Yay, Nay, Nay

Yes tis true there is something I am going to kudo!

Angelo the male Giant Anteater has a new home within the San Francisco Zoo.

One of the original exhibits that has been unused for many years has been semi-renovated to house him. He has for some time had tummy issues due to his love of eating sand :( so relocating him will help keep him healthy :)

He previously lived at the Puente Al Sur, but his sand intake has increased and he has had to be inside the barn in so he didn't have access to his favorite snack. Now he can roam free in his new home :)

Thank you to the Staff who made this happen in a timely manner, so to limit the length of time he was stuck inside.

He seems to like his new home and was exploring quite a bit when I was there. I hope that he will at some point get some soft area so he is not on concrete only, maybe a washable surface like the cork-like stuff used around the base of the animal statues or a rubber mat type surface.

I wish his mounds were a more natural color (not white) as it looks like he is in the snow, but that's aesthetics and secondary, as moving him was priority.

I took a great little video clip of him exploring his new digs :) check it out at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS899JRyhxQ

Thank you again! Now let's work on:

*Getting Wishbone grass in his home, so he is not exclusively on concrete! and can have a soft surface to walk, sit, lounge and play on.

*Getting the grass in Goober's home back to lush and not dry stick like weeds, so he has something comfortable to munch and lounge on!

*Moving Inti into an area that is not a cage. He needs and deserves a more natural environment.

These simple and necessary improvements for the Animals would make me and the Animals happy and by gosh, I just may not have anything, much to blog about!

OK the weekend duo of Nays.

I've been continually bugged that the Zoo is apparently (from the Visitor stand-point, paying an electric bill to continuously keep a HUGE Lion Balloon inflated, when they allegedly balk at paying extra on the water bill to make sure that the Bairds Tapir's pool be cleaned daily instead of the current three times a week. I'm a Leo so I love all things Lion, but this makes no sense and its wrong to appropriate funds this way.

While at the Lions, my friend Lee was talking to Lynette, a fellow Docent from when she was in the program. During this time a Visitor was tapping on the glass, trying to get the Cats attention. After the second time I suggested to Lynette she ask the Visitor to stop. She said, "Let's see if they do it again"!!! Of course I was offended as she has the authority and its certainly part of her job to address misbehavior. This is a trend with Docents, as well some Security. I questioned why wait, when we all just witnessed this twice? She had no answer. I just walked away disgusted.

I don't know why some of the people with authority to stop Visitors who harass the animals don't.

Update: Per San Francisco Zoo Twitter information received, the Anteater's mini mountains are painted white because they needed to be sealed. Good to know, thank you for the response and information. I still think it would have been aesthetically more pleasing to have the area (and others) more natural. Painting them doesn't seem like it would have been too hard.

UPDATE 12.8.11 Please see the last post titled "FAIL Post Updates"

Animals Upset by Visitors Steps Away from Oblivious Staff

It happens again, OUTRAGEOUS! How will the Zoo deter this behavior? WILL the Zoo do anything TO deter this behavior?

As we turn the corner from the main part of the Zoo and end our visit with the Chimps, we thought we were home free. A visit without seeing misbehavior from humans against our precious Zoo friends. Could it be? Not a chance, unfortunately.

There is always some kind of misbehavior at the Chimps. Always. Humans for some reason feel the need to tickle their armpits and make oooo-ing sounds when they see Chimps. I don't get it, but I don't get the behavior of humans, much less the ones that pay to go to an Animal Park and then mess with the Animals, rather than observing and enjoying them just doing their thing.

I have noted before the desperate NEED at the San Francisco Zoo for more signage, to deter misbehavior. The Zoo continues, just continues to go along its merry little way thinking they are doing a bang up job in all aspects, including protecting the Animals. They are not. WHY can't there be more signage? Are they afraid of how it looks aesthetically? Are they afraid of offending Visitors with too many rules? What is the problem?

As a Visitor who is upset by this behavior and who thinks protecting the Animals should be primary, posting informational signs in a viewable area is a no-brainer. After all, part of the Zoo's Mission Statement is to "educate." So far, I see very little educating going on.

While on that note, I sure hope that the Docent led school tours, Zoo-Mobile Staff and Camp leaders, teach the children they speak to about Respecting Animals.

I must note that the majority of misbehavior is the actions of adults. Take the situation I witnessed yesterday. When I arrived at Chimps, all three females were lounging in the sun. The male (Cobby) was inside. There was a (human) family of rowdies already being loud and yelling things towards the Chimps. Whether this group instigated the situation and/or the rest of the Visitors I don't know, but they were the stand-outs as the loudest and the grandmother was the ring-leader! Ma Barker.

