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After too long (defined as more than a month) Andy and I went to the Bronx Zoo this afternoon. On a summer Sunday, we figured we wouldn't even bother with Wild Asia or the Congo Forest, either of which would mean waiting in line to pay a surcharge. The things to definitely see were the emus, okapi, and snow leopards.
On the way to the emus, we wandered past the pelican-and-gibbon exhibit (the gibbons live on an island, the pelicans in the water around it; they don't really interact). There were half-grown wood ducks in the water; still clearly this year's ducklings, but the males are starting to show the wood-duck green and blue coloring. We'll go back next month and see how they're doing: the area can use more wood ducks.
The okapis were out and about, and excellent to watch at length. But i wanted a sign that said
after listening to the people around me for a little while. I can cope with the children who see a striped quadruped and think zebra. It's the adults who tell an infant "that's a zebra" and, when I point out that it's an okapi, say "she won't remember it." This is a reason for lying to a child? If she won't remember the name, "look at that animal" might be the way to go. And the adults who say it's half giraffe and half zebra, and don't bother to mention its real name. I suppose I should be glad they read enough to recognize that it is in fact related to a giraffe.
The other high point, along with the wood ducks, was watching herons on the pond next to the cafeteria-and-gift-shop area. The official, on-the-signs animals there are flamingos, ducks, and koi. But it's a nice big open pond, with food, so it's got some big turtles; some red-wing blackbirds; and, today, herons. A little green heron (not very green, but that's his name) and a yellow-crowned night heron. We watched that bird for a long time, as it stood, then stalked slowly along the shore, then stood again. We checked the book when we got home, and that's another for the life list. (Less exotic than the two before it--calliope hummingbirds, storm-tossed on the wrong edge of the continent, and a bald eagle.)
Snow leopards don't do well on hot summer days, so we stopped there briefly, then headed back to the bus. But first we stopped to take another look at the young wood ducks.
On the way to the emus, we wandered past the pelican-and-gibbon exhibit (the gibbons live on an island, the pelicans in the water around it; they don't really interact). There were half-grown wood ducks in the water; still clearly this year's ducklings, but the males are starting to show the wood-duck green and blue coloring. We'll go back next month and see how they're doing: the area can use more wood ducks.
The okapis were out and about, and excellent to watch at length. But i wanted a sign that said
NOT A ZEBRA
after listening to the people around me for a little while. I can cope with the children who see a striped quadruped and think zebra. It's the adults who tell an infant "that's a zebra" and, when I point out that it's an okapi, say "she won't remember it." This is a reason for lying to a child? If she won't remember the name, "look at that animal" might be the way to go. And the adults who say it's half giraffe and half zebra, and don't bother to mention its real name. I suppose I should be glad they read enough to recognize that it is in fact related to a giraffe.
The other high point, along with the wood ducks, was watching herons on the pond next to the cafeteria-and-gift-shop area. The official, on-the-signs animals there are flamingos, ducks, and koi. But it's a nice big open pond, with food, so it's got some big turtles; some red-wing blackbirds; and, today, herons. A little green heron (not very green, but that's his name) and a yellow-crowned night heron. We watched that bird for a long time, as it stood, then stalked slowly along the shore, then stood again. We checked the book when we got home, and that's another for the life list. (Less exotic than the two before it--calliope hummingbirds, storm-tossed on the wrong edge of the continent, and a bald eagle.)
Snow leopards don't do well on hot summer days, so we stopped there briefly, then headed back to the bus. But first we stopped to take another look at the young wood ducks.
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Or the ones where they *insist* that the Minnesota Zoo has lions and elephants and zebras, they were here last time they visited, and why is the volunteer lying to them and saying the zoo doesn't have any? (The only African mammal they have right now are the meerkats. The Como Zoo in St. Paul has lions and zebras and giraffes.)
The misunderstandings I think I've heard most about probably involve the takins. (Which is sort of understandable: they're not exactly common or well-known animals.) http://mn zoo.com/animals/northern_trail/talkin_1.asp for your amusement :)
???
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Bug
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"Is that one?"
"No, that's a tire tread."
"Is that one?"
"No, I think that was a possum."
"How about that?"
"That's a trash bin. Now you're just being silly."
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From:
Not A Zebra
The first was by the otter pool, where the otters had decided to (a) form a huge slippery pile of otter (b) extrude an occasional otter to be appealing and photogenic. 'Look, darling,' she exclaimed to her small child, 'look at the nice pussycat.' I gave her a Hard Stare. After another reference to the otters being pussycats, we left the scene as further otter-ogling was impossible with so much vacuity going on in the background. (I'd also like to commend the otter pile for its good taste in contriving to turn a united back on everyone at this stage.)
Ten minutes later, the same people caught us up at the tiger enclosure. I suppose she was a bit closer this time, but as the tiger stalked up and down behind its thick glass wall we were all exhorted to 'Look at the big pussycat!' The tiger outdid me in Hard Staring, and continued to stalk. It was staring intently at the glass. One could almost imagine it was looking for cracks. One day, after all, the glass might break, and the tiger might get out. And you have to hope that anyone who'd just called the tiger a big pussycat would be first up against the wall at the stage...
Fortunately we managed to shake this zoologically challenged family before the platypus became feline too.