Veterinary And Animal Rescue Shows

[zxy556575]

Bummer. I finally gave in and reduced my cable TV package to the minimum basic, losing Nat Geo Wild in the process. I still get Animal Planet but it wasn't worth the extra $40/month for the deluxe channels.

I'm counting on you guys to keep me informed about Doctors K, Pol, Oakley, and all the Animal ER and Vet School wienies!!

[walnutqueen]

On 02/08/2017 at 3:32 PM, Lord Donia said:

Bummer. I finally gave in and reduced my cable TV package to the minimum basic, losing Nat Geo Wild in the process. I still get Animal Planet but it wasn't worth the extra $40/month for the deluxe channels.

I'm counting on you guys to keep me informed about Doctors K, Pol, Oakley, and all the Animal ER and Vet School wienies!!

Dr. Pol has a Newfie!!!!  Yes, they are Great Dane people, but the Newf was new (at least, to me) and ever so loveable & cool.

Gotta say, I am LOVING "The Guardians".  These people do whatever is necessary to help animals, for sure.  This week's travel to a flood emergency was just another example of that - they went in with the attitude of "How can we help?" to the locals, rather than "We're here to save you OUR way".  Respect and empathy - what a concept.

 

ETA - I have a "thing" for long-haired vets (Hello, Dr. Jeff!)  I have a "thing" for long dreads and bandannas, too.  Yikes! [/shallow]

Edited February 12, 2017 by walnutqueen
nasty woman

[Jenkins]

I was disappointed to learn last night was the season finale for The Guardians, absolutely great show!

Like you said, they work WITH people rather than just forcing things on them.

Still not used to a short haired Dr. Jeff.

I couldn't believe another vet wanted $4000-6000 just to do what seemed like a simple (relatively speaking) FHO. And then Dr. Jeff charges 10% of that...

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, Jenkins said:

I was disappointed to learn last night was the season finale for The Guardians, absolutely great show!

Like you said, they work WITH people rather than just forcing things on them.

Still not used to a short haired Dr. Jeff.

I couldn't believe another vet wanted $4000-6000 just to do what seemed like a simple (relatively speaking) FHO. And then Dr. Jeff charges 10% of that...

I want a Dr. Jeff in every jurisdiction. 'Cause if my Babalu needs expensive surgery, I'm buying an oxygen tank and putting the gas on my last credit card for the drive to Denver ...

And if Dr. Petra doesn't let Dr. Jeff grow his hair long again?  Bitch be DEAD to me.  ;-)

[walnutqueen]

OK - I'm back to loving Dr. Petra, because she makes Dr. Jeff happy and was an awesome mentor to Dr. B during his first amputation surgery.

How cool was the new (limited???) series "The Zoo"?!?  I loved every second, and want it to be a permanent series - perhaps featuring other zoos & endangered species breeding programs (like, for instance, my local San Diego Zoo).

I missed the latest new vet show "The Adventures of Dr, Buckeye Bottoms" - about a mobile vet in Maui, but I have it programmed on my DVR for next week, when the pilot repeats.

Dr. Pol goes green - well, any effort is a good effort, and I applaud whatever anyone does to help the environment.  Beehives next, Pol.

[zxy556575]

6 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

How cool was the new (limited???) series "The Zoo"?!?  I loved every second, and want it to be a permanent series - perhaps featuring other zoos & endangered species breeding programs (like, for instance, my local San Diego Zoo).

I was just coming to see how everyone liked it. But yeah, what's not to love? Made me look up maleo birds.

I'll be watching the keepers to see how their personalities match their chosen animals. Anybody would've been sad to release those two beautiful tiger cubs into their enclosure after raising them, so I felt for her. Loving up on them would put anyone in a good mood. Goochi, goochie! Apparently the penguin keeper feels the same. Heh.

[walnutqueen]

^^^ YESSS!  The most poignant, painful and fulfilling moment is when you finally release (or otherwise relinquish) an animal you've saved and raised back into the wild (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).  It takes a very special person to be able to do that, time after time. Heartbreaking AND heartwarming, all in a bundle of "feels".

Oooh, and baby penguins & "goochi, goochi"???  I'd post the "cookie the penguin being tickled" YouTube link, if only I could.  It's a classic feelgood make your face hurt with the smiles.

[Jeeves]

Ooh goodie! I messed up; thought I'd set the DVR to catch The Zoo, and when I went to my recordings, oops, I hadn't. Bummer. But I got lucky and caught a repeat of S1E1 last night. Love love love. 

