My Zoo Outtings Synopsis - Sunday April 27, 2014

From my blog mysanfranciscozooouttings.blogspot.com

>April 27,2014 - Happy World Tapir Day!

I used to love going to the Zoo and spending time with my Precious Friend Goober on this day that celebrates his species :)  I sure do miss him!   ... Please visit the World Tapir Day page on Facebook to learn more about all species of Tapir and check this link to learn about their plight.  Thankx!

>April 25, 2014 - Zoo Friend Birthdays Today!

 Happy 45th Birthday Maggie!

Happy 44th Birthday Minnie!

Sunday September 16, 2012 - Visit

I hadn't gone to the Main Zoo (just the Farm and Primates) since the loss of my precious Goober (Bairds Tapir).  Even though it was emotionally hard, my friend Lee and I put some Sunflowers at Goobies home today, so already being out there and crying, I forged on and visited all the Friends who I hadn't seen in three weeks.

After losing Goob I wasn't going to blog anymore (another post with more on that coming soon), but the Zoo never fails me, providing many things that provoke a head shake.

From Goobs place we went to Bears.

Here is a photo of the Polar Bears meadow.  The pertinent part of the photo is the signage.  The bigger sign is identical? Its just curious to me and makes it seem like they are trying to yell out a message, for lack of doing.

                                     New bigger, same as original sign ^

The original smaller sign

Note this is the only grass available to the Polar's and so they both still live 50% of their lives on concrete.

I've written about the smaller sign before:

> Contrary to the belief of the Zoo, providing a natural living environment (grass not concrete) is not Enrichment, its humane.  Oh, and concrete does not equal "a rocky ground".  Concrete = asphalt, not a natural surface.  I guess I never looked close enough to this sign, because the whole "rocky ground" thing, that must be a joke right?   Next thing you will be putting up a sign saying its also part of your Wellness program.  Good Grief! <

You can read more about the Bear enclosures here:

http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-to-do-at-bears-not-question-but.html

When we got to Elly (Black Rhino) I was bothered by the new fencing.  There are several reasons why I felt this way, mainly I have long felt that Elly has been disrespected and this proves it once again.

I have written several posts about the condition of Elly's skin (not being oiled regularly), and since her companion Mishaki/Gene's passing, that she continually looks for him.  I will note and you can read more in the link provided, that once I started posting abotu Elly's skin, as well I contacted the Joint Zoo Committee Animal Welfare Chair, it seems Elly's skin is being taken care of on a regular basis.  BUT the issue of her continually staring into Gene's (adjoining) area has never been addressed.

NOW to see a (temporary) fence put up at this time, when I posted suggestions to this effect, really upsets me.  In my opinion, a fencing could have been put up after Mishaki's passing when it was evident that she was constantly looking for him.  Only now that the Zoo is receiving a new male Black Rhino (Elly and Mishaki's grandson Belozi) have they put one up.  All I can deduce from this is that, they could care less about it when it might have suited Elly's needs, but now it suits their needs, as I'm sure he will have to quarantine on exhibit.  More disrespect.

 Elly staring at the wood

Backside of wood, you can see it was attached TO fencing, so its temporary.  A screen or bamboo option could have been doneafter Mishaki's passing, to ease Elly's mourning.

And speaking of disrespect, I certainly hope once Belozi gets here they don't leave him in a crate for twelve additional hours because they are too lazy to uncrate him before going home at night, like they did to poor Tucker (Hippo) when he arrived.

I will also add that I hope Elly is not put in the back exhibit like she was for many, many months without rotation, when Mishaki was still here.  She did not thrive in the back and that was where her skin condition deteriorated when Staff allegedly said it wasn't "feasible" to oil her in that location.  ... This exhibit renovation is awful.  Why it is divided front to back instead of side by side is beyond me.  It makes not sense.  Side by side both Animals would be "on exhibit" (which is a Zoo priority), not having one languish in the back.  Unfortunately I fear that the Zoo will want the new Rhino in front and poor Elly will be stuck in back again.  I sure hope they prove me wrong and stop being lazy and rotate them.

