The Zoo (Bronx Zoo) - General Discussion

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Cetacean said:

No Susan again. I fear the worst.  

I know, so do I.  And the show may not have permission from her family to release any information on her.

[Cetacean]

A Susan sighting!  Hurray!!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I had to laugh at the way everyone was warned about the camel, Matthew, being a biter, and then he would try to bite right after the warning.    Then when Jim is warned he takes some big steps back.      Trying to kick the vet was funny too.   The animals certainly recognize the vet staff, don't they?   

I love seeing the planning for Babirusa Ivy's baby.  The piglet is so adorable!    The young penguins were cute too. 

Edited November 14, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[DanaK]

Definitely adorable piglet and the young penguin was cute too. I even liked Matt the camel

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, Cetacean said:

A Susan sighting!  Hurray!!

I heard her voice but didn't see her.  I'll have to go back and take a closer look.

10 hours ago, DanaK said:

Definitely adorable piglet and the young penguin was cute too. I even liked Matt the camel

Matt the Camel cracked me up with the way he kicked the vet with his back leg, LOL.

[Cetacean]

6 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I heard her voice but didn't see her.  I'll have to go back and take a closer look.

10 hours ago, DanaK said:

You only see her from behind a couple of times.  But she had hair showing from the back of her cap.

[Rammchick]

49 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

You only see her from behind a couple of times.  But she had hair showing from the back of her cap.

Just watching the replay on the DVR.  I was so excited to see her, I raced in here to share in the news!

[possibilities]

I hope it's an indication that she's fine. My fear is that the shows are not taped/aired in real world sequence, and that they have not been responding to questions about her well-being because they don't want to have to edit her out of footage that was taped earlier. 

If she's okay, I really don't understand why they haven't said so, since people have been asking.

[iluvobx]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:29 AM, 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.

According to one site, as of Oct. 10, 2021, Susan was alive.  Also saw on another site that the announcement of her death was a hoax.  I really hope it was a hoax.

[Cetacean]

6 hours ago, iluvobx said:

Also saw on another site that the announcement of her death was a hoax. 

What a horrible thing to do to someone battling a disease.

On 11/7/2021 at 4:01 PM, possibilities said:

My fear is that the shows are not taped/aired in real world sequence,

I never thought of that.  From the back her hair was long in this episode so perhaps it was filmed a while ago.  I will have to pay more attention to the vegetation and clothing to see if we can at least get a clue about the seasons.  

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, Cetacean said:

I never thought of that.  From the back her hair was long in this episode so perhaps it was filmed a while ago.  I will have to pay more attention to the vegetation and clothing to see if we can at least get a clue about the seasons.  

Then again it could be the other way around.  I've noticed the passing of the seasons as the show's season has progressed and in the more recent episodes the weather is warmer so I'm figuring the season began in early Spring and by now it's in Summer.  Sue's hair growth between when we saw her with shaved hair in the early episode and now seems consistent with that amount of time passing.  At least to me it does.

[Yeah No]

On 11/7/2021 at 4:01 PM, possibilities said:

I hope it's an indication that she's fine. My fear is that the shows are not taped/aired in real world sequence, and that they have not been responding to questions about her well-being because they don't want to have to edit her out of footage that was taped earlier. 

If she's okay, I really don't understand why they haven't said so, since people have been asking.

I'm thinking they may not have permission from her or her family to release any information on her health and so their hands are tied.  Which worries me.

I think a lot of the show has to be taped and aired in some kind of chronological order because they're often following up on previous stories that unfold over time.

What I don't have a sense for is whether this season was filmed last year or this year.  I would think it would be a little soon for it to have been filmed this year, but I really don't know.

[DanaK]

That beaver certainly stole my heart in last night's episode. And that Turkey chick was darn cute.

[possibilities]

The elephants touching trunks was also sweet. 

And I am always down for some penguin stories. 

[Yeah No]

And another Sue sighting, plus a maskless Jose, too.  Yay!

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

And another Sue sighting, plus a maskless Jose, too.  Yay!