Laughed when at least two of the keepers/experts said they liked animals better than people or words to that effect. 

Fascinated by the whole rare bird mating/reproducing story. 

And yes, I do have the DVR set for upcoming episodes. 

[pasdetrois]

I'm new to The Zoo (calling Dr. Seuss) and am catching random old episodes plus the new season. Loving it and appreciate hearing the message that "zoos are for conservation." I stopped going to the National Zoo 30 years ago when the great apes were caged in small solitary display cages (now improved). Long ago, the original Smokey Bear was housed at the National Zoo, and he broke my heart, with his arthritis and patchy fur from the fire.

I do wish they'd reduce the length of some of the THs. Give me succinct explanations and then show me the fat fuzzy baby penguins toddling about. When I'm having a bad day, I watch the Cookie video on YouTube.

I chuckle at the new HI vet - tshirts and flip-flops, a beat up truck and surf board, as compared to our local vets here, all buttoned up in and boxed in tiny consultation rooms. I guess the new HI vet was recruited to replace the vet who died of cancer. I wonder what happened to that vet's staff.

[Christina]

I'm liking The Zoo and will keep watching the new Hawaii vet, but Charles on Dr. Pol has worn by nerves to shreds. I realize that he is probably the reason Dr. Pol has a show, since he was working in the television industry in California and I think I read that he pitched it, and I realize that the first season he was the one that asked the questions the viewers would ask, like why Dr. Pol was doing something, but since then, he'll do a talking head that begins with, "First we..." You didn't do anything. Then they have entire sections where they are showing Charles doing something, updating the computers, hanging Christmas decorations, that horrible video for the veterinary assistant and now them going green. It's probably a total of three to four minutes each episode, but he bugs, and I've been forced to mute him. 

[EyewatchTV211]

Has the second episode of The Zoo already aired? I went to set up my DVR to record tomorrow, and it is saying it is episode 3. Did they show the first 2 episodes back-to-back last time and I didn't realize?

[Jeeves]

1 minute ago, VMepicgrl said:

Has the second episode of The Zoo already aired? I went to set up my DVR to record tomorrow, and it is saying it is episode 3. Did they show the first 2 episodes back-to-back last time and I didn't realize?

I think Ep 2 must be MIA. I didn't see it either, I set up my DVR the other day to catch all new episodes, and the next one up is Ep 3. IIRC I went to the series info on my Xfinity online guide and Episode 2 wasn't there - it was 1 and 3.

[zoemom]

On ‎2‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 7:46 PM, Christina said:

I'm liking The Zoo and will keep watching the new Hawaii vet, but Charles on Dr. Pol has worn by nerves to shreds. I realize that he is probably the reason Dr. Pol has a show, since he was working in the television industry in California and I think I read that he pitched it, and I realize that the first season he was the one that asked the questions the viewers would ask, like why Dr. Pol was doing something, but since then, he'll do a talking head that begins with, "First we..." You didn't do anything. Then they have entire sections where they are showing Charles doing something, updating the computers, hanging Christmas decorations, that horrible video for the veterinary assistant and now them going green. It's probably a total of three to four minutes each episode, but he bugs, and I've been forced to mute him. 

Christina I'm glad I'm not the only one who is finds Charles to be irritating.  It's great if he got his dad the show, but seeing that Dr. Pol is coming up on his 100th episode, ole Charles needs to stick to working behind the camera.  The way he talks you'd think he did everything at the practice.  He's become a boastful bore.  I enjoy the show much more when he's not part of the storyline.

[walnutqueen]

Also not a Charles fan, but I like everyone else on the show, so I keep watching.  It was heartbreaking to see Dr. Pol & Diane lose their long awaited foal - I hope next time Dianne gets her wished for filly, and she's strong and healthy.

I'm really enjoying The Zoo.  I got a real kick out of seeing Mert (Murt?) the goose - he's a real character.  The keepers all seem very dedicated to their anmals, and love their jobs (what's NOT to love?).

[Jenkins]

I thought they were leading up to Murt/Mert being put to sleep. That would have completely broke that one handlers heart (she seems very sweet), so I am glad he is still doing well (not sure how long ago this was taped).

The baby gazelle was awesome. It has to be tough to hand raise them just to let them go and never really interact with them again.

