Barrier Breaching No Big Deal - I Just Don't Understand

So yeah, this exhausting subject again.  I actually didn't plan on writing about this again, as I've pretty much exhausted all that I can do to document and bring awareness to this issue.  As well, if you've been following my recent posts, you may have noticed that I put a few posts in draft, as I am wrapping up all in progress posts and wanted to end this round with a certain flow and finale.  Unfortunately the other day, the following happened, and I felt I must document it.  As my title states, I just don't understand.  I don't understand the Zoo's and the AZA's position of ignorance at what I consider a serious issue.

As I walked up towards Hippo and Black Rhino, two women each had a kid sitting over the Hippo barrier.  I didn't get a photo in time, but as I looked ahead, another had their kid over the Rhino barrier.

After I took this photo, Big Cat Keeper Andrew came walking by.  I called his attention to the offense, and he said he'd be back.  This was surprising as most Keepers will say something if you point this out.  I think its negligent that he did not immediately say something.  I guess playing with the photos on the cat grotto windows was more important than the life of the Rhino or the kid.  All it takes is a split second for an accident to happen and the kid falls into the enclosure and the Rhino comes over and makes contact, whether threatening or not.  Rhinos are Code-Red Animals, and if contact is made between a Code-Red Animal and a Human, the protocol is shoot to kill.  I complain about management having their priorities messed up, but I'm very disappointed when a member of the Keeper staff, doesn't put Animal Safety first. 

By the time Andrew wandered back, of course that lady had taken her kid down.  Less than ten minutes later, this guy had his kid up there.  That's four kids over barriers in about fifteen minutes.  Fifteen minutes of one day, at one area.  The Zoo is open 420 minutes everyday, with multiple barriers being breached.

This Rhino exhibit, Hippo and Bears, are the most abused barriers.  Its a continuous stream of people hanging their kids over and something I've written about for over seven years now.  Still the Zoo Management does nothing to deter this behavior.  There is no verbal guidelines for this, and there is minimal signage, something else I've written about to an exhausting level.  

The Zoo has three different signs about barriers.  Two make reference to crossing, one to standing/sitting.  Curiously, for something so potentially tragic, all are smaller than most other signs at the Zoo.  In the first photo on this post, you can see one of the ones about crossing the barrier.  The woman has her kid over the barrier right in front of the sign.  Its the stupidest sign.  I asked people once how they interpreted it and one person said they thought it meant no peeing in the exhibit.  

Here's the one sign that specifically says not to stand/sit on barrier.  You can see the pathetic size of it.  Curiously, this sign appears in only a few places.  At Bears, for as long as that barrier is, I think there is only one of these signs.  Seven inches, in probably over a hundred feet of barrier.  I don't think this sign is even at Rhinos.  BUT, it is at Sikafa???  Don't get me wrong, I think it should be a Zoo-wide rule for people not to be on or over any barriers, but for the sake of comparison, this is an Animal that is fenced in and not Code-Red.  Not sure what that's about, but its obviously a head shaker.  ... THIS sign should be huge and at the entrance of the Zoo, as well as at least every ten feet of every exhibit barrier. 

Sifaka exhibit

You can search this blog for keywords, barriers and signage and come up with lots of entries.  Many photos of signs of curious size, in regard to the nature of the message.  Last week these new signs appeared for the event Zootoberfest.  Gotta make sure everyone knows all there is about the Hay Maze, including do's and don'ts, but they can't tell people in a larger way not to hang over barriers?  I think there are more signs in this one Maze area than all of the barrier signs on Code-Red Animals.  Keep in mind the size of that one sign as you see the size of these signs.  Mind boggling. 

Nice big and fancy on wood!  

approx 3x5 

approx 2x8 

Sandwich board in path

Rules on Stand at entrance of Maze.

approx 8x11, at least three times 

the size of rules about barrier breaching.

There was also two huge banners about 2.5 x 5.5 feet attached to the hay bales. So that's four huge signs, one sandwich board, and a stand-up rules sign.  Six for this one non-Animal area and I think the tally at Code-Red Animal areas is, three at Bears, two at Rhino and one at Hippo. ... Also this new one that is at least eight times the size of the barrier sign, is on a cover of pipes.  Gotta make sure they toss about their Conservation efforts, especially while people are hanging over the barriers putting Animals lives at risk and Ducks are playing Russian Roulette with their lives flying into windows at Flamingos. Good Grief , its all so Shameful. 

I apologize for the quality off the photos on this post.  I didn't have time to download them to computer so just took pix of my camera display.

Additional update:  Still no decals on the Flamingo windows.  Two weeks now since it was called to Zoo's attention verbally by several people, in writing and on this blog.

In case you missed the previous post: http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/squirrel-monkeys-havent-been-outside-in.html

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