Its been more than a year since I've posted about all the things that I feel need to be documented and public. As I've stated many times, Zoo issues really drain me. It just seems never ending and for what reasons things just can't be right there, I'll never know. I need the outlet this forum provides, but at the same time, I often try to put down my thoughts and I just get too overwhelmed to write anything. What that's left me with is tons of notes and upset to match.
This post was going to go straight into the issue with the Bear Cubs enclosure but as I am writing, I know this will take a turn into a repeat of issue points surrounding Barrier Abuse. I apologize to those that have read this all before. You can skip straight to the next post, which I hope to write soon after this one.
The sporadic things I have posted about have been situational to that time frame. While I like to post in chronological order, I'm trying to let go of that, otherwise being this far behind in my list of posts, I'd never get anything posted. For now, I've narrowed down my issue points to that of Animal Welfare and Animal Endangerment. Both I've been writing about for years. The later is a constant, as it happens continually. As I sit here this moment, I can almost guarantee there is someone hanging their kid over a barrier, and most likely at a Code Red Animal enclosure.
I have endlessly posted about the Barrier Abuse issue. If you are interested, please use the search box in the upper left corner and search "Barrier". I have made a video about it, I have tweeted photos of offenders while I'm at the Zoo to both the Zoo and the AZA (more on that later), I have made a Facebook Page about Zoo Safety in general. Its been almost seven years since I started being vocal about this issue, yet there are still three hot spots at the Zoo that go unprotected. All Code Red Animals.
Code Red Animals for those who don't know are those considered the greatest threat to Humans. These Animals have a shoot to kill order if they come in contact with a Human. This means that for whatever reason, accidental or voluntarily, any Human that ends up in an Animal enclosure, the Animals will lose its life, if it at all appears to approach the Human. So, if someone hangs/stands their kid over/on a Barrier and they lose their grip for whatever reason and the kid falls in, the Animal gets a bullet. Is this the Animals fault? No. Is it the Parents/Guardians? Yes. Is it the Zoos? Yes.
Some Parents/Guardians will make the case that they "have a hold on the kid." That is BS. I'm sorry but this is a serious issue and to have any flippant reasoning is irresponsible and self-entitled. I will make a case for this in my next post with photos. I'm sure the Mother who dropped her kid in the Wild Dogs at the Pittsburgh Zoo thought she had a grip too. Or How about the kid who fell into the Jaguars at Arkansas Zoo. Then there's the people who don't even watch their kids like the Mother at Cincinnati Zoo who got Gorilla Harambe killed. Bottom line, accidents obvious happen, so Zoos need to at the very least have Barriers that will prevent accidents, by having Barriers that no one can lean over, sit over, stand on, ect.
The Zoo makes little effort to protect the Animals. Their effort is signs smaller than those cautioning not to enter unauthorized areas, and that promote events and the sale of beer. For the longest time there weren't even those signs. People don't really read signs, but at least there is some form of notation of rules. Then they put up wordy signs about trespassing. Most people can't even understand those. Then they put up signs with the visual that is meant to say don't cross barrier, and I was told by visitors looks like, don't pee in the exhibit. Again there are better ways to word and display signage, but the Zoo fails to do a decent job at that. Let's be clear, even with decent signage, there is a desperate need for better Barriers. But, that doesn't mean bigger, better and more signs shouldn't go up. I tried to campaign for more Animals to have glassed in enclosures. That went no where. I knew the Zoo would never fund for that, but at least the need and reasoning for something additional to protect the Animals was out there.
When the male Giant Anteater moved to the exhibit across from the east end of the Lion House, he had no protection. People would stand, lay across and hang over his barrier. Not only is this disrespectful of his home space, but again if someone falls in, doesn't end well if the Animal approaches the Human. He is not a Code Red Animal, but he could do some serious damage with those claws. Going back to at least 2012 I blogged about it, a Docent I know emailed the Director about her concerns. It wasn't until an impending AZA Accreditation inspection in 2015 did the Zoo put up a barrier to deter people hanging over the Barrier. ... At this time they also put up some silly little metal lips at Hippo and another odd metal strip at Asian Rhino that does nothing to deter.
Attempts at Fixes. The Zoo has made some. Although the Bears, Rhinos, and Hippos are still desperate hot spots. All Code Red Animals. ... Along with the Anteater, after the Harambe Gorilla Tragedy, the SFZoo added additional Barriers to both Gorilla and Chimpanzee enclosures. I thought it was interesting choices, since they did nothing to fix issue points at Bears, Rhinos, and Hippo and those are the three places I continually see offenses every visit. ... A couple weeks ago some large poles went up in front of the Asian Rhino. I can only assume this will be some sort of deterrent? Although considering that there is one Barrier there, an additional one short of glass only needed to be the staggered bamboo fencing like at Anteater, to deter sitting and standing on the railing. These poles look awful, and even if they put wiring across, will not keep people from hanging over. All this while people continue to hang over at Bears, Rhinos and Hippo. Glass is the only way to protect this Animal since his enclosure is level with people.
Most all of what I'm referring to is to protect the Animals against the daily accidents just waiting to happen. Someone entering intentionally, is not going to be stopped by anything short of enclosing all the Animals (at least the Code Reds) with glass. That said, I don't think an Animals should ever lose their life because of someone who decided whether of sound mind or not to enter an enclosure. I know this way of thinking would never become rule, because Society values Humans, higher than Animals, but it should. There was a Zoo that had someone try to commit suicide by entering the Lions enclosure and they killed the Lions. This to me is insane. I have been at the Zoo when they have been on alert for someone trying to end their life in this way. I would be devastated if one of our Animals lost their life because of this. Our Grizzly Girls almost lost their life when an unstable person entered their enclosure. Thankfully they didn't want anything to do with the Human, but if they did, Bang! because the rifles were aimed at them. While these are extreme and random, these things obviously happen and there should be better guidelines for situations where the Animals should be at risk for being killed.
So, about the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). I had written to them on a couple occasion about Animal Welfare issues, the first time for help for the Andean Bear who had lived 24 years on concrete when it was known he had bone issues from doing so. They never responded. He was put down still having full mental capacity, but because his poor legs literally were pounded to death and he could no longer walk. RIP Wishbone. I had sent them very detailed information on many issue points prior to the Zoos Accreditation Inspection. Not to prevent Accreditation, but hoping that as the governing organization over Zoos, that they would at the very least do something about some of these issues, the Barriers being one of them. Its been two years now and the Barriers are still an issue, and the Chimps house still has peeling lead paint. I see the Chimps picking at it and eating it. I have Tweeted them numerous times while I'm at the Zoo with photos of people on the barriers. No response, until recently. So you can see I don't have much faith in them. That said, I continued to document and alert, and like I said, until recently. To my surprise the AZA Tweeted back and asked for me to send any other documentation to the accreditation dept. I appreciate them finally showing interest and I will send them this blog link and the next one. They will have all the information they need and we will see if there will be any changes.
Next up (hopefully today) ... Barrier Abusers Put Bear Cubs in Danger
Next up (hopefully today) ... Barrier Abusers Put Bear Cubs in Danger