Across the path we got some love from the Cats!  Everyone gave a hello glance :)

Sukari, Amanzi and Jahari :)

Shastyuh :)

Taymor :)

Saw a Coopers Hawk in the Garden :)

It was a rare sighting of a Colobus Monkey.  They may be more visable but I don't go and see them that often.  Why?  I feel awful for them.  They are literally in a cage.  There is no greenery in their home, a cage that sits next to this wide open space of lush landscaping.   They look out at natural surroundings, yet live in steel and concrete.  Its awful. The landscaped area should be enclosed and they should live there.

Stopping at the Savannah landing near the Giraffe Barn, two things were blog worthy.  First, poor Lily.  I have recently also wrote about her being once again separated from her mate Erik.  I can only assume that this is due to her being pregnant, although I have no official word on that.  Regardless, if they don't want her on the Savannah in that condition, why don't they put Erik in with her?  It appears that even though they have lived as a family unit with their two babies, that now the Zoo is only using them as a couple for breeding purposes.  Awful.  There is no empathy for any of the Animals.

Hi Lily!  She is precious and always comes over to greet :)

Near the bench posted is this comical sign.  The Zoo is notorious for misuse of water, overuse in some spots and under used in others.  Then there's this sign next to plants they have let dry out and die.  Another SFZoo Classic.

Last but not least, the new glass at Gorillas.  I have posted much about being pro glass at all enclosures for the protection of the Animals, so I actually love this, but two things are curious.  If the Zoo is doing this for the "wellness" of the Animals, It seems counter-productive to the goal to put glass at some viewing areas and not at others.  Also, Why can't the Zoo use anti-reflective glass?  

Jonesy looks like he is rolling his eyes 

at the whole she-bang!  Gotta Love Him!

This sign is at Gorillas.  Much like the one at Sea Lions WHY?  are these types of cautionary signs ONLY up at certain Animals?  They, along with other signs boasting "words of respect" should be at all exhibits.  Notably, signs that say not to kick, knock, tap, rap, whatever on the glass of the Animals homes.   UG.

Oh gosh I thought I was done. I've been a victim of having food snatched so I can laugh at this.  I love Gulls Gone Wild!  and there has sure been alot of it lately.  Not sure why all the table umbrellas have come down, but its silly that there's not even a netting above the tabled area.   These Gulls scored some  Chicken Tenders, but the best in photo op, was the week before's score of beak dipped Mac and Cheese!

You can read more about the Disrespect of Lily and Elly, as well the water waste in a couple other posts:

http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2012/05/tuesday-may-29-2012-visit.html

http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2012/05/saturday-may-26-2012-visit.html

RIP Goober - Bairds Tapir Passes

Forever Loved

Forever Missed

This was the last time I saw Goobie and he greeted us :)

Three weeks ago today, unknowingly I stood at Goober's home and as sometimes it is, I didn't see him.  I assumed he was in his bedroom under his heater keeping cozy.  As usual,  I yelled out, "Love you Goob, will see you during the week!"  When I got home I received word of the devestating news my precious Goobie had passed away that morning.  I was devastated by this news.  I continue to be heartbroken at the loss of my special friend.  As tears stream down my face and I again begin to sob, I am finally able to honor him with a post. 

RIP precious Goober.

I love you my dear sweet friend.

You were a gem, with a wonderful soul.

I'll miss you and your nose wiggle greetings :)

Goobie Kisses forever!

XO

Happy Birthday Goober! - Bairds Tapir Bday!

Goober turns 18 today!

~ August 12 ~

Happy Birthday Goobie!

My Wonderful Friend and Fellow Leo!

You are My Sweet Happy Boy!

I Love You!

Goob gets three Birthday photos since I couldn't decide which was the cutest because they all are!!!  All of which will also adorn my festive wear for Goob's special day!  I will be there to sing you Happy Birthday! my sweet (zoo) boyfriend :)   I hope you get special treats and pats!  You are very special to me!  XO!