So I noticed some product placement on Dr Jeff (K-Mart). Normally product placement annoys me. But on this show, I would take product placement every 5 minutes if it helps fund PPP so people can continue to have care like the little chihuahua got for $250. We just spent $200 for a simple blood test for one of my dogs. And here PPP takes care of a dog for multiple days for $250.

I have seriously thought (and discussed with my wife), that if one of our dogs needs major, expensive surgery, we would just make the trip to Colorado. It is a 14 hour drive from here and even with travel expenses, I can guarantee it would be cheaper than any vet I would find around here.

[SRTouch]

1 hour ago, Jenkins said:

I thought they were leading up to Murt/Mert being put to sleep. That would have completely broke that one handlers heart (she seems very sweet), so I am glad he is still doing well (not sure how long ago this was taped).

The baby gazelle was awesome. It has to be tough to hand raise them just to let them go and never really interact with them again.

So I noticed some product placement on Dr Jeff (K-Mart). Normally product placement annoys me. But on this show, I would take product placement every 5 minutes if it helps fund PPP so people can continue to have care like the little chihuahua got for $250. We just spent $200 for a simple blood test for one of my dogs. And here PPP takes care of a dog for multiple days for $250.

I have seriously thought (and discussed with my wife), that if one of our dogs needs major, expensive surgery, we would just make the trip to Colorado. It is a 14 hour drive from here and even with travel expenses, I can guarantee it would be cheaper than any vet I would find around here.

Totally agree. One of my cats went in for teeth cleaning this past week - $175 (ok 50 bucks of that was optional blood work that I paid for as he's ten years old this month and $20 for staying overnight). Watching the segment with Shorty, the chihuahua, I wouldn't have been surprised with a bill of a couple thousand - xrays and 6 day hospital stay - and the bill was a fraction of what I expected. If one of mine was hurt, and could be stabilized, I could see taking a week and making the trip from Oklahoma if I could be fit in their schedule.

[walnutqueen]

Shorty's family got a great deal.  My Babalu went in for emergency low blood sugar shock a few weeks ago.  Even with all my discounts, and my vet not charging me anything for the exam and hospitalization (my French pastries bribe may have helped, too!), it was $250 for less than a day's stay.  Not that I'm complaining - they literally saved his life, and if I'd been further than 5 minutes from the vet, the outcome could have been much, much worse.  Just another reason I adore my vet - I've been with her since she took over the practise in the 1990s (client since the mid 80s), and we've been through EVERYTHING together.

[Jeeves]

I agree, the bill for Shorty was minimal to say the least. I wonder if Shorty's owners had paid a little something upfront, although I'm sure that their total bill, even if more than $250, was a helluva deal. The clinic probably reduced the bill in consideration of the owners' ability to pay. I remember last season there was the homeless guy who faithfully brought in his five or ten bucks a week to pay the very small amount Dr. Jeff had charged to fix his dog's leg. It was kinda sweet, and I think that was the episode where Dr. Jeff recognized the guy's faithful payments and said that he has had plenty of poor clients who managed to get their bills paid and some doctor and lawyer clients who weren't so good about paying. 

[zxy556575]

I wonder sometimes about the benefit of keeping animals in the hospital during recovery. Anyone have personal experience?

Unless the pets need IVs, tube feedings, etc. it seems like they might be better off recuperating at home. Dr. Jeff says one of the reasons he lives upstairs from his clinic is so he can go check on animals during the night if needed, but most practices shut down after hours. We've seen several instances of, "We came in in the morning and X was dead." That maybe would have occurred at home, too ... but I guess I just feel bad for beloved pets dying alone in a crate.

[SRTouch]

18 minutes ago, Lord Donia said:

I wonder sometimes about the benefit of keeping animals in the hospital during recovery. Anyone have personal experience?

Unless the pets need IVs, tube feedings, etc. it seems like they might be better off recuperating at home. Dr. Jeff says one of the reasons he lives upstairs from his clinic is so he can go check on animals during the night if needed, but most practices shut down after hours. We've seen several instances of, "We came in in the morning and X was dead." That maybe would have occurred at home, too ... but I guess I just feel bad for beloved pets dying alone in a crate.

I agree with you for the most part. Going back to Shorty, the chihuahua, he certainly perked up when the girls came to visit. Course, in the beginning, he pretty much had to stay in the oxygen box, so there wasn't a lot of choice. I've had a couple cats that were absolutely terrified of the vet, and unless there was a VERY good reason, I'd try to treat them at home because I don't think they'd get better with the stress of being at the clinic and being scared all the time.

