The Zoo (Bronx Zoo) - General Discussion

[Kohola3]

12 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I don't think living in a plastic box constitutes enjoying their lives (although I'm also uncertain as to whether snakes have enough cognitive ability to comprehend whether their lives are enjoyable or not - obviously I am not a snake person!).  

I have no idea about snakes, either.  But I think the plastic boxes were just temporary while in holding.  The zoo's snakes seem to be in rather nice exhibits.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, the plastic boxes were just at the beginning, since there were massive numbers of the confiscated snakes.     

[RoxiP]

Just my personal opinion, but those snakes were going to die.  In the meantime they were a danger to the keepers and a drain on resources, plus why make them suffer, not to mention that there might have been a possibility of spreading the virus in some manner.  

But again, I'm not a snake person.  I understand that others feel differently.  The person who had these snakes is no better than someone who runs a puppy mill in my opinion.  Perhaps they should be made to live in a cage?

[suomi]

Some zoo residents are doing just fine without visitors. And some are making it clear how much they rely on human interaction.

When Michael Jackson lived at Neverland Ranch, he owned a flamboyance of Chilean flamingos. (Yes, “flamboyance” is the actual collective noun).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2020/06/24/some-zoo-animals-are-doing-fine-without-visitors-many-are-lonely-without-us/?arc404=true

[Kohola3]

19 minutes ago, suomi said:

Some zoo residents are doing just fine without visitors. And some are making it clear how much they rely on human interaction.

I was watching the ape webcam at the San Diego zoo one day at lunchtime in CA.  One of the keepers had brought his lunch to eat in front of viewing window where there would normally be public viewers.  You could see he was talking with the orangutan that parked himself right up against glass separating them.  They both stayed that way for at least an hour.  It was sweet and sad.

[LittleIggy]

Those dholes were so cute! Yes, they had boopable noses! 😁
Going to be shallow here, but the babirusa’s keeper needed dental work as much as he did! ::ducks::

Edited June 28, 2020 by LittleIggy

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Those dholes were so cute! Yes, they had boopable noses! 😁
Going to be shallow here, but the babirusa’s keeper needed dental work as much as he did! ::ducks::

LOL, after she spoke to the camera I actually said out loud, "Yes, and after you fix his teeth you can go fix your own"!!

Edited June 28, 2020 by Yeah No

[Kohola3]

Also on a shallow note, I just realized that hunky Bill from the reptile group was not seen last week when they were rescuing those snakes.  He certainly was easy on the eyes!

Love learning about new animals, had never heard of a dhole before.

[DanaK]

Any idea how many episodes left for this season?

[Kohola3]

18 minutes ago, DanaK said:

Any idea how many episodes left for this season?

I don't know for sure but Season 4 started in April so I am guessing not many, if any.  And then Covid would have halted any additional filming.  

On another note, I love how truly excited Susan was when she found the hatchling.  She sure loves her birds!

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I don't know for sure but Season 4 started in April so I am guessing not many, if any.  And then Covid would have halted any additional filming.  

On another note, I love how truly excited Susan was when she found the hatchling.  She sure loves her birds!

Those green eggs were lovely. Dr. Seuss would approve!

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

They had the Dholes on the San Diego edition.    San Diego had to split the pups from one litter into a separate group, because their mother died, and they had to be hand reared.  Then when they tried to let them out with the pack, the father wasn't happy.      I'm guessing that litter is where the 'extra' ones that came to the Bronx were from. 

[LittleIggy]

10 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

They had the Dholes on the San Diego edition.    San Diego had to split the pups from one litter into a separate group, because their mother died, and they had to be hand reared.  Then when they tried to let them out with the pack, the father wasn't happy.      I'm guessing that litter is where the 'extra' ones that came to the Bronx were from. 

The father hurt one of them, IIRC. Not seriously, but it was scary at the time.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, the Dhole male (their sire) was OK when the mother died, but he obviously wanted to be a bachelor without kids, and the way he treated the pups when they were reunited was scary.     Maybe he would eventually have accepted them, but I think sending them to the Bronx was a better move.   

[Kohola3]

22 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Then when they tried to let them out with the pack, the father wasn't happy.      I'm guessing that litter is where the 'extra' ones that came to the Bronx were from. 