I was excited to see her even as a secondary character.  Just hard to know at what stage her disease was at that point.   She had hair.

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, Cetacean said:

I was excited to see her even as a secondary character.  Just hard to know at what stage her disease was at that point.   She had hair.

And then there was one very quick shot from behind where she had less/shorter hair than another shot with a ponytail. So I'm guessing the episode was composited from a few different time periods.

[Yeah No]

21 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

And then there was one very quick shot from behind where she had less/shorter hair than another shot with a ponytail. So I'm guessing the episode was composited from a few different time periods.

I'm pretty sure that shot from the back with the woman with the pony tail was the young woman in the talking heads who was wearing a pony tail.  Plus if you put together the chain of events it wouldn't be possible for them to have flipped back and forth that much between time periods given how much longer the hair was.

[Rammchick]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I'm pretty sure that shot from the back with the woman with the pony tail was the young woman in the talking heads who was wearing a pony tail.  Plus if you put together the chain of events it wouldn't be possible for them to have flipped back and forth that much between time periods given how much longer the hair was.

I'm going to take your word for it, but there was one really quick shot of a graying pony tail that I thought was Sue.  I'm sure you're right.

[TazDevil]

In the "Bronx Tales" version of last week's episode, which airs before this week's new episode, Sue had a few talking heads and was shown with the little penguins and the turkey poults.  She was always wearing a hat and her hair was in varying degrees of being there.  When she was shown with the little penguins, it looked like her hair was short, not in a ponytail, her usual brown color.  With the turkey poults, it looked like most of her hair was gone, just a few wispy strands poking out from under the hat.

I'm thinking (hoping) that the scenes with the little penguins were later in the chronology and when her hair was growing back and the scenes with the turkey poults were earlier and when she was losing hair from whatever treatment she was going through.

They're showing the Bronx Tales version again at 1am EST and I'm going to tape it since I didn't see this entire episode.  I haven't been watching that version because I thought it was all pop-up bubbles with info that they were adding.  Didn't realize they had new scenes.  Wish they would label the "bonus scenes" like TLC does with their shows so I know when to pay attention!

Edited November 21, 2021 by TazDevil

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, TazDevil said:

I haven't been watching that version because I thought it was all pop-up bubbles with info that they were adding.  Didn't realize they had new scenes. 

I didn't either!  Thanks for the heads up, I will tape it to see Susan.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, TazDevil said:

In the "Bronx Tales" version of last week's episode, which airs before this week's new episode, Sue had a few talking heads and was shown with the little penguins and the turkey poults.  She was always wearing a hat and her hair was in varying degrees of being there.  When she was shown with the little penguins, it looked like her hair was short, not in a ponytail, her usual brown color.  With the turkey poults, it looked like most of her hair was gone, just a few wispy strands poking out from under the hat.

Thank you for this, I got there just in time to see her part with the turkey poults.  Unfortunately it's not airing again so I can't see the rest.  Maybe it will turn up on "on demand" although it doesn't look like "Bronx Tales" is on there.

I notice they're showing a lot of other bird people on the show this season whereas they used to show more of Sue, like they did here.

[DanaK]

Those Fennic foxes were certainly cute. I hope the one with the heart condition lasts a good long time with a good quality of life, but of course, that's uncertain

[RoxiP]

I'm just happy to find out that there are new episodes...I just checked on my Discovery Plus and they are up so I know what I will be watching this weekend!

[DanaK]

Per The Futon Critic, it looks like the finale will be 2 episodes on December 4 http://thefutoncritic.com/showatch/zoo-animal-planet/listings/

[possibilities]

I feel like the Bronx Zoo has an endless number of species in its care. they keep coming up with ones I have never even heard of, and there are always more. 

The sea lions amuse me a lot. I like that they're so big but at the same time, apparently totally safe for the keepers to be around up close. Characterizing them as "like big dogs" is really sweet. 

