Penguin Chicks Don't Disappoint! - Zoo Does ...

Yesterday was the Zoo's annual Penguin Parade.  If you are not familiar with the event, the Penguin Chicks leave Fish School, a behind the scenes area where they learn how to take food by hand, be comfortable around people, and finally swim!  

The event has them waddle in all their cuteness, from the west end of the Lion House to the north side of Penguin Island.  There were five Chicks in the 2013 hatch, four girls and one boy.  They moved quick this year and the youngest girl started out being left behind, but she soon caught up!   

Seeing these little ones is always a treat, they never disappoint to be beyond adorable.  Their main Keeper Anthony Brown always does a great job MC'ing and providing information about them.  The other aspect of the event,, the naming contest, again was flawed.  I say again because last year the gal whose name was drawn, put down a name that was completely disrespectful.  I did a blog post you can search for it if interested.  This year whether intentional or not, the use of the word "drawing" in reference to the naming contest was completely misleading.

The last three of the Zoo's Penguin posts, made use of the words "Royal" and "Prince" marketing this years event to go hand in hand with the birth of the Royal Baby.  I had a feeling they were leading up to wanting this Penguin Chick named after the new Prince, but even I didn't see the way this would play out.   

I thought it was odd that Anthony didn't draw the name (as done previously) before the Parade as noted in the event timeline.  Yet after the event the Marketing (?) guy Danny got on microphone and said, "The name chosen is George Alexander Louis." Gotta say I was surprised but not surprised.   Their marketing of this being a Royal Penguin Chick was literal and by George! they were going to name that Chick after the new Prince, no matter.  My first thought was damn, I should have gone with my Royal option of Windsor (even though I went with first choice Neptune), but not only do I believe the Zoo Staff doesn't even know what connection that has to the Royals, they had a preconceived winning name (to match the Royal Baby) and they searched through the entries til they found one with it.   In my opinion there was no drawing, the name was chosen, just like they stated.  I got no problem with the name, at least its not after a ballplayer, but why not just name the Chick and not even have people think they are entering a fair drawing contest?    The event would have been just as good because the Chicks are the Stars anyway.   

I plan to call the Chick Windsor and the Zoo can call it George Alexander Louis and get all the Media attention that they hope to by doing so.  I heard the other Chicks will be named by money donors.   Will post their names here when they are available.

I had many cute photos and put them together in a Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnkhfndDn2U&feature=youtu.be

Chinese New Year - 2013 Year of the Snake :)

I apologize to those who follow my blog, that I have slacked in recent weeks on posting.  In addition to some computer issues, I haven't had much time.  I have been working on building the Floats for the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade that will take place next Sunday.  Its a very crafty gig which I love and working on large art projects like the Float items, reminded me of the Enrichment Toys I made for the Zoo Friends in the past.  I recently made some Paper Mache balls for a group of Sanctuary Chimps (they had them for a Birthday celebration and loved them!), but other than that and my own crafts, I haven't done large projects and miss it.  If I was in charge of Enrichments for the Zoo Friends, they would have wonderful Toys for all the holidays (at the very least!).  The San Francisco Zoo continues to miss these wonderful opportunities to bring joy not only to the Animals, but to the Visitors who appreciate seeing the Animals have fun.

I've been trying to get to posts (I have a growing list) for some time now and here we are the night before the Zoo's Lunar New Year event, which I wanted to post about, and I am doing so in the "eleventh hour" as they say.  I guess since this is more an informative rant than something I think the Zoo Management Team would do anything about, I guess the timing doesn't matter.

I love this holiday because its festive, its colorful, it celebrates Animals as symbols, ...  I used to love this event, but as you will read, it became an issue for me and since the Zoo could care less about the Animals, I didn't go last year and will not again this year.  I can't enjoy it, knowing that there are aspects of it that are upsetting to the Animals.

From a post I made dated January 14, 2012

>As I was leaving I noticed the Zoo now has up their banner for the annual Lunar (Chinese New Year) event.    As a San Francisco native I love the Lunar events.  As well I used to love the one at the Zoo.  A few years ago I was in the Children's Zoo, which runs along the side of the Playfield path where the Lunar event activities take place.  I was standing at Prairie Dogs when the Lion Dance started and the drum banging sound level was insane.  All the Dogs (Prairie) and Kats (Meerkat) were going nuts and running for underground cover.  I asked the keeper about it and he said that he had told Management and they didn't care.  The next year, I wrote to the Zoo and noted this story, requesting they rethink having the Lion Dance, which really is unnecessary as so many places in the City have it and it has no place at the Zoo because of how loud it is.  The Zoo is supposed to be a quiet environment for the Animals who live there.  Anyway I got no reply and was there at Chimps right before the first Lion Dance show was scheduled.  A Keeper was there and I had told her about the previous year, as well my email.  She said she asked to be told when it would start so she could call the Chimps in.  It started out of the blue and the Chimps went insane.  Needless to say, last year which was the following year, nothing had changed and the animals just had to suffer through the noise. <

Well, the Zoo still has the Lion Dance as part of their program, so considering the unavoidable level of noise, nothing could likely have changed.  The Chimps are now three years older than before, with one recently passing from heart complications post-op.  Yet, there is not only continued acceptance of loud noise and voices on a daily basis around their home and through-out the Zoo, but with the knowing scheduling of such disturbance.  There are ways to have a successful event without the Lion Dance (and other loud performances for any event), but someone would have to care, and apparently no one does.

I'm not a "rain on the parade" person, I just think the Zoo is the home to Animals and empathy for them should come first and there are so many instances that stem from Management where the Animals are not a priority.  For the instance of living in peace, the whole Zoo should be a quiet zone for the sake of the Animals.  Its not too much to ask, but like other instances, it seems the Zoo doesn't want to offend anyone.  I say it would only offend the type of people you don't want visiting anyway.  The Oakland Zoo has multi-lingual sandwich board type signs all over the pathways requesting that Visitors keep the areas around the Animal exhibits "quiet zones."  

