HOT TOPIC! - Top 10 Zoo FAILS of 2014

These are all Fails in regard to Animal Care.  The only bigger Fail is that the Zoo built new areas for both Humans and new Animals, before they successfully tended to the Animals currently living there.

These are only the issues that I can personally witness.

Chimps -  Obviously the lack of attention to their Home is at the top of my list every year.
Please read my recent post:
http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2015/01/sfzoo-chimpanzees-need-some-love.html
There are also two immediately following this one, if you are inclined to learn more.

Female Black Rhino -  Still doesn't get oiled regularly.  They wait until she is chalky white and then often slop it on her, often getting it in her eyes, or they just don't do her face.  .. You can search my blog for many notations on this.  It has gotten better but still isn't the best it can be and certainly not in comparison to her Grandson Belozi.  You can see this photo from last week and from her shoulders forward she is getting chalky.

Black Swans - We had, yes had, two Black Swans.  Now one of the Sisters is alone.  The Zoo has screwed around with these poor girls for over two years.  First moving them to the Puente,  from a path they decided to close. Then moving them to the old Grey Seal Pool.  Then back to the Puente.  Then to the big lake where the White Pelicans live.  So much moving, sadly one ended up dying from related circumstances.  Now the surviving one is back at the Puente.  If the Zoo had left these poor girls alone and at the Puente the first time they moved them, both would still be alive.  The Zoo is more concerned about Geographical segregation than keeping the Animals in the best homes for them.   Yes, that is the reason they moved them out of the Puente so many times, because they didn't fit into that area in natures geography.  Ridiculous.

Falcor - Komodo Dragon's home has been void of any vegetation landscaping for over four months.  Read my post here:
http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2015/01/komodo-dragon-lives-in-barren-dirt-pit.html

Lion House -  No Heat for Six Months!  This one is a two-fer, involving both the Cats and the holding area for the Tropical Building Animals.
My recent post:
http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2015/01/heater-in-lion-house-out-for-six-months.html

Capybara - This poor little guy makes me want to cry.  Crackle is the newest Capybara.  A young male he came to the Zoo to be a companion for a female that has since passed.  They Rheas and Guanacos chase him, so he is always stuck cowering in this same spot.  At one time the Capybara used to spend the day in a side yard, yet that yard is now closed?  and poor Crackle has no choice but to seek refuge in this "creep" space.  He shouldn't be living in fear.

keeping an eye on the enemy

 hiding

Great Hornbill - Hercules is a huge Bird, he deserves a decent sized home.  He can never really fly as his wing-span is near the same size as the width of his home.
Lear more here:
http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2013/09/homes-of-hornbills.html

Polar Bear Grotto B - It was my idea to expand the Polar Bear Grotto, but while taking cue from me on the idea, the Zoo failed in execution of the Meadow.  Building a dirt mound in the center, instead of a flat surface area, Ulu who loves the dirt, is constantly covered in it.  She loves it but the point is, with so much extra and unnecessary dirt, she is never able to get clean.  The entrance to her night quarters is through the "meadow", so even if she goes to the pool to wash off, she must walk through the dirt to get inside.  Then she touches her eyes and they are often caked with dirt and sometimes closed.  The Zoo needs to flatten that mountain and removed all that extra dirt.  If they were smart the meadow would have been in the opposite Grotto, but ,...

Sea Lions - The Sea Lion Pool was "renovated" early in 2014.  It was a big project, with the Sea Lions relocating to the old Grey Seal Pool.   One would think they would have done a good job, considering how long it took.  Yet, the paint on the whole bottom of the Pool began peeling and coming lose soon after it reopened.  Good Grief.  Couldn't they get people who knew what they were doing?  I'm sure the paint that has come loose isn't good for the Sea Lions.

Photo to come

Chickens - So, a box of Six Chickens was left in the Zoo Parking lot.  The story goes as such.  The box was fumbled and they all escaped, fleeing in flight into the Zoo.  After being spotted here and there, an attempt was made to catch them, but it failed.  SO, the Curator in charge allegedly said they didn't care and the Chickens were left to fend for themselves.  OMG!  Unbelievable, that a Curator would actually say/feel this, but hey its the SFZoo and why am I surprised.  As well, one of the Security Guards who I was talking to about this one I saw at Polar Bears said laughing, "oh well, if it flies into the Polar Bears and gets eaten <haha>"

Zoo Visit Review - Thursday May 15, 2014

I hate posting out of order, but behind as usual and I had several photos (along with my comments/opinions) from this day to post, so didn't want to make too many individual posts on my other blog because that's not the nature of that blog.  ... Posting in order taken.