I hope that they can find a female from another zoo to start a breeding program.

[Auntie Anxiety]

When I watch the show, I realize how much I would have loved being a zookeeper or someone who took care of the animals. In my day, it simply wasn’t something a little girl could ever dream about. Nurses, librarians, secretaries, teachers, mommies were your options. Grew up with one foot in the 50’s and one foot in the 70’s. It was a confusing and complicated time. So happy my granddaughters can set their own goals instead of being told what they can and can’t do.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Auntie Anxiety

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

When I watch the show, I realize how much I would have loved being a zookeeper or someone who took care of the animals. In my day, it simply wasn’t something a little girl could ever dream about. Nurses, librarians, secretaries, teachers, mommies were your options. Grew up with one foot in the 50’s and one foot in the 70’s. It was a confusing and complicated time. So happy my granddaughters can set their own goals instead of being told what they can and can’t do.

I feel the same way growing up in the '60s.  I was told I could do anything I wanted by my progressive mom, but the sad reality is that it would have been very difficult for me to break into some of the fields that I would have been suited for, plus back then they didn't receive the respect or attention they deserved.  I was just thinking that zookeeper wasn't on anyone's radar when I went to school.  I think people thought of it as one step up from janitor or member of the circus.  I grew up going to the Bronx Zoo often.  Heck, I went to college across the STREET from it (Fordham) but did I ever envision that as a career at that time?  No.  No one I know did.  And now looking back on it, I wish things were different back then and I could have.  Same goes for chef.  When I was young there were few "celebrity chefs" the way we know of them now and the profession didn't have the respect it does now either.  It's even hard today to be a female chef but at least it is far more acceptable and possible to become one.  I know I would have done well with that too.

[DanaK]

On 6/28/2020 at 11:52 AM, Kohola3 said:

I don't know for sure but Season 4 started in April so I am guessing not many, if any.  And then Covid would have halted any additional filming.  

On another note, I love how truly excited Susan was when she found the hatchling.  She sure loves her birds!

It does seem like the season is over now with the Dhole episode

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Zoo is reopening in the end of July.   It will by reservation only, and won't be full capacity.   Also, not all exhibits will be open (I'm guessing the big cat area won't be open to visitors).     

[meep.meep]

I would think they would try to have just the outside exhibits open, and keep people out of the indoor ones.  The big cats have outside space don't they?

In my neck of the woods, the Oakland Zoo is desperately trying to get dispensation from the state to open as an "outside museum" so they don't go bankrupt.

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

In my neck of the woods, the Oakland Zoo is desperately trying to get dispensation from the state to open as an "outside museum" so they don't go bankrupt.

Can you imagine the glut of zoo animals that may end up being euthanized because the zoos are no longer able to keep them?  The food budgets alone have to be astronomical and they cannot do without keepers or vets.

[DanaK]

New season for Secrets of the Zoo (Columbus Zoo I think) premieres Saturday October 17 at 9pm on Nat Geo Wild

[DanaK]

The Zoo returns for a 5th season on Animal Planet Saturday October 9 at 9pm ET http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/09/24/animal-planets-fan-favorite-series-the-zoo-returns-for-fifth-season-full-of-heart-felt-homecomings-new-additions-to-the-bronx-zoo-family-and-more-336413/20210924animalplanet01/

[Rammchick]

21 minutes ago, DanaK said:

The Zoo returns for a 5th season on Animal Planet Saturday October 9 at 9pm ET http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/09/24/animal-planets-fan-favorite-series-the-zoo-returns-for-fifth-season-full-of-heart-felt-homecomings-new-additions-to-the-bronx-zoo-family-and-more-336413/20210924animalplanet01/

Thank you so much!  

[DanaK]

On 9/24/2021 at 1:56 PM, DanaK said:

The Zoo returns for a 5th season on Animal Planet Saturday October 9 at 9pm ET http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/09/24/animal-planets-fan-favorite-series-the-zoo-returns-for-fifth-season-full-of-heart-felt-homecomings-new-additions-to-the-bronx-zoo-family-and-more-336413/20210924animalplanet01/

Note that it will be a 2 hour premiere from 8-10pm ET. Also, my DVR indicates one of the topics will be the first discovery of Covid in an animal in the US

Edited October 2, 2021 by DanaK

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Covid story was so sad, but I'm glad that all of the lions and tigers recovered completely.  I remember seeing stories about the Bronx location being the staging area for testing, and ambulances.   The Zoos really are a part of their community. 

