For those who follow this blog regularly, I apologize for the delay in follow-up to the last post about the Barrier Abuse at the Bear Cubs. As well I have other Hot Topic posts including one very important to me that I've had in the works for over a year about the Komodo Dragon.
I usually don't post my photos and videos to the blog anymore. I used to sometimes, add in good stuff with cranky stuff, but since I don't have the time or energy to write about cranky stuff in a timely manner, when I do, the posts have been mostly concentrated on issue points. If you aren't familiar with my Zoo related social networking sites, and want to see all the happy Animal stuff, please check out my youtube channel. I'm not too timely with that most of the time either, but I do post alot of the fun stuff I see on visits to the Zoo Friends. I usually Tweet out the links, so you can follow @leo811 on Twitter or Subscribe to leo811sf on youtube if interested.
For this post, I am including all the links to my Boo at the Zoo Animal Fun here. I try to do a post on this event annually, as there have been changes to it through the years, and one topic I like to pick at is what is being given out at the treat stations. As I said, because of limited energy for posts (the Animal issue ones are just too upsetting to do most of the time), I want to concentrate on those Animal related.. That said, I didn't get all my Halloween videos Tweeted out, so I figured I'd do this post with good stuff, before trying to finish the bad (more accurate would be sad) post catch-up.
You will see that the date on the Bear Cub video recent, when all the rest are timely to Halloween. I spent over an hour with those cuties, who were getting Pumpkins for the first time. There was too much cuteness and I ended up with hundreds of files to go through.
Hope you enjoy all the Fun these Friends had!
From Boo at the Zoo Weekend
Chimpanzees - Minnie, Maggie and Cobby ... video
Chimpanzees - Cobby, Maggie, and Minnie ... still photos
Nile Hippo - Tucker
Great Hornbill - Hercules,
Grizzly Girls - Kiona and Kachina, Wild Squirrel
Lemurs,
Sifaka - Max and Mina
Mandrills - Banjo, Lulu, Pandora, and Angie
Wolverines - Kiwi and Rocky
Anteaters - Evita and Angelo
Black Bear Cubs - Valdez and Juneau ... video
Black Bear Cubs - Juneau and Valdez ... still photos
From Halloween Day
Domestic Cow - Slider Happy Birthday!
Komodo Dragon - Falcor
I'm trying to stick to Animal related issues, but as I noted I usually post about the treats that are given out at the Halloween Event. Every year for past several or more, I have noted my disappointment that the Zoo would give out treats that contain Palm Oil. I assume anyone reading this knows why that is an issue. Despite me posting about it for years the Zoo continued to give these Animal Murdering treats out. Well, I was happy and surprised to finally see a change this year and no Palm Oil treats were given out, and I didn't see the Cliff Bar (another Palm Oil user) people there either. So Thank you to the Zoo for not supporting companies that support Murdering Animals. Took long enough. Sad.
I've been coming to the Halloween Event at the Zoo for over fifteen years. I love Animals and Pumpkins and seeing them interacting is a wonderful thing! Its always been a favorite time and these special treats led me to learn about Enrichment. You will see in my videos there was lots of fun times for the Friends! The only thing I'd like to see is more varied Pumpkin Enrichment options. This is just a personal thing, but some of the Animals are given uncarved Pumpkins and some of them show no interest. Some like them uncarved so they can dig at them with their claws and its great for them and super fun to watch, as you will see in the Bear Cub video. That said, (yes I realize I say that alot), some of the Animals ignore the uncarved Pumpkins, so maybe giving two Pumpkins would be a good option for them. Example. Hercules Hornbill only had an uncarved one, and didn't show it too much attention, preferring to eat the treats from his regular feeding ball. If there was a carved Pumpkin with his treats in it, that would have been a different Enrichment for him.
Thanksgiving
For those who don't know, on Thanksgiving Day, the Turkeys at the Family Farm are given a Holiday Feast on a silver platter! I love this! Its sometimes a roll of the dice whether they go for it or not, but its a lovely gesture by the Keeper and we sing my Happy Turkey Day song and Celebrate these awesome Friends. ... This year the Chickens had a special meal too and the Turkeys shared their Yums with some other Friends!
Thankful For These Friends!
Happy Thanksgiving Farm Friends!
Christmas
Five years ago the Zoo finally caught up to other Zoos and started doing a Light Event. First year, while some of the event lights were knocked out, I actually thought it was awesome and gave it a thumbs up. Here's a cool video that was made and donated. Not sure why my video doesn't have sound, there was great music to go with it, I can still hear it. Weird. Anyway, cool and something, unfortunately that wasn't shown past year one.
Zoo Lights Light Show
The following years have all been a fail for the most part in the Light aspect of it. There just aren't enough lights is my constant complaint. I just think if you're going to have a Light event you can't go light on the lights! Unfortunately the Zoo never goes all out or strives for much more than medicrity, which while complaint, is sad.
So, I've posted in the past that the Event area is too big. I've suggested (in posts) concentrating it to a Entry Village to Cafe to Playground barrier. I even think extending to Farm and having a Nativity Scene would be cool. Last year lights started going up a couple months in advance, this year not until last week. I've been told the area has been reduced, barriers as I thought would be good, with the extension to the Primate Center and Giraffe Barn. The Primate Center will now host Santa. I had a brief moment of glee anticipating the concentrated area would be doubled up on lights then! Nope. Also not happening this year are the vendors. Three years ago they started having craft vendors in Entry Village which I thought the Holiday Gift Bazaar (my title for it) lite was a great idea. That was gone last year. A few vendors at the Lion Fountain last year were decent, but stuck in the back like that didn't create a Holiday Shopping vibe which is nice and near the Zoo Store is a more ideal location. Anyway I was told No vendors this year. Curious as they could even do only in-house booths. Docents could sell their buttons, even turning them into Ornaments very easy by adding a red ribbon and small bell attached to the pin back. Another could be for the Adopt an Animal Program. That all said, the Wood cut-out Deco's I've seen are nicely placed, but I'll have to wait for someones report on the rest, as I don't plan to haul my cookies out in the cold night to see Holiday Lights lite.
