Mac, we are going to give you a choice here. No, it isn't your name. I know it is goofy but be happy with Mac. Good news is Fluffy the snake had that name first. Bad news is, now that Fluffy has died, they may want to name a gorilla Fluffy in honor of him. Beside the point, here is your choice. Would you and the girls rather keep living in your old mobile home above, with folks poking in and out of your living room all day, or would you rather move into the new double wide with folks a football field away, that they are bringing in for the new guys? Are you sure you can live without glass to bang on and charge all day long? Make up your mind, before it is too late.
Monday, November 15, 2010
For Columbusonian--Thanks for asking, but why don't you ask Mac?
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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2 comments:
Goodness! A simple "build a new gorilla habitat" would have done just fine. :)
While the "rolling hills" style gorilla enclosures are prettier, the Howletts style offers great exercise and enrichment opportunities for the apes.
I've always been let down visiting other zoos because of the (lack of) activity at the Gorilla enclosure. At Columbus, I can't remember a time seeing them all just sitting around.
As far as privacy is concerned, aren't there only 3 (or perhaps) 4 of the viewing windows into the enclosure? The animals are able to get quite a ways away from the public, as the back half backs up to off-show areas.
I do agree that the "octagon" building leaves the animals a bit exposed. I'd like to see some areas available to the animals to get away.
And don't loop The Wilds into this... the Zoo doesn't own them. Yet.
Russ,
Trust me, it was all tongue in cheek, with the point being for every zoo that build's a multimillion dollar "Turkish bazaar" today, if they would stop running around high fiving their colleagues for a moment, and take a good look, for a couple of grand they could have really done a lot of good for a number of "not trendy to like" animals. I still feel as I said earlier that Columbus is one of the top zoos in the nation, I personally, just prefer a lot less Vegas.
I have heard rumblings that Columbus was going to take over The Wilds lock and stock. What an amazing place it is. My idea of perfect. Speaking to "perceptions" it is a prime example of that odd human trait. If you put those sheds, which are more then suitable and adequate(repairs aside) in your zoo, and took down the gunnite den/house folks would be in arms.
I don't know if I would hook my "gorilla husbandry wagon" to Howletts, Ross. Aspinal/Howletts has a bit of a checkered history, due respect to their breeding program. But as a rule breeding success/longevity records are nothing more then a coin toss or a dice throw, and don't prove anything. How do you explain for example Chapultepec's panda success in a nursery school playground, to National zoo's multi gazillion dollar crap out? If you want to be entertained by an animal's activity go to a trained animal show, Ross. That's their job. In this world of video and tv folks get am abbreviated look at the 24 hour day, 7 day a week life of an animal. To make it an interesting one or two hours we are shown animals "moving like crazy" and not sitting around. Actually is a large part of any animals day is spent resting to conserve energy for survival, to browsing and tracking which isn't a marathon. But folks won't sit and watch that for one or two hours, will they Ross? To be happy and content the gorillas need zero windows looking them into the face. To fully appreciate an animal, they need to be looked at from a short distance, straight across, not up and not down, and surly not in their face. Unless you are training them. Then you encourage that closeness. Baby animals or youngsters will put on a heck of a move around show. Just like human children. People opening or building a zoo used to come to me and say, "I want some big cat's for my zoo. Should I get tigers?" They were taken aback when I would say, "don't get any. All they do is lay around and do nothing, and the folks won't like them. If they do move for some reason, it is usually in a "stereotypical" manner, then they will complain. "Gosh, I thought you loved tigers," they would reply. "I do", I would reply, "that's why I accept them for what they are. Next time you are at the zoo, look close at the wall's of the gorilla habitat.in "area's available for the animals to get away." There used to be steel rod's sticking out upon which to attach hot wire, to keep the animals from "available areas to get away." That's because folks want to see them doing something other then just sitting there.
Wade
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