Update on Last Two Efforts - Gorilla Ndume & Snow Leopard Cubs

This might be a wrap-up for these two HOT TOPICs.  Going to try and move on to the other stuff I've had in draft.  

Gorilla Ndume (The Gorilla Foundation)

I got no response to any emails I sent for my efforts in the Ndume Letter Writing Campaign.  Neither did anyone else.  Writing to the AZA/SSP or any of their connected members, I didn't expect a reply.  My intention is always for awareness.  If you don't take any action, then no one hears your voice.  No ones hears the Animals voice.  ... One person who wrote to tell me an email address was no longer in use for someone I contacted said, "I can see why you would have concern for this Animal".  So I know my voice can have affect.  That's all that I can hope to achieve.  If it can affect someone who can help with change, that's a bonus. 

Yesterday I started a Petition for the crusade to help Ndume.  At this point, unless a media outlet takes the story, its all that any of us can do.  There is a high profile media podcast in the works, but no confirmation it will get to air.  Fingers crossed for that and thank you to the folks at Team Ndume for those efforts. 

The Petition is aimed at the Gorilla SSP Coordinator Kristen Lukas. She has been pointed out as the person who holds the future of all captive Gorillas in the AZA/SSP system.  She could have replied with an update on Ndume, but didn't.  Once it has a decent amount of signatures, I will send it to her.  Please Sign and Share the Petition.  There was a Petition four years ago that got almost four thousand signatures, so I have high hopes, but need help.  Ndume needs your help.  Thank you!

Demand  A New Home For Ndume, 

Koko The Gorilla's Surviving "Friend". \

He Lives Alone in a Trailer. 

No Place For a Great Ape!  

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/631/373/256/ 

Snow Leopard Cubs (SFZoo)

The Snow Babies are doing great and out with their Mama all day except for a short break in the late morning.  You can view their progress in my weekly video posts on youtube.  I haven't gotten to posting last week's cuteness yet, but hope to by end of today.  I must also share our Babie Boy Mandrill, who is adorable!  I haven't written about him as he was lucky to have no controversy surrounding him!  You can view video updates for him too.  All the tinies are a joy to watch, I'm lucky to have the experience!

Snow Leopard Cubs First Day Out with their Mama

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNQLyDzSVyQ

Mandrill Babie Playing, Swinging on Tree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dheMkFcLwy8

As with my efforts to get awareness for Ndume, I also sent several letters, tweets, ect.  to those connected with Snow Leopards.  Of course no response.  I can only hope someone with authority put a stop to San Francisco Zoo Management allowing Non-Animal Staff (Volunteers and Members of the Public) handle the Cubs.  I haven't heard anything, so either since I made it public the Zoo is more careful to keep it covert and not on my radar or its stopped.  I hope the later.  

Mandrills Get Glassed! - Success!

Oh I was doing a happy dance when I spied this outside the Mandrills on Monday!

Yes! THAT would be glass!  Finally!  I've only been posting about this particular Exhibit for over a year.  This Exhibit and that of the Male Anteater, are notorious for Barrier Breaching.  It never fails, EVERY visit, there is more than one Visitor hanging over the Barrier at both these Exhibits.  

I'm actually pretty surprised by this and wonder what made them move on this finally?  Did something happen?  Was it all my blogging?  Doesn't matter, as long as it got done!  Just wish it didn't take the Zoo so long to move on things, especially ones of a safety nature.  

This all said, I wait for the finished product, as there is also open air access from the upper level. Will that too be glassed in?  I hope so.  But, I'm still waiting for the other two landings at the Gorillas to be glassed in.  

A Different Kind of Barrier Breaching - Foreign Objects in Animal Enclosures

I have written several posts on Humans breaching barriers.  I've showed photos of Humans standing on and hanging over barriers.  The only thing to change at the San Francisco Zoo in relation to that is a few 5x8 signs telling people not to do either, posted at the Black Rhino.  

