Re:WeWork exits 40 U.S. locations after tepid forecast
by joxel on Friday November 11, 2022 @09:27AM
(#33561169)
Thanks for sharing these details. I've visited some places specifically marketed as "rescues" in my area (such as the Raptor Center in Charlotte, NC), but didn't realize some zoos have the same standards without explicitly promoting it.
Re:WeWork exits 40 U.S. locations after tepid forecast
by nunez on Friday November 11, 2022 @02:33PM
(#33565615)
Sure thing. Zoos are incredibly organized!
Re:WeWork exits 40 U.S. locations after tepid forecast
by nunez on Friday November 11, 2022 @06:05PM
(#33568019)
I can't edit this anymore but another thing to point out about the link above is that one of the subpages contains care manuals for several types of popular animals and the statuses of other care manuals in AZA's pipeline that are being reviewed for publication.
These manuals are INSANELY detailed. There is absolutely no question that the keepers who helped create these manuals genuinely care about the animals they tend to. (Some of the manuals specify how large exhibits should be depending on whether the animals are staying on exhibit for a while or are preparing for a transition back into the wild!)
Folks that are on engineering organizations (like IEEE) or working groups (like the Kubernetes or Bluetooth SIGs) might appreciate the nuances here!
I also learned that zoologists from Disney's Animal Kingdom are HUGE contributors to these manuals and that Walt Disney himself was key in inspiring zoos to shift away from entertainment and towards conservation!
In addition, zoos are also responsible for re-populating vulnerable or endangered species. Zoos spend a lot of money on this. They also return healthy animals back into the wild in service of this.
See the AZA's standards on animal care here: https://www.aza.org/animal-management?locale=en
As far as looking at a tiger for the 200th time goes, I mean, I never get tired of the dumb shit one of our cats does, and we've seen him way more than 200 times now! (We got him at three months old; he's 8 now.) I love getting glimpses into other animals that you would normally never see!
Now, there are definitely shitty zoos that actually do capture and lock up animals purely for entertainment, with patrons none the wiser to it. The most popular "aquarium" in Houston, for example, is actually a restaurant and is not AZA-accredited, which is usually (not always) an indicator that the animals are abused and mistreated.