Noticed that several of the Cat enclosures had Sand Boxes.  To me, this is a nice addition, especially for the Seniors who get arthritis and this is a soft place to rest.  You can see in this photo, Amanzi is taking advantage of it!  ... Wish the Zoo would have listened to me when I tried to tel them Wishbone needed some soft surfaces.  http://projectgetwishbonegrass.blogspot.com/

Renovation underway at Orkney the Gray Seal's former home.  Rumor has it that the new Resident will be a Wolverine.

More new Peccary Babies!  I think there has been Two new litters since the Six born last fall.  These Friends keep providing the Cute, that's for sure!  I think there are Four new little ones :)

This was at Ulu the Polar Bear's home.  I've seen this before and it just seems dumb.  Maybe I'm just not there to see what happens thru the whole melting process, but I've never seen them touched and this one was no different apparently.  At least it could have some flavor on it.  I know they give all the Bears a bit of Honey as a treat, why not squirt some over the ice block?  ... Reminds me of my still not written post about Tiger Cub Jillian's Birthday Party.  I'll bump that and write a bit now that I'm thinking of it.  She had an Ice Cake, that had no flavors added??  UG.

I've written someplace about this before, but I walked by and thought about how long its been since I wrote before and how this exhibit is the only one that still has this sign and you know I have an issue with lack of signage and Visitor misbehavior.  SO, once again SFZoo WHY is this sign only posted at the Sea Lion exhibit?

Sweet Boomer, love him!  Caught Keeper Livia cleaning up at the Walkabout and Boomer was right there supervising! :)

Sheeps were getting weighed today :)  Some got on the scale with ease, some didn't.  Sweet and cooperative! Miss Hermosa hopped right up.  The Sheep are weighed every Three Months, to make sure they are at a healthy weight and adjustments in diet are made accordingly.

Merlin and Gandolf getting ready for their walk :)  The Alpaca's are taken for daily walks to get exercise.  Here they are on their way to be weighed before their walk.

New Signs

The sign about Wishbone's (Andean Bear) passing is no longer at his old home, which I call the Killer Grotto.  Leaving him to live exclusively on concrete in my opinion, killed him.   http://projectgetwishbonegrass.blogspot.com/    There will be no forgiveness to those who allowed this through the last two decades.  In my opinion there will be a special place in Hell for them, after Karma gets them in this life.   That said, this is the new sign:

Before I move on, note that this type of sign should also be at Orkney's (Grey Seal) old home, as people constantly go by there and look in only to see nothing.  There was previously a sign about his passing, but since its been gone, providing the information is better than not.  Likewise with Bubsy's  (Giant Eland) old home.

I knew that in time, there would be a plan to eventually renovate this Grotto as well as the other two Grotto's that Ulu and Pike the Polar Bears live in.  Now, that time for the Killer Grotto, is of course, after it killed Wishbone.   They couldn't have given poor Wishbone the comfort of a natural surface.  Waiting to upgrade this enclosure is a sure slap in his face, but it is a given.  As soon as Wishy passed I had my theory as to what would happen and it seems like its commencing.

I have no idea what the plans are, but I have a post in draft with photos from another Zoo that a friend of mine took that I think would be an ideal way to make the Bear Grotto's optimum in regards to the current structure.  I will post that the post after next.

New signs I'd like to see include this one, which is at Gauhati the Asian Rhino's exhibit, but should also be at each Bear exhibit and the Black Rhino, if not others.  I have posted this before, but for some reason, people continually dangling their legs over and even crossing the barriers in these spots is still not enough for the Zoo to post this sign in those places.  It remains only at the Asian Rhino, a place where I have never seen anyone hop the barrier?   

Also, this sign (below).  Why is it only on the window at the Pied Tamarins?  Regardless of whether they are the shy ones, don't all the Animals deserve to have some peace?  Or are we to assume they like having people banging on the window of their home?  Would Zoo Staffers like to be sleeping near a window, only to have someone bang on the glass?  Hello is there anyone home?  < That was not meant in reference to the banging on the glass, but to the minds of those at the Zoo making decisions.

And, this sign (below).  Ok, I'm on a roll and can't find the photo, but it says 'not to throw stuff into the Sea Lion pool as it can harm them'.  Why is it that almost every enclosure is vulnerable to people throwing/dropping objects into them, yet this sign only appears at the Sea Lions?  I have reported many times, objects I've seen in enclosures AND I have recently heard that the female Snow Leopard may have ingested a foreign object.

Yes, if someone wants to maliciously throw something into an enclosure a sign is not going to stop them.  Yes, not everyone reads the signs.  Yes, not everyone speaks English.  BUT  in my opinion if you have the signage and its at every enclosure, you are at least taking steps to deter some behaviors that not having these reminders all over could have prevented.

ADDED:  And this one.  Why is it only at Sea Lions?  Things get tossed into other exhibits.