Zoos

I like Zoos.

I don 't like the fact we have to have Zoos but I do like a well planned Zoo. A Zoo which is contributing to sustaining animal species and educating. It's just a fucker that we have to be sustaining animals due to all of our greed and selfishness.Om every trip to any zoo the sadness of our collective greed always hits me.

I like Zoos which have a clear role in conservation. Zoos that educate and zoos which you can walk around and not see any animals because the big, and well planned, enclosures allow all of their animals a place to be alone. I don't like Zoos where people bang on the glass or get annoyed cause the monkeys are asleep. But that's more about the people than the Zoos.

I like animals. (except of course wombats) I have a particular fondness for tigers ( having hiked through tiger country), orangutans ( having my girlfriend of the time being pissed on one) , polar bears (blame Knut), otters and wolves.

I hate, to the point of loathing, people who use animals purely as attractions and novelties and have huge problems with aquariums and use of dolphins, killer whales and the other big mammals of the sea. I have a big issue with trained animals for entertainment and have little pity when a lion tamer has his name shown to be ironic.

I visit a lot of Zoos. Today I went to Taronga Park Zoo, partly to see if Mr Shuffles writes his own tweets and partly because I haven't been for years. It's not one of my favorite Zoos. Its good (and seemingly getting better) What are my favorite zoos you ask? In no particular order here are my top 5

1. Perth Zoo
There are a few reasons why I love Perth Zoo. Firstly I grew up in Perth and saw it go from horrid concrete enclosures with too many animals to a beacon of conservation holding the gene book, and great breeding success for Orangutans and Giraffes. I remember how miserable their old elephant Tricia was when I was a child and now she has a decent enclosure and is displaying much healthier behavior. I feel like I grew up with many of Perth Zoos animals and can recite all the Orangs names.

http://wanneroo.inmycommunity.com.au/

I also love Perth Zoo as I worked within its confines for three months and had the pleasure of visiting the Cheetah every morning before the Zoo opened. The cheetah would come over and sit by the glass and purr and I would feel closer to nature. It probably felt closer to a possible breakfast

2. Prague Zoo
I am torn with this as many things about Prague are great but their elephant enclosure was shite (although much better now I hear) but they have did have some amazing enclosures and a group of animals you don't see anywhere else including a wolverine which is cool as those little shits are nasteeeeeey.

It was also the place I heard a Galapagos turtle making the sweet sweet love. It went for the whole time I was at the Zoo (6 hours) and sounded like this

Mroowwwerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

silence of ten minutes

Mroowwwerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

silence of ten minutes

Mroowwwerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

silence of ten minutes

Mroowwwerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


Incidentally the male Galapagos turtle fully extends his neck during intercourse.  I have no comment on this.

3. Edinburgh Zoo
I love this zoo as it has a clear policy of the animals it includes with the zoo. Including no elephants. I applaud this. They outline what they have and why they have it. The have Beavers which are great Zoo animals cause you will never see them. Never.

They also had the best Jaguar I have ever seen. Jaguars have big heads and are impressive and this one started at me among the rubberneckers as I sat staring at it.

4. Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne has an ostrich in the giraffe enclosure.  I love this both for the ostrichs non stop apologizing and I love animals that share. Its like the meercats in the giraffes in London Zoo and the artic fox which hung out with the polar bears in Dublin Zoo (or use to when I was last there)

I also like Melbourne because the Zoo is tranquil. With it little side areas it could be full but you would have no idea. I also know of two areas near the Gorilla enclosure where you can have a sneaky peek at them and quite often one looks back.

5. Whipsnade
You can get big animal overload at Zoos like Whipsnade. "Oh there's a field of 12 Rhinos" It's a good Zoo. They have a wolf pack enclosure which is awesome. What I particularly like about it is the fact there are roaming wallabies everywhere. In every enclosure (Lions aside) you will look out at green grass and wallabies. Sometimes the intended animal in the enclosure isn't there. Just wallabies

Bad Zoos? Well they don't deserve the press or my time but if I had my time again I would have taken over Bukitingi Zoo in Sumatra when I visited and made those animals lives so much better.

And to those loud complainers in Zoos that they spent good money and can't see the animals, if you are worried about spending money and not seeing them shouldn't you be more worried about them not existing anywhere in the world with no chance not to see them?