[halopub]

On 2/26/2017 at 2:35 PM, Jenkins said:

I thought they were leading up to Murt/Mert being put to sleep. That would have completely broke that one handlers heart (she seems very sweet), so I am glad he is still doing well (not sure how long ago this was taped).

Animal Planet ordered the show last spring. Based on everyone's clothes I would guess Mert's story was filmed this past summer. It is nice to hear the mayor of the children's zoo is doing well.

On 2/24/2017 at 10:35 PM, Jeeves said:

I think Ep 2 must be MIA. I didn't see it either, I set up my DVR the other day to catch all new episodes, and the next one up is Ep 3. IIRC I went to the series info on my Xfinity online guide and Episode 2 wasn't there - it was 1 and 3.

One of the zoo's twitter accounts confirmed that the episodes are not being shown in order.

I found a cute clip of the tiger cubs that was filmed for The Today Show last spring. The chuffing is fun to hear.

[zxy556575]

The Zoo: This episode was fun. I liked seeing how the diamondback was handled to ensure safety for her and the staff. I'd never seen the plastic containment tubes used before, but they're simple and make a lot of sense.

The two cheetahs were THE BEST! Raising them with dogs was interesting, as was the handler's disclaimer that said dogs weren't overweight. That sent me looking up British Labradors, but the online pictures of those look pretty much the same as the American breed. The ones on the show were stumpier, so I must have missed something.

Pure bison breeding was also something I'd never heard of. Although most of my time during that segment was spent wondering who the PhD consultant from Colorado looked like -- she really reminded me of some celebrity or other.

Dr. Chris/Bondi Vet: Yeah, we're all wishing that never-had-dogs-before couple who adopted two Great Dane puppies the best of luck. Yeesh.

Dr. Jeff: It's not surprising that PPP would go above and beyond to take in rescues for adoption but I would have liked to hear more about their process and requirements, just out of general curiosity. Wasn't Jeff shown doing a home check last season with, I believe, a women who's disabled? It seems like some groups make it very arduous to adopt through them.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Lord Donia

[Betelnut]

19 hours ago, Lord Donia said:

The Zoo: This episode was fun. I liked seeing how the diamondback was handled to ensure safety for her and the staff. I'd never seen the plastic containment tubes used before, but they're simple and make a lot of sense.

The two cheetahs were THE BEST! Raising them with dogs was interesting, as was the handler's disclaimer that said dogs weren't overweight. That sent me looking up British Labradors, but the online pictures of those look pretty much the same as the American breed. The ones on the show were stumpier, so I must have missed something.

 

I thought that the handler was making a joke about the dog's weight. Like, "Yeah, they're not fat AT ALL, LOL."

[halopub]

I read it a bit differently and got the impression that Kathleen was trying to preempt a question she gets a lot. I only did a little light searching, but came across this primer, plus a forum of Labrador owners where one poster complained about how often others assumed her normal-weight English labs were obese.

So I guess a typical English lab is substantially blockier in shape? The zoo director did tweet that Finn and Norton are not fat but have since gotten a little lighter.

I like how the different story lines don't all conveniently conclude in the space of an episode. The bison haven't given birth yet and the cheetah are still working on being ready for keeper talks.

[Jeeves]

46 minutes ago, halopub said:

I read it a bit differently and got the impression that Kathleen was trying to preempt a question she gets a lot. I only did a little light searching, but came across this primer, plus a forum of Labrador owners where one poster complained about how often others assumed her normal-weight English labs were obese.

So I guess a typical English lab is substantially blockier in shape? The zoo director did tweet that Finn and Norton are not fat but have since gotten a little lighter.

I believe that's true. Years ago I had a chocolate lab, AKC registered, and the breeder told me that my dog generally had the British Labrador retriever conformation. She was not long-legged like so many labs we see here in the US. She had a very "deep" chest conformation, and IMO nicely proportioned legs. I mean by that, that although not as tall as most US labs, she certainly wasn't short and squat like a corgi, lol! She developed a thyroid problem and she got a daily pill and we fought the "battle of the bulge" as to her weight. She never got fat but she basically did look solid, if not IMO "blocky."

She was a companion animal, not a show dog or breeding dog, so I didn't go into the whole subject in detail, and this was back in the 80's before Google would have made it so easy. So yes, I'd believe that the "true" English lab conformation is noticeably blockier in shape that what we in the US are used to seeing in Labrador retrievers. I liked seeing the English labs on this show. I live in a condo now so I can't have a Lab here, but I love those dogs. 

