Mt Ulu - Polar Bear Grotto Renovation = Head Shake

The continuing saga of the Bear Grotto renovation.  I still have one post in draft, but I must post about what I saw during yesterdays visit.

First I will note that I started writing about the Bear Grottos in 2010 when I crusaded for the Andean Bear to get some grass.  No one cared about him.  After he died from complications from living on concrete, I wrote a blog post that included the photo below.  You can read the post in full here:

http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-to-do-at-bears-not-question-but.html  As well, I wrote one last month that contains updated information.

 Detroit Zoo Bear Grotto 

Photo courtesy of Valerie Abbott

View her wonderful Animal Photos 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucumari/

In the above mentioned post, I suggested the Zoo knock down the wall (as the Detroit Zoo did) between the Andean Bear Grotto and the neighboring Polar Bear Grotto, to make a double sized LANDSCAPED home for Ulu.  That would then give both the Polars daily access to landscaped areas.  Ideally when that was done, landscaping could be added to Pike's concrete Grotto.  The photo is pretty straight forward.  

Last week I saw the soil in huge mounds in Ulu's former home.  They had filled up Ulu's pool, which to start my gripe, I think was the wrong thing to do.  During this construction Ulu has been in the neighboring Meadow (the only shared natural landscaping the Polars have) for near two months.  If I was planning the renovation, I would have kept "her" pool so that she had something that was familiar and not just a completely new area.   BUT I care about the Animals on an empathetic level and the Zoo does not.

So, imagine my reaction yesterday when I saw the mounds of loose soil still there, but with seedling trees and newbie plants.  Apparently THIS was the extent of the landscaping!!!  Seriously???  

Sure its better than concrete BUT again, Seriously?  I'm sorry but this is outrageous.  They knock down a concrete wall to make more space and then basically put up a dirt wall.  I hate to be a hater, but this is the stupidest thing I think I've seen them do yet.  AND I heard it was a collaboration effort lol!  What it was, was a lazy effort.  Do they think Ulu needs to go on an expedition?

There is almost enough soil in there to cover the concrete surface of BOTH Grottos which I thought was the obvious whole idea.  To make a natural living space.  Not to make loose dirt mounds in one Grotto and leave the other concrete.  Ridiculous.  

As well, having mounds all over instead of flatter terrain, it creates obstacles that chop up the space, voiding it of the point of expansion. You can see from the view of this photo the mount smack in the middle of the yard.

From what I hear, the concrete Grotto will remain :(

When it should have been
completely landscaped with grass.

^ AND the Mt Ulu yard ^

Should have allowed for her familiar pool to stay

and the surrounding concrete be landscaped with grass.

Even with them not leaving her familiar pool, the reverse should have been the finished renovation.  there should be landscaping around the pool in the concrete Grotto.  The whole thing just looks a mess to me.  A real botched effort.

  

I can't believe that something so simple and obvious is such a brain drain for the Zoo Staff.  I just don't get it.  It's really upsetting.  Poor Wishbone died on concrete, because no one would give him grass.  And now they can't even get it right when they venture into a renovation.  What is the problem with landscaping these Grottos in a natural way?  Ulu don't need to be knee deep in dirt, she needs a grassy Meadow.  The only Bears to get anything that appears natural are the Grizzlies.  Thankfully the former Bear Keeper got that Meadow put in or the Polars would have NEVER seen grass in their life.  

This is pure laziness and being cheap.   AND its bullshit because they just spent money on a friggin' tiki hut above the Mandrills and a new exhibit for the Komodo Dragon, but they can't give Bears who have lived there for Thirty years some grass.  Makes me want to throw up.

UPDATE July 3, 2013 - Ulu is in the Mt Ulu home now.  Will post photos and info asap.  Please check back.

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As with all posts,

please expand comments

for additional insight and information.

Check back as I reply to all comments.

Contact the San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson

if you want your voice heard.

tanyap@sfzoo.org

International Polar Bear Day at the San Francisco Zoo - NOT!

As you can tell from the title, another fail on the part of the San Francisco Zoo.  There was not a hint of Polar Bear Day recognition anywhere.  I knew there wouldn't be, but one can always hope that the Zoo Management will someday start Celebrating the Animals that live there.

