Friday, March 30, 2012

Tuesday March 27, 2012 - Another Rainy Day

Another Rainy day at the Zoo.  I actually like it because there are less people, and for me seeing less people harassing the Animals makes for a better visit.  There's always going to be something that bothers me, either visitor misbehavior or something zoo management related.  Today was no different.  

The TODAY AT THE ZOO sign at the entrance stated "Animals have access to the inside, due to weather."  Not noting an individual Animal, I would assume that meant all Animals.  Not the case.  I was specifically bothered that Elly, the Black Rhino, who is 41 years old, was stuck outside all day in the rain.  I went by her after 4p and she was eating some acacia and then went over to the door and just stared at it.  Awful.  This is a Senior Animal, who has given the Zoo fourteen babies and they force her out on exhibit all day in the rain.  Complete Disrespect.  I also didn't like seeing the new Peccary girls huddled against the fence in what looked like an attempt to get some shelter from the tree branches above.  These are new Animals, who came from Los Angeles (where it rarely rains) and they were stuck outside in the rain.  When I walked up they moved from the fence and stood about staring towards the door.  Gauhati the Asian Rhino was also stuck outside, and Walter the Stork who I've noted about his lack of shelter, is still of course, without a shelter and left to fend off the cold, wet weather day and night.

Elly "Can I come in now?"

 Peccarries unhuddled

Gauhati looking at the door

 Ulu has access and shelter
She was happily rolling about in her hay :)

Even the Peacocks wanted shelter
This was the third one I saw under a tree

Monday, March 26, 2012

Thursday March 23, 2012 - pt two

Photos of some fun friends :)

Boomer, male Emu
was right up front and hung out there while grooming his gorgeous feathers!
see the video

Kiona, female Grizzly Bear 
(check how she's got a grip on her footies!)

female Pecarries, i love the one above where she's laughing :)
& the one below, one in a hole and the other beside it :)
(they one beside just finished grooming the one in the hole)
see the video 

Ulu enjoying her bone

Goober!  Enjoying a nice day in the sun!


Thursday March 23, 2012 - pt one

The sting of Wishbone's death is still painful.  It hurts even more when I see stuff like this.  When I say stuff" I directly mean the hard proof of money being spent to create new areas in the Zoo, when Animals who live there, especially Wishbone, are living in exhibits that could use upgrading.  A majority of the Animals have  decent homes, but there are some that need upgrading, and in Wishbone's case, could have used upgrading decades ago and everyday since then.   So, I ask Do We Really Need A New Playground?  NO!

For more photos and my blog post about this unnecessary addition 
please visit

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sunday March 25, 2012 - Happy Birthday Wakoda!

Today was my barnyard boyfriend Wakoda's 11th Birthday!  

I went to the Zoo today just for Wakoda's Birthday :)  I love this guy!  It was supposed to rain, but regardless I would have been there to wish my sweet friend a Happy Birthday!  Lee and I sang Happy Birthday to him :)  I gave him tons of hugs and some treats!   Then, lucky for all, me being there (with my party hat on!) reminded his keeper Tracy (thank you!) that it was his bday and she had the volunteers make Wakoda a cake :) and we all sang Happy Birthday to him!  Wakoda loved his cake and his hugs :)  Glad I could be there to help celebrate and make your day special my sweet friend!  XO!

Check out his Birthday video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agabAoO87Ec

Happy Birthday Wakoda!  

Cutest Sheep Ever!





 yum, all done!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Recently,...

Male Anteater Angelo explores his new home!  Finally the Zoo gets something right.  Not sure if this outcome was part of the original plan (didn't seem like it) - (http://sanfranciscozoofails.blogspot.com/search?q=anteater)  BUT what has been done here is wonderful!  Yes SFZOO  I am complimenting you.  

The man-made "natural" aesthetics, (logs, tree base, ant-mound,  ect.)  all look fantastic!  Why these kind of things in addition to some grassy landscaping wasn't done for Wishbone or any of the Bear grottos (in the past two decades), is beyond me.  Taking on old exhibit like this one (and the Bears) and adding to it, makes it wonderful.   I'm happy for Angelo :)  but sad that this and more (soft surface) wasn't done to enrich Wishy's life and most likely saved it. 

Here's a video of Angelo touring about his new digs!

Yay Angelo!  

Tallulah enjoying a piece of Melon

Cobby and Miss T

Cobby watching over his friend T

Monday, March 19, 2012

Sunday March 18, 2012 - Let the Sun Shine!

Part two of yesterdays visit.  All the friends were loving the sunshine :)  My Goober was really having a great time!  Happy to see me he was giving tons of smiles and nose wiggles!  My battery ran out so I didn't get any photos of it, but cherish the interaction :)  LOVE him!  ...  Some of these pix are from another sunny day I didn't get to post.  The Wallabyroo baby was taken three weeks ago, when I first saw it peek out :)  

I took almost 200 photos of the barnyarders, 
and almost 100 of the grizzly girls, 
so I made videos of their photos :)

Bwang

Monifa

 hello ladies :)

Maggie

 Cobby and his opinion :)

 Pelican

 Male Peacock

 Sukari being sukilicious!  I love this one!

