The Zoo (Bronx Zoo)

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss all things about The Zoo here!

[Pepper Mostly]

Thank you! I love this show! 

[Willowsmom]

One of the things I about this show is that they don't just show good outcomes. It's hard to watch but honest.

[LittleIggy]

On 3/14/2018 at 12:19 AM, Willowsmom said:

One of the things I about this show is that they don't just show good outcomes. It's hard to watch but honest.

I bawled when they put down Snowball the snow leopard.

On a brighter note, those porcupettes (baby porcupines) were cute. I said “Mohawk” the same time the vet did!

[Yeah No]

I love this show more than 99% of what's on TV these days.  Maybe even 100%.  I'm glad there's finally a thread!

[Diane M]

We watch all the animal shows, and The Zoo is a great addition.  I just wish I lived on the East Coast so I could visit the Bronx Zoo.  

[Txmomof2]

I love this show, it's one of the best animal shows on right now.   I like how they show the good and the bad that happens, and the training and care they put into what they do. 

[Willowsmom]

I absolutely adore Dave. He is the cutest, nosiest kangaroo ever!

And I'm desperate to get near a fennic fox. Luckily for me there's a place near me I can arrange to pet one.

[Mrs. P.]

All I can think is that they must have a huge endowment.

The director's wife bugs. Everything else about this show is awesome.

[Willowsmom]

10 minutes ago, Mrs. P. said:

All I can think is that they must have a huge endowment.

The director's wife bugs. Everything else about this show is awesome.

Thats what I thought too. Our local zoo L.A. has to plan and scheme sometimes for years to get improvements like the rhino squeeze cage.

I do wish they were following more keepers and more departments than just the education program. Just the normal zoo stuff is far more interesting.  But the lure of watching the animals being handled is too strong a visual. Although the gariel training was amazing.

[gesundheit]

I'm only sad that they seem to only shoot this in the warm months. The Bronx Zoo is a fascinating winter visit, and I'd love to hear all the behind the scenes stuff that goes into the weather shifts! Otherwise, it's pretty perfect other than making me super jealous that as a middle-aged person with no kids, I never get to go to any of the cute education programs there!

[Willowsmom]

I borrow a kid when I want to do stuff like that?

[gesundheit]

Holy crap, no kids necessary, they just introduced all these new packages! https://bronxzoo.com/wild-encounters I CANNOT WAIT.

[LittleIggy]

On 3/18/2018 at 10:43 AM, Diane M said:

We watch all the animal shows, and The Zoo is a great addition.  

I’m so happy when Animal Planet puts on a show that actually features animals instead of being about rednecks in Alaska or expensive, custom treehouses (why isn’t this show on HGTV?).

[walnutqueen]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I’m so happy when Animal Planet puts on a show that actually features animals instead of being about rednecks in Alaska or expensive, custom treehouses (why isn’t this show on HGTV?).

No kidding.  Disco has PLENTY of other channels for such garbage; this is Animal Planet, and should be all animals, all the time.

I wish they'd expand this series to other zoos, as well.  My local PBS station has a half hour series "Walking Wild at the San Diego Zoo" that could be re-worked into a fascinating 1 hour show.

[Diane M]

I have a crush on Jose, the Boogie Down Bronx guy.  All the workers we've seen seem so happy with their jobs.

[Willowsmom]

45 minutes ago, Diane M said:

I have a crush on Jose, the Boogie Down Bronx guy.  All the workers we've seen seem so happy with their jobs.

And he has a twin.

[Diane M]

Yes, identical, and he's at the Queens Zoo.  

[meep.meep]

Tiger sex!

The first time I saw this show I thought, I want to do this!  They all seem very patient so I probably wouldn't last a day.

And ever since they showed the twins, I've wanted them to do a special on them.  How do two burly inner city guys go into zoo keeping?

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

Tiger sex!

The first time I saw this show I thought, I want to do this!  They all seem very patient so I probably wouldn't last a day.

And ever since they showed the twins, I've wanted them to do a special on them.  How do two burly inner city guys go into zoo keeping?

Inept tiger sex!  I loved how they were encouraging the tigers to get it on, and laughed at their disappointment when "contact" only lasted a couple of seconds, instead of the standard 10-15 seconds.  Maybe they need to show the male some tiger porn.  ;-)

Just the other evening, I saw a piece on our local news about a baby tiger and baby black panther discovered at the Tijuana airport in a crate.  They are safe and being cared for by the San Diego Zoo.  Gah, I despise exotic animal smugglers and the shitfucks who keep them in business.

[Willowsmom]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

 

And ever since they showed the twins, I've wanted them to do a special on them.  How do two burly inner city guys go into zoo keeping?

They kind of talk about that in one episode in the first season. They grew up just outside the zoo and spent lots of time there as kids.

[blpalv]

The Bronx Zoo is one of, or I should say my FAVORITE, places in the city.  I also visit the Queens Zoo whenever possible, since I live in the borough.  I have seen Jose's twin, Raul, feeding the sea lions! 