I just looked up the Zoo's Mission Statement to post in full.  I could swear it used to include the word "Educate".   It reads as such:

> At the San Francisco Zoo, it's our mission to connect people with wildlife, inspire caring for nature and advance conservation action.  <

Not to sound the way this will sound (for lack of a better way to describe it) but as most of what is written on their site sounds like, this is much of the same, a bunch of words that sound wonderful but in my opinion are empty on action.

That said, regardless of whether its (still) in their statement, they do continue to tout themselves as participants in education and are an Animal facility.   So, they should be recognizing these important "Days" and doing something to educate those who visit the Zoo on these days.  I have been there not only on Polar Day, but other International/National Days in support of the plight of other threatened Animals, including Tapirs, Rhinos and Tigers.  The San Francisco Zoo has not recognized any of these days.   There was a post with a link on their Facebook page that's it.   They must think everyone visits their FB page and that's the extent of it.  Myself I only visit it once in awhile (up from never) to see what they aren't posting about.   Funny, they recently started following me on Twitter (I don't follow them) so I guess we are keeping an eye on each other lol!

I went to the Zoo, wearing a pin I made last year to celebrate our girls :)

I hung out with each of the girls for sometime, chatting with them and watching them have some fun.  Ulu was eating some food that was placed on the ledge of her enclosure, so standing up :) and Pike was playing in her pool :)  

I wished them a Happy Day :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHC9sP-118Y

A Docent came by and stood for a second, said a few words to me and then moved on.  I was already bothered about the lack of recognition and then to have a Docent there and not offer anything about the Day topped it off.  I guess she is personally not to blame, because obviously the Zoo Staff didn't inform them, and if someone is not on the internet they might not have access to such information.  That said, my consistent general thought is there are some Docents who should take a more proactive approach in what's going on, not only in the Zoo they Volunteer at, but in what's going on with Animals in general.

Why does the San Francisco Zoo not only recognize these Days, but use the opportunity to make it a visit draw?  There were other Zoo's promoting their participation in celebrating the Day, Chicago's Brookfield Zoo for one.  Check out what they had planned:

http://www.rblandmark.com/Community/Blogs/2-22-2013/Brookfield-Zoo-celebrates-International-Polar-Bear-Day-Feb.-27/

The length of all three Polar Bear exhibits was bare with information about the Day.  There were people there who could have been educated.  There are Bears that live there that deserve to be recognized as Ambassadors for their species. Their wild counterparts are facing a plight that threatens the survival of their species and yet there is nothing, there is no one, out there to bring awareness on this Day.

Why is there no one on Staff at the exhibits to Educate?  There should have been someone there.  A designated time frame, a Staff rotation, What's everyone so busy doing?  Seriously, I don't blame the Keepers or the Vets, all of whom I see always doing something.  Everyone else, the Education Staff, the Docents, Corrine MacDonald Carnivore Curator, Debbie Marin Asst Carnivore Curator, David Bocian Vice President of Animal Care, where are all these people that not one person could be out there at any given time frame to talk to Visitors?  What's the Graphics Dept doing that they can't make signage at the very least?  Where's Director Tanya Peterson?  You rarely (I'd say never but I did see her not long ago, which I'll mention in my Churro Sheep post) see her out on the property.  For someone who is supposedly the face of the Zoo where is she? She comes to the big events and cocktail parties but she's not out on the grounds.  Many have told me how former Director Manuel Mollinedo used to walk the grounds daily.  I'd like to know what she does full time, I'd like to know what all of them do full time, but I digress.  The whole lack of effort on the Management Staff in so many areas is really sad.

This and all the other Days, even choosing to make their own spotlight days, all of it would help educate people.  I'm pretty exhausted now so I'll wrap up echoing something I've said before and will say again.  More Staff on the grounds, whether its Educating people, or monitoring Misbehavior, is key to keeping Animals respected, both in Captivity (at the Zoo) and in the Wild (our Parks for one).  

 

I give the girls the news :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHC9sP-118Y

 

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As with all posts,

please expand comments

for additional insight and information.

Check back as I reply to all comments.

Contact the San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson

if you want your voice heard.

tanyap@sfzoo.org

Thank You for taking the time to read

about things that matter to me.

 

Happy International Polar Bear Day - February 27, 2013

This post should have been done yesterday as THAT was International Polar Bear Day, but I thought I was going to include this photo and the following link in my next post, but as I started to write I decided on doing two separate posts.   

My Happy International Polar Bear Day 

greeting :)  Celebrating my precious

Polar Friends, Ulu and Pike!