Edited March 11, 2017 by Jeeves

[zxy556575]

Thanks, @halopub. That's an interesting article, mostly because the two types look so different and yet the breed characteristics are the same! Cuckoo.

I used to have a Dalmatian back in the 70s that we showed locally and I'd go to a few benched dog shows a year. It was an enjoyable hobby at the time, especially the obedience trials, but I've since developed a dimmer view of dog breeding in general.

[walnutqueen]

I doubt my Babalu kitty would share his house with a canine, but if & when I lose him (many years from now, please), I'll find a doggie - or a doggie will find me.  Then we'll both be in big trouble, since I've been told doggies need an alpha leader, and I'm the kind of person who enjoys letting animals just do their own thing.  I adapt my behavior to their needs ... so that lucky dog better be laid back, or he/she will have a crippled old lady dancing like a monkey.  :-)

The cheetahs here at the San Diego Zoo have "athletic" companion dogs who run with them - full speed.  The cheetahs are faster, but the dogs last longer.  Eventually, they both end up reclining in a shady spot, gently panting.  It is a thing of beauty to watch.

[pasdetrois]

My family loves Labs and has had them for generations. We go for the English version - the stubby-looking ones, and have friends with the taller sleeker kind (an American look). Currently a debate is raging over family dinner tables over the relatively new silver and gray Labs, as yellow, chocolate and black are the traditional colors.

I loved the episode with the Labs and Cheetahs - genius idea! However, I rolled on the floor at the chagrined statement that the zoo Labs are not fat. Lab owners everywhere, including myself, struggle to keep our dogs at a healthy weight. We regularly sidle into vets' offices and declare hopefully "I don't think my dog is overweight." And are usually gently shot down. One of those zoo Labs was FAT.

My Lab once ate everything he could reach in the ice box, having opened the door himself, and had to be rushed to the ER vet for bloat. A friend's Lab climbed up onto the top of her piano and ate the beautiful and expensive Christmas ornaments that had just arrived in the mail.

[EyewatchTV211]

9 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

I doubt my Babalu kitty would share his house with a canine, but if & when I lose him (many years from now, please), I'll find a doggie - or a doggie will find me.  Then we'll both be in big trouble, since I've been told doggies need an alpha leader, and I'm the kind of person who enjoys letting animals just do their own thing.  I adapt my behavior to their needs ... so that lucky dog better be laid back, or he/she will have a crippled old lady dancing like a monkey.  :-)

The cheetahs here at the San Diego Zoo have "athletic" companion dogs who run with them - full speed.  The cheetahs are faster, but the dogs last longer.  Eventually, they both end up reclining in a shady spot, gently panting.  It is a thing of beauty to watch.

We've talked about another show here, Lucky Dog, with the dog trainer Brandon McMillan. I read his book, and he actually disagrees with the philosophy that dogs need an alpha. I've seen other trainers who are against it as well. Basically, Brandon said dogs are not stupid enough to think that humans are another dog who is part of the pack and so are not really "alpha dogs." His belief system is that if you develop loving trust with the dog, the dog will be motivated to work for you. You'll still need to put in the work for consistent training, but you don't necessarily need to be an alpha to do that if the dog really trusts you. 

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

We've talked about another show here, Lucky Dog, with the dog trainer Brandon McMillan. I read his book, and he actually disagrees with the philosophy that dogs need an alpha. I've seen other trainers who are against it as well. Basically, Brandon said dogs are not stupid enough to think that humans are another dog who is part of the pack and so are not really "alpha dogs." His belief system is that if you develop loving trust with the dog, the dog will be motivated to work for you. You'll still need to put in the work for consistent training, but you don't necessarily need to be an alpha to do that if the dog really trusts you. 

This is good news to my ears, since I'm pretty great at getting all kinds of animals to trust me.  My only problem may be finding a dog who doesn't want to chase the cats, raccoons, possums & skunks who come to my back door.  Maybe deaf, dumb & blind?  Or just fat & lazy like me?  :-D

[zxy556575]

The best part of Lucky Dog for me is seeing Brandon's different training techniques. He worked wonders on one dog with separation anxiety and others who are timid/frightened. I don't think the Malamute mix in the recent episode is ever going to be outgoing, but she was a LOT calmer and more confident when he got done. I do wonder how long his training takes; the narrator has mentioned "weeks" in some episodes.