I'm so sad that Dave the Kangaroo died a couple of years ago.  He was such a wonderful ambassador animal.      He will be missed.  

The new little kangaroo hopping in the big room, and up and down the hall was cute.    I like how Kathleen said that the new baby roo isn't a replacement for Dave, but an addition to their program. 

I love seeing the deer herd form, and the deer looking over the gate to see what the humans are up to. 

I'm glad to see so many familiar faces on the staff are still there.   

Edited October 10, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Cetacean]

So nice to see not one but two new episodes.  That baby 'roo is adorable.  And the lynx kits were so darned cute as well!

Great to see so many old "friends".

[DanaK]

Very enjoyable premiere, though I skipped over the snakes which aren’t my favorite things. The various babies were so cute

[possibilities]

That toucan was gorgeous. I hope it's not lonely being the only one of its species there.

I somehow didn't realize that the reptile habitats were all synthetic. I wonder if the snakes are bothered by the way they smell vs how a natural habitat would smell. 

Lots of adorable animals this time. 

I wanted Susan to take her hat off so I could see what seemed to be her shaved head. It looked like it was at the velvety stage where the hair is just coming back. I kept comparing it to the fuzzy antlers on some of the deer-or-deerlike species we caught a few glimpses of.  I hope it was a shaving by choice and not an effect of chemo.

I was surprised that Susan removed the seeds from the papaya she was feeding to the toucan. I somehow assumed they ate the seeds, but honestly I have no idea why.

There was one camera shot of one of the male keepers walking down the path away from the camera, talking about where he was going, and they shot it with just his ass and lower legs in the frame and kind of lingered there and I thought: really? Is this how we're editing the show now??

I'm so glad the cats recovered and don't seem to be having long term effects from COVID. 

[TazDevil]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I wanted Susan to take her hat off so I could see what seemed to be her shaved head. It looked like it was at the velvety stage where the hair is just coming back. I kept comparing it to the fuzzy antlers on some of the deer-or-deerlike species we caught a few glimpses of.  I hope it was a shaving by choice and not an effect of chemo.

I'm worried for Sue.  Her eyebrows were gone also, so I'm guessing chemo... :(

[Cetacean]

5 minutes ago, TazDevil said:

I'm worried for Sue.  Her eyebrows were gone also, so I'm guessing chemo... :(

Oh, no!  I haven't seen the whole episode yet.  Susan is one of my very favorites!  The love she has for all of the feathered ones just spills out of her.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

Oh, no!  I haven't seen the whole episode yet.  Susan is one of my very favorites!  The love she has for all of the feathered ones just spills out of her.

I haven't seen that part either.  My DVR recorded it as two separate episodes.  I saw the one with the Lynxes and snakes but not Sue and the Toucans yet.  I don't know what Comcast did.  It neglected to record episode 1 of season 5 (it recorded a preview of it a couple of weeks ago so maybe that's why) and recorded the Toucan episode and yet another episode about rescue animals.  I had to watch episode 1 of the season on "on demand".

[Cetacean]

Interesting that Raul is a twin and also has twin daughters - he mentioned it when they were watching the lynx kits running around.

 

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Interesting that Raul is a twin and also has twin daughters - he mentioned it when they were watching the lynx kits running around.

 

Yeah I noticed that too.  Well, you know it runs in families.

He and his brother Jose look almost identical but not quite.  I've known twins like that before.  Some you can't tell apart at all but some are easier to identify.

I was trying to find something online about Sue because the internet is now worried about her health, but so far nothing has been released about her condition.  I hope she's OK.

[Cetacean]

6 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I was trying to find something online about Sue because the internet is now worried about her health, but so far nothing has been released about her condition.  I hope she's OK.

I saw several references to her death on October 10 but they are all identical and from iffy sites which I think are just bots.  Except for the hair loss she seemed the same and I would think that if she were terribly ill she would not have been filmed especially during Covid.

