Would An Exit By 49er Jimmy G, Effect Our Snow Leopard's Name?

The two posts I published yesterday, brought me into the home stretch of wrapping up my long overdue drafts.  Those two, in addition to a couple on the Madagascar project, have weighed heavy for two or more years.  I probably got four left, and it feels great to have those weights lifted.  I can hear George Michael singing it now... Freedom!

Obviously this was not a planned post.  I'm no Football fan, but I get my News on Twitter and not long after the score from yesterday's NFL Playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams posted, Twitter was abuzz with many saying Jimmy Garoppolo is on his way out of the organization. 

Now you wonder what is this have to do with the Zoo or our Snow Leopard?

When Snow Leopard Raj arrived at the San Francisco Zoo in 2017, it wasn't long before he fell victim to the usual disrespect of having his identity stolen from him.

Named Raj by the Community of the Assiniboine Zoo, where he was born, that name, like too many others, was stripped and he was renamed Jimmy G.

The SFZoo has a bad habit of renaming almost every Animal that transfers in, whether or not there's money attached to it or they just do it themselves.  The Zoo is big on saddling innocent Beings with the names of local ball players, just so they can get some media attention every now and then. 

Anyone who knows me or has read this blog for any length of time, knows the renaming thing is one of my biggest issues.  I can't express how much I hate it.  

My first experience with renaming was with Hippo Tucker.  I had followed Tucker in his previous home at the Topeka Zoo.  When he got to SFZoo the former Asst Curator of Hoofstock, flat out lied and said he didn't have a name.  That wasn't the last time she would either.  I've asked certain people questions I already know the answer to, just to catch them in lies. You would think, knowing me, I'd be the last person these people want to lie to, but maybe lying is just their nature?  If you're gonna rename an Animal, just say so. Say they had a name at their previous home but they'll have a new name here.  It's better than lying!  

Before Raj, in addition to Tucker, there has been so many ball player names.  Some were names given at birth, but it still sucks in my opinion.  One Langur babie was named after Sergio Romo.  Romo came to the Zoo to meet the babie and was quoted in an Examiner news article saying, "Not quite my favorite Animal".  What a jerk thing to say.  People are jerks and no Animal should ever be named after one.  One rename that was not a ball player, but a Zoo Staffer.  Our handsome Goat Blaise had the misfortune of being renamed after the Zoo's VP of HR.  I overheard this guy, say Blaise was ugly.   In addition to being outraged, my heart hurt.  For one, Blaise is not only not ugly, but any Animal is better looking than a Human, and two, for someone who is lucky enough to have a job at the Zoo and one that pays him over $200,000 a year, he needs to keep his mouth shut, unless that is, if he has a fundraising idea! ... I immediately made and Tweeted this photo, while standing at the Zoo and using their WiFi to do it.

The Zoo lost seven of nine Monkey species because of the Madagascar Vanity Debacle.  The latest victims are the Howler Monkeys, who have all been transferred to the Brevard Zoo.  The one good thing about it is that Mama Baya has reclaimed her identity!  She was named by SFZoo Animal Staff to reflect something related to Thanksgiving, the day she was born and the Howler Monkey's native South America.  Baya means Berry in Spanish.  The Zoo renamed her after a male ball player.  Lincecum (Tim) is a disgraceful name for a beautiful little girl.

Another ball player rename that really bothers me, is that of Black Rhino Balozi.  Named Balozi at his birth place San Diego Animal Park, Balozi means Ambassador in Swahli.  There is probably no Animal more perfectly named, and the Zoo goes and renames him Boone, after a 49er.   Good Grief.

Back to Tucker.  After being called Buddy by the former Hoofstock Curator, Tucker was renamed Brian Wilson, an SF Giants player. Note I also hate first and last names and initial names.  When Wilson left the team, something even more disrespectful happened, Tucker was renamed again!  So, the Zoo renames him after the Giants manager Bruce Bochy!  People were like, where's Brian Wilson?  I was like WTF #%$!  Shameful and Embarrassing.

So, I guess we have to ask the San Francisco Zoo, if Jimmy Garoppolo leaves the 49ers, does Raj get to reclaim his identity? 

Or are you just gonna rename him after the next quarterback, another player, or team staffer, so you can continue to pimp him out for media attention?

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"Personal Opinions and Facts presented publicly are Not against the law or any rules. ... Censorship and Retaliation Actions in an attempt at Suppression are frowned upon by Healthy Societies."

For Full Statement see this post:

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html

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ReNaming Mini-Horse, Steer's Hoof Neglect and Spiteful Goat Naming

I'm pretty bothered about alot of things at this moment in time, not just Zoo related, so at another time, this post might not have happened, but one relatively small issue in the grand scheme of Zoo things, ended up being a tipping point for me.

