Words can not explain how much I love this guy! He is absolutely precious. I named my first Zoo related blog after him, goobers sfzoo friends. He is still inspiring me with this blog, i am not an anteater!
The reason for the title is I am constantly amazed at how little people who visit the Zoo know about animals. Ok, so maybe a Bairds Tapir, which Goober is, is not one of the main animals you learn about as a kid, but its insane and irritating when people don't even care enough to read the sign that they are standing in front of!
It is not just with Goob, but many other animals are victim of mis-identification, not only by visitors but by San Francisco Zoo Docents as well. I have heard people call Goob a Rhino, a Hippo and one of those extinct Dinosaur things. Not a joke. Come on, there are certain animals that people should know and Rhinos and Hippos are two of them. So are Lions and Tigers, but I constantly hear people get those mixed up. Mind boggling. There are many people who can't even tell that the Polar Bear is just dirty from playing in the grass, they think its a different kind of Bear lol!
The other thing about getting it wrong is that its mostly adults. They don't even care to teach their children about the animals they've brought them to see.??? I don't get it. I stood at the River Otters one day and a gal walked up and she stood in front of the sign and then turned to her friend, "Hurry, Hamsters!" I said, "Sea Hamsters." When her friend arrived she told her they were Sea Hamsters. I had to laugh.
I also hear visitors say mean things about the animals. Why do people come to the Zoo to be mean? To me, animals are the most beautiful beings, and when someone says one of them is ugly, I not only want to ask them if they've looked in a mirror lately, but it hurts me.
The moral here, please take your time to enjoy each of the wonderful animals that live at the Zoo. Learn what they are for the sake of their individual greatness and as a to respect to them.