[Rammchick]

14 hours ago, Cetacean said:

I saw several references to her death on October 10 but they are all identical and from iffy sites which I think are just bots.  Except for the hair loss she seemed the same and I would think that if she were terribly ill she would not have been filmed especially during Covid.

I saw those sites as well, but I think that if something happened to her, the show would have put up a notice about it at the end of the episode.  So I'm crossing my fingers that she's on the mend.

Edited October 13, 2021 by Rammchick

[Cetacean]

It's so strange to see segments about birds without Susan.  Just not right and very concerning.

That new tiger is just gorgeous.

[possibilities]

I agree about Susan. I was bracing myself for an announcement at the end of the episode. I really hope it's not the way it seems.

I always love tigers, but I also thought the seal was adorable. 

[Yeah No]

On 10/16/2021 at 10:25 PM, Cetacean said:

It's so strange to see segments about birds without Susan.  Just not right and very concerning.

That new tiger is just gorgeous.

I agree.  I'm trying to find out how she is.  I'll let you know if I do.

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I agree.  I'm trying to find out how she is.  I'll let you know if I do.

I hope you can get some info.  I hate Facebook but went to their page.  Tons of comments of concern but no response from the zoo.   Multiple comments about seeing sites online saying she had died but those sites all have some sort of weird generic message.

[Yeah No]

44 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

I hope you can get some info.  I hate Facebook but went to their page.  Tons of comments of concern but no response from the zoo.   Multiple comments about seeing sites online saying she had died but those sites all have some sort of weird generic message.

Yeah I saw that on Facebook too.  Also saw those suspicious websites, which I don't believe.  I PMed the page but so far no response.

[possibilities]

I wonder if they don't say anything because they can't say anything about her health without her permission. 

[Cetacean]

43 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I wonder if they don't say anything because they can't say anything about her health without her permission. 

I'm sure that's part of it.

I do hope that they are letting her know how many fans she has that are worried about her!

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Peaches the Warthog is so big now!    It's amazing how tiny he was when he came to the zoo.  Jim with Peaches is so cute. 

It's so good to see Raul Vasquez at Queens Zoo working with the young Cougars.    I think they showed Jose Vqsquez at Bronx Zoo this season too. 

I got a kick out of the Gorilla being stand offish to the keepers after his root canal.   Then when he opens his mouth for the keeper to look, I wonder if sticking his tongue out at her is a coincidence.  

Edited October 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[possibilities]

Sad about the puma cub that died. Sad about no Susan in the bird stories. 

I wonder if the Gorilla figures out: Hey! My tooth doesn't hurt anymore! and that leads to understanding and forgiveness. Babatunde touching his chest when the keeper put ultrasound gel on it was sweet. I had an ultrasound last week and I'm sure the gel doesn't taste good, but Baba was such a good sport letting her dab it on him and then him tasting it and trying again when she kept doing it. "What is this strange new thing she's doing with me now?"

 

 

[Yeah No]

On 10/18/2021 at 2:14 PM, Cetacean said:

I'm sure that's part of it.

I do hope that they are letting her know how many fans she has that are worried about her!

 

I hope so.  So far there's been no response to my query about her and I also see more fans have posted asking about her on their FB page, also with no response.  I hope their lack of response is because she's going to be on the next episode!

Edited October 24, 2021 by Yeah No

[Cetacean]

It is heartbreaking to see baby birds and not see Susan there to make a big fuss over them. She does love her baby birds. I'm sure the other keepers are perfectly fine but Susan just projects her love all over the place!

Hoping against hope that all is well with her but the fact that she was on one episode and not again is very troubling.

 

[possibilities]

Peaches the warthog is an education in not judging by looks. I would never imagine a creature that looks like him would be so affectionate, if I didn't know any more about them. The whiskers and the tusks look anything but gentle, to my eye.

Edited October 25, 2021 by possibilities
typos

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

Peaches the warthog is an education in now judging my looks. I would never imagine a creature that looks like him would be so affectionate, if I didn't know any more about them. The whiskers and the tusks look anything but gentle, to my eye.

I know that gets me every time.  I get like a little kid about Peaches.  He's like a dog, even wags his tail like one.  

[Cetacean]

No Susan again. I fear the worst.