The Zoo's Email Newsletter, Animail, came through the other night.  I try not to look at what the Zoo puts out, including Social Media, as there is always something that irritates me, and I got to limit getting hyped up.  There are those times when curiosity does pique my interest.  I always regret it.  

Some things might just be me picking at everything, because of the overall situation with things that aren't right that go on at the Zoo, and my feeling that things could just be done a whole lot better there.  Most of the time, the things that irritate me versus the ones that upset me, I don't write about, because I have main issues that are necessary that I can't even get to.  That said, some things in this current Newsletter are still bugging me, one I'm not even going to get into, but the following especially irked me after getting Twitter alerts today that related to it.

So, apparently the Male Mini-Horse has now been ReNamed.  If anyone knows me or has followed any of my blogs over the past decade, you know one of my big issues is the ReNaming of Animals that already have names.  

The Male Mini-Horse came to the Family Farm in November 2019, with the Name Viggo.  I'm brain fading on his exact age, but pretty sure he's at least Twelve years old and certainly knows his name.  Viggo is a perfectly decent name.  I really like it and I think it fits him.  There is no reason to change it.  I had heard last year that a new Keeper to the Farm wanted to ReName Viggo, ... Tonka.  For one, WHY?  And, regardless that it's wrong to rename him, renaming him after a toy truck is just plain dumb.  It's not the name, it's using it to change the name he already has.  If he was born here and given that name, I'd have no problem with it.

The Zoo posted him to Twitter during the first shutdown last year, using the name Viggo.  So I thought, thank god that Tonka name didn't happen and he could keep the name he already has.

Then the Newsletter came with this ...

Then I went to Twitter, and sure enough more Tonka's Troop posts with poor Viggo being called a name that isn't his.  As well, apparently being trained with that new name.  So disrespectful, but hey, I guess it gives them a desperate gimmick.

The other issue I have is the coloring photo in relation to Slider, doesn't even look like him.  He doesn't have horns.  As well relating him to an Ox is something I never even heard.  So, I looked it up and Ox is the term for a "working" male of his age, but Steer is used for non-working.  I guess I just don't get the whole thing, unless the two Animal graphics match.  I guess they were desperate to make the Lunar New Year connection. 

It even bugged me that the prize was Slider's hoof prints.  Slider is one of my besties.  I love this guy.  I think the paintings of his hooves is beautiful.  The use of his hooves triggered something sensitive.

There was an issue that unfolded soon after the last shutdown that I didn't document, because when it comes to the Farm,  since I have a good rapport with the people there, I choose to question things to them.  But maybe it's time to document that issue.

A member of the public contacted me and asked me to look at Slider's hooves.  When I did, I felt like crying.  His hooves were so overgrown that I couldn't believe it.  My poor friend, I felt sick that his needs had been neglected like this.  Upon further investigation, I learned that he had not had his hooves trimmed in over four years.  I was told that he needed to be trained to do so voluntarily.  While voluntary presenting for any procedure is ideal, the question will always be, Why did it take over four years to start the training??   

One of my many photos.

Overgrown dew claws

and hooves.

Monitoring the situation with Slider's hooves lasted many months.  I could write an extensive blog post dedicated to just that.  This is the synopsis, and the last question of Why was nothing done sooner, will remain unresolved for me.  I was given answers that may sound logical, but not to me.  There were also other bits of information that didn't add up. Thankfully, his hooves are in good shape now, and I hope never to see that kind of neglect again.  There is no logical reason that training him didn't start for over four years. 

While I'm on the Farm,  there was another awfulness that I never documented.  In addition to the ReNaming issue, I also don't like when Animals are named disrespectfully.  

Two years ago the Farm got three new babie LaMancha Goats.  Right before them, two babie Nubians arrived.  Of the Goat species, Nubians have the longest ears and Lamanchas have the smallest. 

These five babies were acquired after the passing of our last senior Nigerian Dwarf Goat.  I was told that the main Goat Keeper allegedly didn't want any other breed other than Nigerian Dwarf.  So, when the Lamancha's arrived, she allegedly decided to pick names in protest.  She named them after public figures associated with ear losses.  Vincent Van Gogh, the painter who cut off his ear,  Boxer Mike Tyson who bit off an opponents ear, and Evander Holyfield the opponent.  When I heard this I felt sick to my stomach and near tears.  How could anyone who supposedly cares about Animals, think to name innocent little babies, in such a spiteful way?  And, more concerning,  How could management allow this?  I will never understand either, and I continue to be disgusted by both actions.  

Well, this post snowballed into including some things that I hadn't intended.  It's these seemingly little things, that are allowed to go on, that stack up with all the rest and make me sad.  The Zoo should just be better.  It's not hard to do the right thing. 

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Blogger's Statement

"Personal Opinions and Facts presented publicly are Not against the law or any rules. ... Censorship and Retaliation Actions in an attempt at Suppression are frowned upon by Healthy Societies."

For Full Statement see this post:

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html

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