Flamingos! Sure, give them names but I'm surprised people can tell a flock of pink birds apart enough to do so.

I am loving The Zoo although those barking sea lions would have driven me to move my office into a concrete bunker with no windows. The mammal handlers being required to take on some reptiles/snakes made me laugh, just because we've all had to deal with being given new assignments at work that we know nothing about: "Here ya go! Learn it or quit!"

I was impressed with the care they took to train and acclimate the sea lions to their moving crates.

[EyewatchTV211]

1 minute ago, Lord Donia said:

The best part of Lucky Dog for me is seeing Brandon's different training techniques. He worked wonders on one dog with separation anxiety and others who are timid/frightened. I don't think the Malamute mix in the recent episode is ever going to be outgoing, but she was a LOT calmer and more confident when he got done. I do wonder how long his training takes; the narrator has mentioned "weeks" in some episodes.

Flamingos! Sure, give them names but I'm surprised people can tell a flock of pink birds apart enough to do so.

I am loving The Zoo although those barking sea lions would have driven me to move my office into a concrete bunker with no windows. The mammal handlers being required to take on some reptiles/snakes made me laugh, just because we've all had to deal with being given new assignments at work that we know nothing about: "Here ya go! Learn it or quit!"

I was impressed with the care they took to train and acclimate the sea lions to their moving crates.

Yes, I have even tried out some of Brandon's techniques on my own dog. Luckily at this point, she does not have severe issues. Unfortunately, his suggestions to keep dogs from picking up/eating things outside have not been effective with her, which is my biggest concern. She's an expert with the "leave it" command indoors, but as soon as we get outside and she finds something I can't even see hidden in the grass, I and any treats I have may as well not exist. I pretty much don't exist to her at all outside. 

Also really enjoying The Zoo. They seemed to be able to identify Dinky because they mentioned she was the smallest, I think. I guess if people get attached to one individual flamingo, they can find some sort of identifier with the one. Did they mention if any of the workers could identify multiple flamingos? 

I did feel for the mammal handler lady. Choosing to work with mammals and then unexpectedly having to work with a huge snake. Yikes! I would love to work with the gorillas or chimps or orangutans, but if I was then asked to work with a snake I would FLIP OUT. Not a fan.

[walnutqueen]

One of my favorite jobsites was next door to Sea Life Park in Hawaii, where barking seals and squealing dolphins were music to my ears, and a view of the Mokes (just down the road from Magnum PI's actual mansion) and the ocean views delighted my eyes.  Plus, they had an antique Coke machine that dispensed little glass bottles that cost a nickel.   I took all my lunch breaks with the dolphin trainers, and established a tenuous friendship with a dirty old "display" bird ... It was the 80's, eh!   :-)

[anstar]

does anyone know what happened to Dr. Elizabeth on Dr Pol?  I wasn't wild about her, but she just seems to have vanished and now there's Dr. Erin in her place.

[halopub]

Yikes, I did a quick net search. It looks like she moved back to Georgia and reportedly some awful things happened:

Bizarre case leaves man dead, wife hospitalized

[anstar]

Holy cow!!!!  thanks for finding that.  I'm stunned. 

[zxy556575]

How horrifying and sad for everyone involved. It sounds like she's apt to be charged with manslaughter/murder for giving her husband the drugs.

[halopub]

The report was just one of the top results when I searched for her name, which is public on imdb, next to DVM.

I do want to caution that I'm not from metro Atlanta so it's hard to gauge the reliability of the site's reporting, which seems to be a one-person outfit. Plus the writer repeated Elizabeth's point of view as reportedly told to one of the investigators. We don't know what authorities think.

If the single report is accurate, though, I agree that it is just awful all around. 

[halopub]

I'm impressed with the music direction behind The Zoo. It's pretty on point and feel-good without crossing the line into cheesiness.

I'm with ornithology keeper Susan. Who wouldn't prefer to hang out with darling penguins all day over people? 

The emotions of the WCS team during the snow leopard story were palpable through the screen. Watching the teary keeper Kris express her anxiety about Snowballs was rough, and then seeing the upset vet and general curator somberly discussing the euthanasia decision was challenging. It's important to see that not all show stories will be happy ones but for the sake of the snow leopard's offspring, I do hope the pathologists will eventually be at least able to rule out a genetic cause for the neurological inflammation. I did appreciate that after the glimpse into the animal management meeting that the show cut away to a happy Mert swimming around the children's zoo.