Old Buildings

Even before the (first?) mural that an art student did at an exhibit, I had similar thoughts.   Those thoughts first went to Goober's (Bairds Tapir) and Orkney's (Grey Seal) homes.  These two live on the East side of the Pachyderm Building and both enclosures needed a paint job.  For Orkney's my friend Lee and I envisioned a wonderful and colorful Pacific Coast under water mural with Octopus, Cod, Kelp and other native beings and plants.  Instead he got the sky with clouds?   For Goober,  we thought a mural of some nice Banana Plants or Palm Trees, with punches of color brought in by flowers, much like the purple ones already in his area.   His home remains unpainted even thought Lee offered to pay for it over two years ago and we both offered to do the painting.  With his current medical issues I don't think painting his area now would be in his best interest,  I'm just relaying some back story that goes with the theme of this post.  In fact I think it was in poor taste of the Zoo to allow the artist who did the mural outside Goober's area to use aerosol paint so close to the opening of his enclosure, adjacent to his pool.  The paint splattered and the fumes are dangerous.  So much so that the artist wore a ventilated mask.  Go figure that thought process.

I have thought the Lion House, Pachyderm Building and the Chimps, all were in need of a good paint job.  The Lion House area did get some touch-up work last year, but the volunteers did such a messy job, it actually looked worse.   

There are Zoo purists (I've come across on ZooChat.com specifically)  that think Zoo's (SFZoo has been among the named), should demolish all these old buildings and build new state of the art exhibits.  Sure ideally all captive animals would live in sanctuary type settings, but realistically because of financial constraints and Animal residents, that really isn't a logical approach.  In my opinion as Visitor,  upgrading and "sprucing" things up is.  I have voiced my opinion on upgrades while on my crusade to get Wishbone Grass (that's right, I will never stop mentioning this disrespect).  For the "sprucing" up and generally making older areas look better, I think the Zoo has made a good start with what they have done with the Anteater and Bobcat exhibits, now they need to work on the bigger blocks of concrete.  

The Lion House and the Pachyderm Building,  old Buildings, two of which have tiled lettering identifying the structures.   I think adding the word "Historic" in tiles above would bring a Landmark vibe to them rather than people just looking at them and thinking they are old and broken down.  


Now, for the paint jobs.  They have been doing some work outside the Pachyderm Building for over a week, and now there are paint color samples on it.   Sorry, but who is choosing these colors?  shades of Red and Blue?  Awful.  Buildings, especially this big need to be more natural and neutral colors.  Khaki or Light Green.  This way, eventually they can mural in some trees or banana plants.   Same goes for the Chimp House.  Its time to get rid of that awful Giants logo, that should have been done in washable paint to begin with.

The Zoo Staffer Justin who was a Keeper in Carnivores, but now works in the Commissary I think, has done art in various places around the Zoo, they should get his opinion on this, as I've seen his work and he has a talent for this.  He may even be able to do the tree murals on the face of the buildings.
   
Note to Zoo- Please do not paint the Pachyderm Building one of the awful and inappropriate colors shown.

One the upside of this project, at least it will give the Chimps something to entertain themselves with.  Its a bit hard to tell, but this photo is of Cobby (male Chimp on right) watching the going's on across the path at the backside of the Pachyderm Building.  He seemed very interested :)

Apologies for the odd "highlighted" areas, not sure what's with the Blogger tonight.

UPDATE:  Looks like they have gone with yellow for the Pachyderm Building.   I like Yellow as a color, I just don't think its the right choice to make this building look its best.  A richer creamery color would have been better, but I'm not the one picking the color.  I will add this photo that I took the other day (day after I wrote this post).  An art deco building in the Marina painted both my suggested colors and with greenery in front of it, mimicking what I suggested eventually painting on the building. 

San Francisco Zoo Docents Don't Know Jack!

Good grief, where do I begin.  

