From before I can remember, I enjoyed watching animals. Some of my greatest delights as a youngster were viewing animals either when camping or at the zoo, or our fish tank.
Living in a suburb of Denver, I actually got more zoo time than camping time. I was convinced I would grow up to be a great naturalist. I mean look at these photos:
Okay, I was a bit of a dreamer. But I continued my interest in animals and went to zoos as the opportunity arose. Beyond going to zoos, I watched “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” and “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” as often as I could.
Zoos continued to play an important role in my life as I got older, for example upon graduating from boot camp in San Diego, a life long dream of going to the internationally famous San Diego Zoo was realized.
On that same weekend, I proposed to my wife (now of 42 years) at the San Diego Sea World petting pool.
During those 42 years we have gone from Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa Florida to the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage Alaska, along with many zoos in between. In fact, we probably have almost as many photos of animals in zoos as we do of our families. Here are most of the zoos and aquariums I’ve visited:
At this point you are probably obvious that zoos and aquariums have been an important part of my life. However, I did not make a career as a zookeeper, I didn’t even know how a person became a zookeeper. Instead I spent 30+ years in natural resource management. This provided me time to enjoy nature, learn about various plants and animals, but with the caveat that the work was mostly from a consumptive angle, i.e. hunting and fishing. I was not the naturalist I had dreamed I would be.
That chapter of my life is now closed (I’m retired) and I can consider what to do next.
I have noticed over the last decade or so, zoos are being vilified. There are groups concerned about animal treatment in zoos. This is warranted in some cases. More restrictions on “roadside zoos” need to be implemented in nearly all states. However, having watched the transformation from concrete floors and bars, to more open “semi-natural” looking enclosures has been amazing. Further, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has strict standards for zoos to be certified. Does this make zoos perfect? Of course not. Wild animals should be wild and left alone. There are probably no truly wild places left and people are encroaching on habitats on all continents. So animals aren’t going to be left alone, period.
With habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and wildlife trafficking, animals in the wild are facing huge challenges. Challenges that many species are not prepared to adapt to. We have already lost some large charismatic species, like the baiji (Chinese white dolphin) and the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine). This bodes poorly for the small and nondescript animals, for example lots of amphibians are near extinction. Some animals are no longer found in the wild, but only in zoos or animal parks, for example the Pere David’s deer.
Zoos may act more and more as animal reserves for critically endangered species. However, with strict breeding controls and management, there’s a chance that some species may be released back into the wild to form healthy populations.
Further zoos may be the only place many people have a chance to appreciate non-human animals, besides cats and dogs. If just a few of the millions of young adults visiting zoos find an interest and pursue that interest there may be hope for the future of wildlife and biodiversity.
So with the above in mind, I decided to make a blog on zoos. My idea is to visit zoos, provide some helpful information for a visit and then a stroll through the zoo, with younger readers in mind. I will of course throw in some interesting (to me) facts about the animals and specifics about the zoo.
Since I am “self-employed” I can display my animal biases. I have a fondness towards certain animals, often the more maligned. The best example is I like vultures. Upon visiting a zoo, I will always have something to say about their vulture(s). I also like pachyderms (elephants, rhinos, and hippos), esp. rhinos. Another item which will be highlighted is animals rare or rarely seen in US zoos. For example, right now the Brookfield Zoo, outside of Chicago, has a white-bellied pangolin. I am sure some of my other biases will come out as I am writing. However, I hope to increase my knowledge of various animal groups, especially birds, but also reptiles and amphibians.
If you have made it to the end, I am impressed. I hope you enjoy the blog and will visit when you can.
Ivan the Zoo Guy