Everyday, Visitors of all ages run amuck and act the fool all over the San Francisco Zoo.

I recently saw a sign on a business that said (paraphrasing) "Out of respect for our neighbors, please keep your voices down."   The Zoo needs similar signs, out of respect for their Animals.  

Happy New Year!

Sweet Lemon Drop lives at
the California Academy of Science :)

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

As with all posts,

please expand comments

for additional insight and information.

Check back as I reply to all comments.

Contact the San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson

if you want your voice heard.

tanyap@sfzoo.org

Thank You for taking the time to read

about things that matter to me.

 

Saturday July 21, 2012 - Penguin Chick Parade

As always the Penguin Chick event, March of the Penguins was great.  Aside from the absolute adorableness of the Penguin Chicks, I think this event also shines because of the work and love Penguin Keeper Anthony Brown has for these Animals in his care.  

This year the Chicks graduated from Fish School early, and took the the Parade route still wearing bits of their baby fur.  They were beyond cute!  

There were four graduates in the Class of 2012, two females and two males.  Three had already been named, the two boys, Bert and Eduardo, one girl, One?  The other girl was to be named by Contest during the event.

If I had the energy to make this post when I got home from the Zoo, the next part would have read a bit different, but thankfully a change was made.

The entry form for the naming contest stated to put down a girl's name.  It was a random drawing, which is always a crap shoot.  Anthony drew the winner and the name they chose was Russell Brand.  I felt like crying.

HOW could someone choose this?  SERIOUSLY?  For those who don't know Russell Brand, he is a British Actor/Comedian (google him if you're interested in more).  That said, there is just so many things wrong with this.  

Before I go on with all that's wrong with this, I will say two things.

I was immediately hurt that someone would choose this for a sweet little eight week old FEMALE chick.  I was immediately pissed that this entry was not disqualified on the spot for not choosing a female name or at least something cute and appropriate.  Thankfully the overwhelming cuteness of seeing the little ones made me forget how pissed and hurt I was long enough to be joyful watching their journey to the island :)

I will write about this situation more, but first I will note that a friend did let me know that a change was made and posted to the Zoo's Facebook page (which I do not follow).  The winner stood but the name did not.  The new name for the Chick is Perri, which is the winner's (female) name.  THANK YOU SFZOO! Whoever put their foot down and stopped naming that poor thing Russell Brand, Kudos!  You did the right thing. 

Now, for my thoughts.

For those who follow my blog know I do not have faith in the Human Species to think and/or act Respectful (decent/moral/any of the many appropriate words) when it comes to Animals.  Humans did not fail me in this situation.

This next part I direct mostly to the San Francisco Zoo.

For one, the naming of Animals should be taken seriously.  I have written alot on name changing, the only relation to those feelings I'm going to relate to in this post is the first and last name thing.  Which I will post in two words, Brian Wilson.  Ridiculous.  

Please make some rules in regard to naming the Animals, whether its the first name an Animal is recieving as a young one, or renaming :( an Animal with an established name.

First, No first and last names.  Its just dumb.

Second, the name should be gender specific, relevant to the Native Culture of Species Origin, or simply be cute or fun.  

This was a Member event.  Members get the Memo via email about the event.  Information was given about the Chick who needs a name SO THAT a name could be chosen that reflected her.  ... Anthony did say that this was a new Member, regardless, there must have been guidelines at the contest table, if not, people just need to have better sense.

From the Zoo email notice:

"Personality: She is very outgoing and usually the first to explore new objects, things, and/or people. The first chick to hatch this year, she's about a week older than the other three chicks. During feeding time, she's always in front, even if she isn't hungry!"

I chose Starlet based on the description of her personality.  And the description was accurate!  She was the leader in the parade!  Adventuring first and often ahead of her classmates. My friend Lee chose Sirena, which is Spanish for Mermaid.  

That said, another "rule" suggestion.  When doing a random drawing, amend that to be random drawing of Keeper favorites.  OR just do this and don't tell anyone.  Sort thru and pick the appropriate ones and THEN put them into the box you choose from.

Seriously, I took 453 photos and as I went thru them that night, I almost cried when I looked at their precious faces, thinking that one little girl would be literally BRANDed her whole life with that awful name.  No offence to Russell Brand, its just not a name for a pretty little baby Penguin girl.  Even if it was a boy, the winner showed no respect in choosing this name.  It was chosen as a joke, just like the donor who picked Brian Wilson as the name for Tucker the Hippo.

The Zoo seriously needs to put restricions on naming the animals.  This priveldge whether you pay for it or win it, should be treated as an honor, not a joke.

As I moved around the Parade route I happened upon Zoo Director Tanya Peterson, bouncing up and down, while high pitched shouting out to Keeper Anthony and pointing to people next to her, "This is the Family that named One."  ...  Another name which should have been veto'd.   Just awful.  Please rename this precious little girl.

The Chicks pictured above are:  Eduardo (red band) riding in the wagon, (l-r) One (blue band), Perri (silver band) and Bert (black striped band).

 It was hard to dwindle down all my photos
to an amount to make a video.

453, 291, 182, finally I couldn't go
less than just over a hundred

so i made two videos!
Here are the links, enjoy!

Parade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjHUoc_t5ug

First Swim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLtns9Vor8

NOTE:  I have read twitter statements and it appears that it was the contest winner who wanted to change the name.  So, I have to wonder, would the Zoo have left this sweet little girl Penguin carry the moniker of Russell Brand?