in the habitats I frequent. This way, each time I visit, I can bring them gift cards to things they like or cater their lunch or something. Those guys & gals work so hard!

Can confirm. You can work full time including two weekends and still have trouble getting by. You have to absolutely love the job, the interactions with the animals are the rewards. Also, there isn't much of a career path except becoming head zookeeper or manager of a department. (Source: Was zookeeper in the Netherlands)

Sounds just like working at an animal shelter

There are TV shows about zoos??? Where do I watch these???

Was the sea lion named Henry the 8th?

Penguin wings hurt! Left me battered and bruised.

Or, alternatively, he was a Steller's Sea Lion- not a warm fuzzy cartoon...

Penguins??

She calls him “goofy” for maiming and murdering his mates? I can think of *much* better words. At least she got close with “🫏🕳️.”

(ཀʖ̯ཀ)

It's like the opposite of a zoo. A ooz.

The Natural History Museum in London also has a beetling pit, and they get first dibs on any animal bodies confiscated by UK customs after they're no longer needed by police.

Dermestid beetles are so metal

Ah ok... but when a Danish zoo takes a giraffe apart and makes it a public learning experience it's a bad thing. Everything on the giraffe was used. I suppose the issue was that kids were allowed to watch as well (in company of adults, of course). But wooooow the international drama it caused. Lol. Edited to add: it was called Marius. :)

I'm curious. How do the baboons tell you they want to listen to certain music? Are they pushing some buttons perhaps?

… more than one …

If you are going to an aquarium or zoo , then be prepared to watch nature in it's natural brutality. It angers me that some people are so fragile as to expect all animals living like a Disney movie. You are not going to harm your children by showing the truth. Sure, they might cry at first, but do you want your children living in a comfortable bubble that will surely be popped, or do you want a child who learns that the world is a rough place?

almost looks like the glass is cracking in the middle...

Porgy and Less.

So, had to look up “porgy” and it’s basically a sea bream 🐟 and I’m not gonna lie, they are delicious, so I’m with the shark on this one. 🦈