As the crowd got louder with laughter and snickers, Cobby (who was probably watching from the window) rushed out, picking up a book on his way. He was obviously agitated. Since I know his behavior (and that of the humans watching him) I knew exactly how this was going to play out. Cobby displayed his aggravation by rocking and throwing things out at the Visitors who were upsetting him. I video taped most of this, but am unable to upload it at this time.

As Cobby was in action, a larger crowd grew and most from what I could hear while taping, were excited by his behavior. Admittedly before I knew what his rocking meant, I too thought he was dancing, as that is what it looks like, BUT once an Animal throws something out towards the Visitors, regardless of your level of Animal Behavior knowledge, that isn't an action based on just for fun. Something is upsetting to the Animal, so its disturbing to me that Visitors would not only heckle him, but in fact erupt in cheer as a crowd when he threw things (three times).

That said, I again return to signage. At the Chimps there are two signs. One is a universal "shoosh" sign, with a finger up to lips, the other is the Zoo's Respect the Animals sign. One is posted to the far left and the other to the far right, nestled in close to the bushes. Visitors walking up and standing in the front to view, do not see these signs, and the ones who do mostly don't pay any attention. I have seen Visitors yell out to the Chimps while standing in front of the "shoosh" sign. Amazing.

So, we ask, will signs then work at all? I believe more will deter. Since the Zoo will not take other outside the box measures, such as a video on loop at entry village or in the Cafe, we have to go with what little they have already done and that's signs.

Side note on video. There is a new video playing at the Snow Leopard exhibit. The video is on Conservation and Education about the plight of the Snow Leopards. While a great thing, isn't it just as important to Educate and Conservate for the Animals who call your facility home? Again, I would think that should be primary.

I have long thought the necessity of more signage, Zoo-wide, but it is in dire need at the Chimps and Bears. I find that most of the misbehavior happens in these areas AND these Animals are wide-open. It has always been curious to me that there are signs at the Indian Rhino exhibit cautioning about crossing the barrier, but NONE, not one, at the Bears. I have never seen anyone misbehaving at the Indian Rhino, but its a regular occurrence at Bears. AND there is hardly ever Security at Bears. Why are these signs not posted all along the barrier at Bears? WHY??? ... As well these signs should be at all exhibits, along with ones that say not to yell. AND one every window at the Cats, not to rap, tap, slap on the glass.

As for the signage at Chimps, there are several things that need to be noted to alert. Several low placed signs in front of the exhibit would be ideal. Do not vocalize at the Animals (yell, imitate, ect). Do not gesture at the Animals (wave your arms, clap, ect). These Animals are sensitive. If you see them exhibiting motion that looks like dancing, waving Arms, motioning back and forth, that is a display of agitation. Do not encourage, heckle, applaud this behavior. These are Senior Animals and should be kept calm for their health and safety. ... THIS would help the situation tremendously.

I also find it curious, that with the Chimps being right next to the Cafe, that more Staff do not pay attention to what is goign on there. When I'm at Chimps, I see Staff from all levels, going in and out and just passing by. In fact yesterday I witnessed two things that were most disturbing.

Two Cafe Staffers came out and joined in the festivities, adding to the laughter and took photos of Cobby in action.

Five Staffers, including that of Membership and IT, stood about 20 yards from the Chimps, in front of the Cafe, over-seeing the moving of the outdoor seating, in preparation for an event that night. Note photo posted. The Chimps are right beyond these people. There is no way the cheering and laughter was not heard. YET not one Staffer went over to see what the commotion was. INCREDIBLE! I'm so glad that the Staff is alert and aware of their surroundings. Good grief, Cobby could have ran up and goosed one and they wouldn't have seen it coming.

Once again I plead to the San Francisco Zoo, get it together! Do more to protect these Animals! You may not like me, but this isn't about me, its about the Animals in your care who call the Zoo home.

Visitor Dangles Arms in Lion Enclosure! OMG!!!

Once again Visitors misbehave, I witness it and Security basically does nothing. This is one of the reasons I must blog. This is one of the reasons my brain hurts, regarding so much Zoo-wise. I wish it wasn't that way, but I care about the safety of the Animals who live there, in regards to Visitor actions, that I can't help but get upset.

So, here is what happened today. My friend Lee and I were sitting on Tatiana's (Tiger) bench. The bench that was donated by funds raised in her memory by those who loved her and were outraged at the circumstances surrounding her death. I was one of those people. This bench sits in front of the enclosure the Tatiana lived in with her companion Tony. I am sure anyone who is reading this, has knowledge of the events that happened Christmas Day 2007. If not google it.

After those events there were upgrades made to the barrier at the Visitor side, as the drama surrounding the circumstances made it seem as though it was a Zoo fail, that the event could even happen. In my opinion, this was not a Zoo fail. In short, Big Cats had lived there for close to 80 years, without escaping. The issue of wall height was not an issue, as the "recommended height" was NOT "required height". AND the obvious was documented three years later, that she had been taunted (more like tortured to a boiling point). She also did not leap out of the enclosure, she allegedly used some dangling legs as a ladder of flesh.