Bronx Zoo is near and dear to me, since it is where I met my husband.  Love the place, and LOVE this show!

[blpalv]

Mert, the nearly 30 year old goose that captured the hearts of The Zoo fans, and Bronx Zoo goers for many years, was euthanized this past week.  The tumor they found in him last season on the show, became an issue when it was interfering with his quality of life.  Goodbye Mert, you were a true ambassador!

[Reality police]

On 3/22/2018 at 9:39 PM, Willowsmom said:

They kind of talk about that in one episode in the first season. They grew up just outside the zoo and spent lots of time there as kids.

I think Jose said tonight that his twin and another brother all work at the zoo.

[LittleIggy]

I had no idea that aardvarks had teeth let alone big ones like that! I’ve always been fond of aardvarks.  Armani was a sweetie.

When that bear was giving himself a back rub on that tree stump, I couldn’t help singing “Look for the bare necessities...” ?

[gesundheit]

Well, I've officially shed tears over an aardvark's dental work. This show has broken me!

 

I've been to the Bronx Zoo and the Central Park Zoo a million times but I admit I've never done the other boroughs -- never been to the Queens, Prospect Park, or Staten Island Zoos. I gotta get on that! (Who here has been and which one should I prioritize?)

[halopub]

Animal Planet has put up some bonus shorts online and on demand. I thought the commissary one, which discusses food management, was pretty interesting.

Edited March 25, 2018 by halopub
added link

[Guest]

I love Dinky the Flamingo.

What a girl!

I love the animal handlers...they are more comfortable with animals than they are with humans.

I can relate

[walnutqueen]

16 hours ago, blpalv said:

Mert, the nearly 30 year old goose that captured the hearts of The Zoo fans, and Bronx Zoo goers for many years, was euthanized this past week.  The tumor they found in him last season on the show, became an issue when it was interfering with his quality of life.  Goodbye Mert, you were a true ambassador!

So very sad, but he did have a good long life.  I feel bad for the keeper who was so in love with Mert, too.

[walnutqueen]

6 minutes ago, artisto said:

I love Dinky the Flamingo.

What a girl!

I love the animal handlers...they are more comfortable with animals than they are with humans.

I can relate

Me, too.  I definitely missed my calling in life.  Now I just tend to my backyard critters like any weird old cat lady.  ;-)

[Guest]

Just now, walnutqueen said:

Me, too.  I definitely missed my calling in life.  Now I just tend to my backyard critters like any weird old cat lady.  ;-)

Chuckling over here

I also was thinking how I would love to have done that job

When I was thinking about careers...I didn't know animals could be a calling.

Me thinks I would have chosen flamingos.

But ya know...taking care of backyard critters is a calling too.

[halopub]

On 3/22/2018 at 3:29 PM, Diane M said:

I have a crush on Jose, the Boogie Down Bronx guy.  All the workers we've seen seem so happy with their jobs.

You might like this goofy old video he made to promote their 5K run a few years back. There's even a brief glimpse of Dave.

 

On 3/19/2018 at 4:29 PM, Mrs. P. said:

All I can think is that they must have a huge endowment.

The director's wife bugs. Everything else about this show is awesome.

If I'm reading their financials correctly, the WCS has less than half a billion in their endowment and primarily rely on their operating revenue for expenses across the parks and global conservation projects. The WCS reported $54 million in expenses for the Bronx Zoo in 2016. Which in New York terms doesn't seem like terribly much. It easily costs $3-4 million a year to run a small restaurant in Manhattan, for example. I'd be curious to see what kind of bump the Bronx Zoo got last year in terms of ticket and membership sales.

Aww...I like Kathleen a lot. She's dorky around people, but animals really do seem to gravitate towards her. June Bug and red-winged blackbird, for example. And I like how she interacts with Dr. Sykes. Plus I get the sense that the extended LaMattina family is very supportive of the zoo's mission. I don't know if everyone's related but I've noticed a LaMattina in the producer credits and I think the ambassador center is named for folks that share that last name.

I'd definitely be okay with seeing more animals and keepers from outside the education program, though. From next week's promo it looks like we might finally be getting a storyline for the elephants.

 

On 3/20/2018 at 11:25 AM, gesundheit said:

Holy crap, no kids necessary, they just introduced all these new packages! https://bronxzoo.com/wild-encounters I CANNOT WAIT.

I'd love to hang with Triton and Little Foot for half an hour. Or a fennec fox.

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, artisto said:

Chuckling over here

I also was thinking how I would love to have done that job

When I was thinking about careers...I didn't know animals could be a calling.

Me thinks I would have chosen flamingos.

But ya know...taking care of backyard critters is a calling too.