I love you pretty girls!

Please visit Polar Bear International's website to learn more about the plight of the Polar Bear's who live in the wild.  There is also a challenge that the link will take you to.  This challenge was for yesterday, but the plight is dire and making a difference everyday would help to Save these Bears.  Thank you!

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/save-our-sea-ice/theromostat-challenge

A Recent Visit

I had this post in que as an example of what this blog would be.  A bit of pro's and a bit of con's.  Detailing my visits as is.  I now wonder if I should even post it as it happened a few weeks ago still back in 2011 and since I'm trying to move out of judgmental blogging I'm apprehensive to include it here.  The reason I am moving forward and do so is I think this visit illustrates exactly how my visits to the San Francisco Zoo often go.

Since I am such a fan of animals and not so much that of humans, visiting the Zoo (or Park) can be emotionally challenging.  To be able to be in the presence of animals to me is a great gift.  It hurts me when I witness misbehavior towards them in any degree.  I just don't understand the human thought process and lack of empathy towards innocent living beings.  I just don't understand.

As a daily visitor to either or both the Zoo and the Park, I am a constant witness.  My visit on this day was pretty typical unfortunately.  It brought great joy of being able to see the friends (animals), great aggravation at human behavior, and great frustration on how the Zoo handles it.

It was Snow Day for the Polar Bears!  I went straight to Bears.  I knew both Bears would be in the Meadow at different times, getting a chance to enjoy the snow, so I wanted to be there at a time frame when I knew I would see each of them.  I timed it perfect :)   ... Ulu was in there still checking out all her Enrichment items of wrapped boxes with food and flavored icees!   

Once Ulu decided she was done and went back to her grotto, I went over to Cats.  As I normally do, I circled around the grotto's and through the Lion House and back.   I came up to grotto B and Tunya and Sukari (Lions) were in front parallel to the fencing, so I stopped to take photos.   I heard a group of loud individuals, I looked up to see four headed my way.  I moved to avoid having to be in the same space as them.  I stepped back and the loudness continued.  They pressed their faces into the fencing, yelling and roaring at the Lions trying to get their attention.  Disgusting.  I absolutely hate this.  This is not a circus, the animals are  not there to perform.  Sure we all want to see their faces, but it is what it is.  Having the opportunity to view these amazing animals IS what it IS!   You don't yell to them, imitate them, or vocalize loudly toward them in any way.  You don't clap, tap or bang on the glass surrounding their home,  you don't throw things at them, basically you don't do anything but look, enjoy and respect.  What is wrong with people?

Since the Zoo blamed my friend and I when we reported misbehavior (see blog san francisco zoo crime) I have deleted their "tip" line number from my phone and have tried to not bother with misbehavior, with the exception of when it directly involves an animal, their health or direct assault.  This I considered direct verbal assault as it was excessive, continual, through mesh and in the animals direct view.  I had just been in the Lion House and there were two (unusual, but lately curiously the norm) Security guards in there.  I went back and when I approached the two standing there, they looked at me and I told them what I had witnessed and asked if one of them could go out there.  The gal said she would.

She left and went around via grotto A, so I went the opposite way so it wasn't obvious I had alerted Security.  As I approached grotto B where this had taken place, she was not there and the offenders were still harassing the Lions.  I was pretty bothered by this and it just escalated as the offenders then split into pairs and two went to harass the Tiger in grotto C and the other pair went to harass the Hippo.

I went back into the Lion House and asked the gal guard if she had seen the offenders I described.  She said she had and that she talked to them.  I said, "Well you didn't stay there very long as when I got there they were still... and then moved on to...   There are two of you in here, couldn't you stay and watch that they at least stopped and keep an eye on them?"  She was very rude and said she didn't appreciate me telling her what to do, she appreciated that I told her, but not that I was telling her what to do.   That's fine and I can understand that, but the fact still remains, the duty of her job was not fulfilled.  Unfortunately this is par for the course within how Security handles those who harass the Animals.  It continually sends the wrong message and so people just keep on, keeping on with harassing the Animals and its wrong. 

I left the Lion House disgusted and went back to Bears.  The Keeper was putting out new goodies for Pike who was about to be let into the Meadow for her fun time with the Snow!   The next two hours were nothing but the joy of watching Pike's joy.   That, is the only emotion that should be evoked on a Zoo visit.

Thank you to Ulu and Pike for saving the day! XO!