Knowing all that, why would anyone do the following, and why did I have to witness it? It really amazes me that Lee and I seem to be the only ones who think the behavior we see is bad. Maybe this is why we are witnesses. God knows that we will stand-up for what is right. If the lady who had seem the Dhaliwal's misbehaving at the Lions prior to getting to Tatiana's enclosure had reported it, maybe Tatiana would still be alive today. That is in part, why I get involved.

As we sat there enjoying watching Tunya and Sukari (Lions), a family strolls up. T he father immediately stands on the cement curb and then up on the ledge, body against the barrier glass, dangling his arms over the top, trying to get the Lions attention. OMG!!! I absolutely could not believe what I was seeing. I started taking photos to document it. I have seen alot of misbehavior, its a daily occurrence at the Zoo. I had vowed after the Bear Grotto incident (see blog http://sanfranciscozoocrime.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcomeif-you-are-reading-this-blog-you.html) not to get involved ever again, but when I see something so horrifying, I can't help myself. When a Visitor does something that can put an Animals life in danger, I can not just sit there and watch.

If you are asking how do these actions I write about put an Animal's life in danger, I'll note a couple past events as example. Tatiana, abused by Visitors to the point she got out, hunted them down and killed on of her attackers. She was shot in the head 14 times, because she defended herself, her companion and her home. Two years later a man voluntarily enters the Grizzly Bear enclosure. One of the Bears sniffed him and moved on. Had that not been the the way it played out and one of the Bears went after him, in anyway, even playful, they would have both taken a bullet. So, regardless of the scenario, the Animal will always lose its life.

In the case of today, sure there is a window barrier as such you can see in the photo (in case you have never been to the San Francisco Zoo), but what if there was a fluke and something happened that this guy fell in? One of those precious Lions might have lost their life. I am painting an extreme outcome that I do not believe could happen in this instance, but that is not the whole point. The point is, this behavior is unacceptable. Why do people come to the Zoo, pay to get in and then act the fool all over the place? I don't get it. Until I became hypersensitive to misbehavior, I thought people who visited the Zoo did so because they liked animals. Behavior I see continuously suggests something different.

Even further OMG, this is happening at the same enclosure as the Tatiana event!

Before I go any further with my commentary, I continue with the chain of events.

So, even though I do not want to get involved, I go to the Lion House to ask the Security guard there to call another guard to talk to these offenders. As I walk up, Security guard Gisella bikes in. She played a part in untruths in regard to the Bear Grotto incident, so I would have preferred to not be involved in something she was involved in again, but no choice. I told her what I saw, showed her the photo, she thanked me and off she went. I followed back to the scene to point out the offenders.

When she approached them, she said in a low pleasant voice, " ... for you safety,..." I could not believe it! AGAIN Security basically does nothing!!! Just like when a Visitor threw something at Cobby the Chimp! (see post on this blog, http://sanfranciscozoofails.blogspot.com/2011/05/zoo-management-lets-visitors-abuse.html) OUTRAGEOUS! What is going on? Why does Security make nice with people who are seriously misbehaving? They should be asked to leave, but at the very least be spoken to with a more stern voice and wording. No wonder people run wild in the place. They know they can.

I may be in the minority, but once a Visitor initiates misbehavior, that should void them as a Security priority. The Animals that live there never seem to be the priority concern Security-wise. Its disgusting.

If I was a Keeper and saw how disrespectful Security is in regards to reprimanding Visitors offending towards the Animals in my care, I would be pissed.

I digress. ... The wife of the offender, then says to me, "Are you happy now?" What is that even supposed to mean? Her husband acts the fool, engages in a serious Security action and she is turning my reporting it around? I had not planned to say anything to these people, but she opened a dialog with me first. I responded, "He should not be up there. There are barriers for a reason." Again she says, "Are you happy now." I said, "Don't you watch the News. You must know what happened the last time someone dangled over the barrier." Then I just stopped. To me asking, "If I was happy now", was the most ridiculous thing to say. NO, I'm not happy that your offensive husband is putting our precious Animals at risk with his bad behavior.

So, again proven offensive Visitors are smiled at and asked not to misbehave. Seriously? Man-up San Francisco Zoo, stop being cowards! Do something to deter this bad behavior. Start sending a message. Start educating people about respecting the Animals BEFORE they enter the Zoo. Don't hide behind the signs that are posted here and there, and think they are enough. They are not. Have a video at the entrance. Have a video in the Cafe. Tell people how they are expected to behave once they enter the Zoo. Have docents talk to groups before they enter. Do something, because misbehavior toward the Animals is epidemic.