I honestly hate even writing these words because I'm pretty sensitive about "health" things and don't like to even talk about them, but the nonsense that keeps coming out of the Zoo is too much.  Will it ever stop?  Sadly, I think the answer is no, because its run by people who obviously don't know what they are doing on all different levels.   

I have recently posted about animal welfare (Rhino's dryness), dangerous construction in an animal exhibit (Snow Leopards), curious signage (Big Cats), and awful comment made by the Zoo Director (Great Horned Owl passing).  Check "recently" is the operative word.  The list is never ending. 

Zoo Docents not having the accurate information on the Animals that live there is a constant.  Its not all of them, but honestly, its the majority.  BUT Why?  My main guess is the Zoo just doesn't care, partnered with the fact that not even the Zoo's own PR Dept knows which Animal is which (Rhino Gene's passing).  Additional notable guesses include, the Zoo passing on the wrong information, Docents not caring enough to really learn anything, or Docents just not being on the smart side of the slim human spectrum.   Who is in charge of teaching these people, who I might add are representatives of the Zoo?  Is there updated information shared with them?   Are they required to learn about these Animals, by way of talking to Keepers when given the opportunity?   Honestly all I ever see is Docents wandering around in a cloud of blankness.  It is very rare that there is one who will approach and offer any information, whether right or wrong.  Often I see the same three walking together and not engaging Visitors.  I recently heard a Docent at Cats answer a Visitor who asked what the Tigers eat, "All the Animals get chow".   Are you sure about that?  This gal must have confused a Tiger with a house Cat.  FYI Tigers don't eat kibble.

So, what sparked this post.  Yesterday my heart was hurt by something I heard.  Here-say carries no real weight, but still it presents a bad vibe.   I was visiting with my friend Goober, the Bairds Tapir.   Two gals walk up and they see the sign at his exhibit that explains "he has had oral surgery recently,....".  This sign was put there over a year ago because he has medical issues with his mouth, that sometimes cause bleeding and so not to alarm the public (ME originally) its remained there.  Only regular Visitors would probably notice that.   One of the gal's said, "That signs been here for a year, someone here is dropping the ball'.   Yes, while the ball is dropped many times at the Zoo, this is not one of those times.   They were muttering to eachother, when I said, "They have that sign there because,...".   One of the gals was like, "No this is a different Tapir, the other one passed two years ago,..."  I said, "No, this is the same one and he is doing very well".  They both looked at me like I didn't know what I was talking about.  I then asked them where they had heard this.  They said, "A Docent told us".   I again told them that was not correct information.  They walked away thinking what they had been told was true. My heart broke, as Goober is doing remarkably and this kind of lie shouldn't even be in the air.  

I also heard a Staff Member from Education, telling a small child, he's old and sick.   For one, a seventeen year old Tapir isn't old.  So, not only is a Staffer spreading doom, one who is in Education doesn't even know the lifespan of a Tapir.  

Yes, I'm over sensitive when it comes to Goober, who I love and adore :)  but come on, this truly is another BIG FAIL by the Zoo.

Note to San Francisco Zoo, please send out a memo on the Animals with correct information.   You can start by updating your official Animal list which I know hasn't been done since 2009.

FYI you can view new Zoo Friend pix, photo site updated :)

http://iamnotananteater.shutterfly.com/pictures/176

Zoo Friends Birthdays!

I love Birthdays!  Everyone has one.  For the Zoo friends, sometimes its their actual day of birth, sometimes its their arrival date and the facility they first came to from either the wild or as a rescue.  As I became endeared to the San Francisco Zoo Animals, I wanted to celebrate them, by celebrating their Birthday!  Again whether the actual day or the estimated day, every Animal has one and if they don't they should (bad record keeping) and that date or any date, at least once a year should become their special day!  

The Zoo has no interest in honoring these awesome beings on their Birthday, but I was lucky enough to befriend the Big Cat Keeper who cared enough to share my interest.  Because of her, I was lucky enough to do something special for the Cats and Bears birthdays during 2010.  Now I just go and wear something festive and sing them Happy Birthday :)   

Here are some dates that might be of your special Zoo Friend's special day!  ... If not or any other info needed, please contact me, I am always available to provide what I know about the Zoo Animals. 