[walnutqueen]

On 3/14/2017 at 9:03 AM, halopub said:

Yikes, I did a quick net search. It looks like she moved back to Georgia and reportedly some awful things happened:

Bizarre case leaves man dead, wife hospitalized

Fucking Christmas, eh.

I had to ff through the euthanasia part of the snow leopard segment on The Zoo.  I ff through almost everything that looks like it might go south for an animal, and rewind to watch only if there isn't that sad music and a sunset.  Yes, I am a weenie.

[SyracuseMug]

What was the gender of the baby penguin? My DVR cut off just before it was revealed.

[zxy556575]

18 minutes ago, SyracuseMug said:

What was the gender of the baby penguin? My DVR cut off just before it was revealed.

What's your guess?  ;)

[SyracuseMug]

31 minutes ago, Lord Donia said:

What's your guess?  ;)

I'm guessing it was female, as that was what the keepers were hoping for. :-)

[halopub]

3 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

I had to ff through the euthanasia part of the snow leopard segment on The Zoo.  I ff through almost everything that looks like it might go south for an animal, and rewind to watch only if there isn't that sad music and a sunset.  Yes, I am a weenie.

Hardly - stories like that are tough to watch, even for a cynical grump like myself. In this case, the seasoned zoo staff all had watery eyes. Plus at one point Dr. Sykes and Pat actually avoided looking at the cams. 

1 hour ago, SyracuseMug said:

I'm guessing it was female, as that was what the keepers were hoping for. :-)

Junior Pooper - hee - is female.

[raven]

I'm loving the Zoo, even if it is kind of a commercial for the Bronx Zoo (which I've never been to, and now want to, so - good job).  It doesn't matter, everyone they talk to seems to really love the animals - remember the flamingo keeper and Dinky?  Too cute. 

Damn, I meant to record the Guardians and it dropped right off my radar.  Hope they will show it again.

[zxy556575]

Yay, the kiwis were getting along at the end!! Cuddle, cuddle.

I can't tell which is more adorable, the animals themselves or the way their keepers love and fret over them.

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, Lord Donia said:

Yay, the kiwis were getting along at the end!! Cuddle, cuddle.

I can't tell which is more adorable, the animals themselves or the way their keepers love and fret over them.

Animals first.  Then the people who love them fiercely.  (IMHO)  :-)

Animal Planet went black on me Sunday night, so I need to wait for reruns of Dr. Jeff and The Zoo.  :-(

I live in N. San Diego County, and back in the day, was no stranger to the Zoo and Wild Animal Park (now re-named).  Although I love their work with endangered species, I do have a minor beef about their compassion for all creatures.  Years ago I was doing wild bird rescue/rehab, when I was sent out to the Wild animal Park to pick up a few injured wild birds.  I was ushered in to the veterinary clinic, where an injured egret, injured sparrow and orphaned baby finch were sitting in closed cardboard boxes awaiting my arrival.  They'd been there for some time.  They were not given ANY supportive care by these highly trained and (I assume) well paid professionals; not even a damned subcu saline injection.  I did that myself in the parking lot to make sure the poor little birdies made it back to the rehab facility (orphan baby got a syringe-full of "pablum" - it was starving!).  It was, to say the least, an eye opener.  We all have our favorite animals, but those with the true gift show compassion and love for ALL animals to some degree.

It's kind of like some of the SeaWorld employees who do wonderful rescue work for certain wild species, but then try to defend the stuff their organization is doing to Orcas & the like.

Edited March 27, 2017 by walnutqueen

[raven]

Fennec foxes.  OMG.  So, so cute. 

The beekeeping is kind of cool, but my bee phobia would never allow it.

[zxy556575]

The Zoo always sends me to the Internet! This time it was to look up bee-eating birds. Who knew? I appreciated the close-up camera angles of them beating the bees to remove the stingers. How the hell did that behavior ever evolve? Nature is wack, man.

[zxy556575]

Goodness, the adventures with the Kihansi spray toads! I could not be more in favor of species preservation and even I was amazed at the lengths they went to. The trip to Tanzania was amazing and I -- duh -- finally got why the toads were named that. They live in the freaking spray from waterfalls!

Aw, big dumb pretty giraffes. They learned left vs right leg and to "target," though, so how bad could it be?

Edited April 11, 2017 by Lord Donia