I have also posted that in this time in society, sadly a different approach to how (and why) barriers secure Animal enclosures should be taken.   My suggestions in past posts note that I'd like to see all the Animals behind glass barriers.  

My above suggestion is probably not the popular option, especially in a time when Zoo's and other Animal facilities are trying to make the enclosures Animals live in while in captivity as close to a natural habitat as possible.  That said, as noted above "this time in society", is such that the Human population  sadly can't behave themselves for Animals to be safe in open air enclosures.

I was the first person who missed the open air at Grotto's when the Human taunting of Tiger Tatiana got her killed and forced the Zoo to enclose the open air viewing with glass and mesh.  BUT it had to be done.  Public perception is this is to keep the Animals in.  Personally, I feel like its to keep the Humans out.

Sadly, five years after the Tiger attack, I have still seem Visitors taunt the Big Cats, with verbal heckling, banging on the glass, and even throwing stuff thru the mess and over the glass.  These actions aren't isolated to just the Big Cats.  This type of behavior and more happens at every Animal's home.

That said, even mesh is not a good barrier.   I have noted in posts over a couple years that I have seen foreign objects in Animal enclosures.  Countless times there has been different types of plastic bags in the Lemurs, small toys in the Puente, and other assorted choke size items.  

Last year alone, Henry the Seal and Niya the Snow Leopard both had surgery to remove foreign objects from their intestines.  ... Two weeks ago, food items were thrown into both the Gorillas and the Mandrills.  Last week, another food item went into the Gorillas and the following day when I was there,  Zura one of the female Gorillas was chewing on a pacifier!  After her Nneka took it and broke it to pieces and then Hasani the four year old took the smaller pieces and chewed on them.  

Broken record on repeat:

*Why are there no big signs telling people what not to do?  

*Why hasn't my suggestion of having a video of how to behave in the Zoo not been taken to fruition?

*Why doesn't Zoo Staff/Docents/Security stand at the Gate House and give a speech to Visitors about behaving?  They do this now for school groups, but the worst perpetrators are adults.  

*Why aren't there Docents assisting the Security in patroling the grounds AND watching what the Visitors are doing.

AND lastly, if the Zoo is so bent on patting themselves on the back for providing "Wellness" why aren't they being proactive in protecting the Animals?   When they hired their "Wellness" Guru, he suggested (which I did already) that a glass barrier go up at Gorillas, so people couldn't (hang over) and look down at them.  Curiously, only three of five viewing platforms is glassed in.   Half-assed I say.  I mean really,  It makes no sense.  BUT then again the barriers at Bears that were put in after an alleged escape attempt by one of the Polar Bears are downright ridiculous in their own right.  Two of three grottos have the barrier.  Again???

Yes it would be costly to glass in all the enclosures, but if the Zoo can spend 3.4 Million Dollars on a new playground, they can surely ask donors to help keep the Animals safe, considering the donors are supposed to "care" about the Zoo, which should equal caring about the Animals safety.  In addition it would cut down the constant flow of misbehavior.  Including fools who try to enter the enclosures and put the Animals lives at risk.

Yes, it would be cause for complaints from the public who want to see Animals open air, but those complaining would only be the ones who misbehave.  Those who actually care about Animals would get it.  Sure I don't like taking photos behind glass, but I care more about the Animals safety.

Additionally, there needs to be some at-a-glance (BIG lettered) signage at the Family Farm entrance, telling people not to bring in food, not to feed the animals anything but food they sell there, not to bring in any plastic bags to hold the food in or have hanging out of pockets/purses, not to sit on the animals, not to pull on their horns, not to chase the animals.  Good Grief I have recently and constantly seen people do all these things, which included an adult try to sit on a Dwarf Goat, put a Lollipop w/stick in a Goats mouth, and watch a Sheep throw up a plastic baggie.

Come on SFZoo get your Graphics Dept doing their job and making some decent sized signs displaying behavior rules bluntly.  Then work on enclosing the exhibits to protect the Animals.

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Contact the San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson

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tanyap@sfzoo.org

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