OH almost forgot.  While compiling this list, I had to laugh, as I noticed one of the Zoo's famous blunders.  They have Lulu the Mandrill's date listed in July of 2008, and her mothers passing date as January 2008.  Amazing!

January

1/1971- Elly/Black Rhino

1/1982- Sureshot/Eagle

1/1987- Olive Oyl/Anaconda

1/2003- Grizzly Sisters

3/1998- Monifa/Gorilla

4/1997- Amanzi/African Lion

February

6/2002- Hercules/Great Hornbill

7/2003- Jahari/African Lion

7/1993- Margie/Llama

20/1991- Pelican

March

1/2002- Trent/Otter

16/1980- Boomer/Emu

18/1989- Cleo/Mandrill

25/2001- Wakoda/Navajo Churro Sheep

April

4/2008- Nataani/Navajo Churro Sheep

9/1992- Bosco/Black Howler

13/2002- Kristin/Giraffe

16/1994- Rigel/Snow Leopard

24/1959- Tallulah/Chimpanzee

25/1969- Maggie/Chimpanzee

25/1970- Minnie/Chimpanzee
(Chimp info taken from Studbook/differs from Zoo info)

May

10/2002- Inti/Bobcat

11/2003- Bititi/Giraffe

14/1988- Sauna/Lion Tailed Macaque

18/2003- Tucker/Hippo

25/1995- Gauhati/Asian Rhino

31/2001- Spice Kids (Basil, Nutmeg, Paprika) Nigerian Dwarf Goats

June
10/2001- Paddy Nigerian Dwarf Goat

11/2002- Sam/Giraffe

14/2003- Goldfish/Fishing Cat

28/2002- Sukari/African Lion

July

10/1958- Cobby/Chimpanzee

10/2003- Skylar/Sumatran Tiger

13/1980- Bwang/Gorilla

13/1994- Slash/Cassowary

19/2003- Lupe/Black Howler

21/1989- Jesus/Lion tailed Macaque

22/1999- Pokemon/Blackbuck

24/2008- Lulu/Mandrill

31/1989- Jonesy/Gorilla
July/2008- Belozi/Black Rhino

August

1/2000- Shastyuh/Amur Tiger

2/1998- Eric/Duiker

12/1994- Goober/Bairds Tapir

September
5/2005- Tiki & Kai/Kune Pigs

8/2003- Lily/Duiker

13/1981- Zura/Gorilla
14/2005- Razzleberry/Nigerian Dwarf Goat
19/2007- Jesse/Mandrill

23/1998- Nneka/Gorilla

October

26/1998- Angelo/Anteater

29/1989- Diamond/Black Howler

30/2001- Snickers & Milky Way/Nigerian Dwarf Goats
30/2003- Wasabi/Rooster

November

25/1982- Pike/Polar Bear

December

19/1980- Ulu/Polar Bear

Tuesday May 1, 2012 - Today at the Zoo

 1:20p

Miss Elly staring again :(

 2:14p

She stopped to eat some browse :)

2:28p

Then stared some more :(

 Trent gettin' his Pepper on!

 Got many great pix of Rigel, 

loved these two fun faces best :)

 Kinda like an Elvis sneer :)

 Pretty Peahen

 Goob gettin' his laugh on :)

Soooo cute!

Tallulah nappin' in the sun

wrapped in the blanket Lee gave Padang

Friday April 27, 2012 - World Goober Day!

Every April 27 is World Tapir Day, 

which for me is World Goober Day!

Love you Goob!  Its your day :)

Goob had some salad in the sun :)

 happy goober day! goobie!

 then sniffed out a good spot for a nap!

found one :)

and enjoyed the rest of his day in the sun :)

Thankx for the visit Goobie, I love you!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Child: "What kind of animal is that?"
Grandparent: "It looks like a Bear."
Me: "Goobie how stupid are people?"
Goob: "Very!"