I'd never be able to narrow down my interests to just one type of animal; I'd want to be like the Director's wife and float around communing with everything.  My favorite animal is always the one I happen to be paying attention to at the moment.  ;-)

Oh, and taking care of my backyard critters is an absolute delight, and has done far more for me than I've done for the animals.  If nothing else, it has saved an unsuspecting public from this cranky old crone!  Plus, I have cool stories about baby animals to bore my fellow PTVers to tears with.   (Oh, Noes! Not the baby raccoon & the windchimes story again, wq!!!)  ;-)

[Diane M]

Thanks for the short video, halopub.  I think Jose would be a lot of fun to work with, and I think he's pretty cute too.

[Yeah No]

I'm not surprised that Jose is so popular.  He reminds me of guys I grew up with in the Bronx so of course I love him.

I get so nostalgic when I watch this show.  I grew up near the zoo and have a long history with it going back 5 decades.  Whenever I watch this it stirs memories in me that make me very melancholic - in a good way.  I have to make a point to go back there this year.  My BFF still lives in the Bronx and went there last year without telling me.  I was soooo upset!  I told her we have to go this year.  That's it, I'm making it happen.

[LittleIggy]

Zoo job I would not want: sticking my arm up an elephant’s butt and pulling out ?! ??

[Willowsmom]

If pink pigeons are so stupid they cannot reliably breed or raise chicks how did they survive in the wild? And how can they ever be turned loose without assistants?

[Reality police]

On 3/25/2018 at 2:32 PM, walnutqueen said:

So very sad, but he did have a good long life.  I feel bad for the keeper who was so in love with Mert, too.

And the maintenance man. Mert followed him around wherever he had a job to do. He was so sweet.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Reality police
Spelling

[Guest]

On 3/24/2018 at 9:39 PM, blpalv said:

Goodbye Mert, you were a true ambassador!

I saw the Mert episode last night.

Mert was fabulous

RIP Mert

[halopub]

It makes it all the more impressive that the different zoos have been able to increase the population from 16 to 400.

I think it was good to hear Breheny's perspective on why the zoo controversially doesn't plan to move the three elephants to a sanctuary. It hurt to see Jerry say goodbye to Patty, Maxie and especially Happy. 

[LittleIggy]

OMG! Those slow lorises are so freaking cute. ? Even their butts are kawaii.

[LillyB]

I grew up in Queens and today is the first I have heard of the Queens zoo. I wish I knew about it before I moved.

[atlantaloves]

This is the best show on Animal Planet, thank you so much for opening this thread. I love this show, and those twins (yum) in fact all the keepers are so wonderful and kind. They really really care about the well being of all those beautiful critters. 

[Neurochick]

On March 22, 2018 at 7:17 PM, meep.meep said:

And ever since they showed the twins, I've wanted them to do a special on them.  How do two burly inner city guys go into zoo keeping?

I guess they just wanted to do it, the same as suburban kids.  Just because people are from the "inner city" (and do we know they're from the inner city?) doesn't make them a different species.

But this is the best show on Animal Planet, I haven't been to the Bronx Zoo in ages, and this show makes we want to go up there like soon.

[SRTouch]

32 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

I guess they just wanted to do it, the same as suburban kids.  Just because people are from the "inner city" (and do we know they're from the inner city?) doesn't make them a different species.

But this is the best show on Animal Planet, I haven't been to the Bronx Zoo in ages, and this show makes we want to go up there like soon.

Absolutely. I remember as a kid making annual class trips to the San Diego Zoo, which, IIRC was modeled after the Bronx Zoo. Course, it's so big it takes several days to do it justice, so it never got old. Actually, you could expand that into a week or two if you really want the full Balboa Park Experience, what with all the museums. Then there are the other animal parks in the area - the Zoo Safari and Sea World.

Edited April 8, 2018 by SRTouch

[2727]

I hope the series is proving to be a net positive experience for the zoo, both in terms of PR and whatever the show is paying them.

When one of the "enhanced" episodes mentioned installing cameras in the gorilla enclosure to be able to film the blind silverback re-learning to use the crossover, it made me think about what goes into filming and how much staff time it requires to interact with the show's crew.

I just want it to continue for a long time! Can't decide if I like the animals or the keepers more. Eh, no reason it can't be both. The penguin keeper Susan is a favorite.

Edited April 11, 2018 by 2727

[atlantaloves]

Love the penguin woman...I totally relate to her, except I am a dog whisper person. ?

[chenoa333]

Love this show. It's become my ultimate favorite Animal Planet series. I've tried several times to add it to my PT favorites list but it never shows up. So I'll just have to put in the extra effort to find it in the LONG alphabetical list of PT shows. Lol.

I would work at a zoo like this for free just cleaning poop all day in order to be a part of animal species preservation and education. 

[bythelake]

What a great show. The zookeepers are amazing, so dedicated and kind, and the animals so well cared for.

How observant they were to notice that the cute little otter was chewing oddly and eventually needed a root canal,  that Mert wasn't eating, and the beautiful snow leopard was in pain from a sore tooth.. I also want to adopt the little Fennec fox.

But, I did have to turn my head away when the zookeeper was feeding the Termites to the anteater.

I have been to the Bronx zoo many times with my children and grands but not recently.. It's time to go again!

[LittleIggy]

RIP, Tundra. ?