 Leanne

 Love this one!

Mama and baby!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday March 18, 2012 - We are the Peccarie!

Will always miss my passed friends and with so many lately, every turn at the Zoo is frown invoking.  Thankfully there are still great friends to put a smile on my face and these newbies did just that.  New to the Zoo, Chacoan Peccary,  there are three so they are Peccarie!  I've seen them on TV, but this was the first time in person, adorable!   I took 100 photos of them exactly and five videos :)   These are my favs!  and the link to the video I'll post at the bottom of the page.  Enjoy these cuties!









They seem super friendly!  Came up to the barrier many times to make eye contact :)

peccarie the video

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Friday March 16, 2012 - Zoo-ing in the Rain pt two

My first venture back and three things bothered me.

A few weeks ago Walter the Maguari Stork was moved from one area in the Puente Al Sur exhibit to another area.  I've had an issue with this since day one.  He had lived for at least a few years in an area that not only had a little stream where he ate his fish from, perches he liked to sit on, but most important there was access to shelter.   He was displaced so two Crowned Cranes could move in.  When I first saw this, poor Walter was staring across the path at the new tenants in his home.  I felt horrible.  I felt even worse when I looked at his new area, which had a plastic tub taking the place of his stream, no perches and the only shelter he had was a piece of tarp about a square yard to cover a corner.  Oh and his sign was just thrown on the ground, a few feet from a "Respect the Animals" sign which I found ironic in this disrespectful situation.  Now, if you are in the area you know that we have had alot of rain in the past few weeks, and that said, poor Walter has had no shelter from it.  A piece of tarp to cover a small area at the top, does not keep you warm and dry on the other sides of your body.  

I was told Walter was soon moving to another Zoo, to meet a girlfriend :)  At the time made me sad because he is an adorable friend who always greets you, but now I wish he was there already as they probably have a home with shelter for him.  ... The right thing to do would have been to wait til he had gone to his new home to make these changes or put the cranes in the "holding pen", not shuffle around the current resident.

Sweet Walter drenched in yesterdays down pour :(   
you can see his pathetic "shelter" in the background


Precious passed Orkney, not gone but two weeks and already his area re-vamped and the Black Swans moved in.  The bigger bother in this is that the ground is covered with a natural covering, yet Wishbone lived on concrete for 4 years exclusively.  When the Zoo wants to move quick it does.  ... Just waiting for the big shoe to drop when they rush in and re-do Wishy's home, something they couldn't do for him.


A ramp from the meadow to Pike's enclosure.  Does Pike now have mobility issues as well (as Wishbone did)?  A couple things.  Why is there now a ramp option, yet Wishbone, even after suffering a fall from his shelf bed, still had to climb concrete stairs (with a previous addition of wooden block stairs)?  If there is a problem with Pike's mobility, will other "stepping" modifications be made to accomodate her?  

Pike is another Bear at the San Francisco Zoo who lived most her life on concrete and still lives more than 50% of it on concrete, as does Ulu.

I'm not going to re-hash my views and opinions on the Bear situation, I'll post links and you can view them as you like.

I just wish the San Francisco Zoo Management and San Francisco Zoological Society had the humane consciousness to have added some natural surface landscaping to these three Bear inhabited grotto's in the past couple decades so these Bears wouldn't end up with mobility issues.  It is my opinion living on concrete lead to the premature death of Wishbone and his companion Annie.

UPDATE:  I have visited the Zoo a couple times this past week and I have learned and heard a couple things in reference to points I made in this blog post.

I have heard that there are "ideas in the works" about what to do with Wishbones grotto.  So, it seems my fears of them rushing in to make this area something different in hopes of putting another animal there is on the horizon.  This is heartbreaking to me, as I just wish they would have had the heart to do something for Wishy that may have saved his bones and his life.

I could make a guess and say that they will update it with landscaping and try to get another Bear.  There are plenty of Bears that need rescuing, and I'm all for saving lives faced with being euthanized, but at the same time doing such an upgrade to me would be a slap in Wishbone's face.

I learned (and remember hearing in passing) that Pike has some arthritis issues, most often chalked up to association with aging, which may very well be the case.  The ramp shown is a sort of trial to make sure she will use it, which so far she isn't fond of it.  I agree with what I heard in that it would be worse if she chose not to use any modifications made, which avoiding them would pose her being vulnerable to injury by choosing to go around them.  I trust the Keepers to make these calls.  I may have originally posted a bit rashly, but from my experiences there are curious things and the situation with Wishbone's concrete life has made me hyper-sensitive to how the minds of Zoo management work and their motives.