[DanaK]

On 11/25/2021 at 11:01 AM, DanaK said:

Per The Futon Critic, it looks like the finale will be 2 episodes on December 4 http://thefutoncritic.com/showatch/zoo-animal-planet/listings/

Looks like there’s a double bill on Dec 11 as well so maybe that’s the finale; I can’t be sure at this point

[DanaK]

Aw, the tree kangaroo and the horn billed bird were so cute in the first episode

In the second episode, the bat eared fox and the aardvark were really cute. Not so sure about that croc though

[possibilities]

A male animal named Artemis surprised me, but I guess the animal doesn't care about human gendering for names.

Stanley the spoonbill reminded me of a friendly dog. He looked really fun.

I was a bit sad, though, to see the "tractable animals" for the educational program are housed in really small, boring, empty cages. The other animals they've shown us get way more interesting facilities. That building looked more like a jail than a home.

The footage of animals enjoying the snow was really enjoyable.

I was surprised that the poly house was adequately heated just by the sun. NY winters are COLD. From a plant perspective, a solar-only greenhouse outdoors would not likely be warm enough for tomatoes. Maybe pelicans can take a lot colder temperatures than I realized.

Edited December 5, 2021 by possibilities

[Cetacean]

So glad for another glimpse of Susan albeit all bundled up so it was hard to tell it was her except for her voice.  So we know that she was still working at the time of the big snow.

Watching the bison have a romp in the snow was delightful.  As was Jim's comment about needing a few more old farmers and a few less PhDs!

Sterling the hornbill was so cute!  Like a winged dog.

[Yeah No]

On 12/5/2021 at 9:58 AM, Cetacean said:

Watching the bison have a romp in the snow was delightful.  As was Jim's comment about needing a few more old farmers and a few less PhDs!

I loved that comment!  That's pretty much what my husband the car guy would have said!  Well, they are both old New Yorkers.  We had to rewind the exchange to hear it again.  That was a great episode.  From the poor little aardvark to the bison playing in the snow, plus a Sue sighting, it was a real winner.  I'm saving it on my DVR to play for my Bronx girlfriend who will be coming up for a few days over Xmas.  She doesn't get Animal Planet but she does love the Zoo and has gone there by herself as recently as 2019.  I haven't been to the Zoo in years, not because I don't want to go, but somehow it just hasn't happened.  And the pandemic hasn't helped.  That's going to have to change.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Yeah No

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I haven't been to the Zoo in years, not because I don't want to go, but somehow it just hasn't happened.  And the pandemic hasn't helped.  That's going to have to change.

The good part is that a lot of it is outside so pretty safe.  I'd probably skip the indoor exhibits unless I was there without any crowd.  When I lived near the Detroit zoo I used to go early in the morning on a weekday and was pretty much alone.  I did the same thing with Greenfield Village in Dearborn.  Had the place to myself!

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

The good part is that a lot of it is outside so pretty safe.  I'd probably skip the indoor exhibits unless I was there without any crowd.  When I lived near the Detroit zoo I used to go early in the morning on a weekday and was pretty much alone.  I did the same thing with Greenfield Village in Dearborn.  Had the place to myself!

True.  Even before the pandemic I used to feel like the indoor exhibits were a germ-fest.  Especially if there were a lot of little kids there on class trips, and especially in some of those hot/humid/climate controlled buildings that house tropical creatures that can't tolerate the cold.  I think the zoo website gives advice on when the lightest days and times are in any given week, so that helps too.  Plus going there during an unpopular season is also a good idea if you can stand the weather.  I think admission is cheaper in the colder months, too.  They don't offer the best senior discount, though.

[DanaK]

There is definitely a double bill of episodes tonight from 9-11pm ET, with Bronx Buffet looking to be the season finale

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, it's apparently the season finale, with the Irwins returning next week.  

[DanaK]

Lots of fun, interesting stuff in the 2 episode finale, the blind penguin in the first and how the zoo feeds all those animals in the second

[Cetacean]

Always a plus to see Susan.  I wish we knew the timing of the segments but we saw her in the winter so I think that's positive.  I am also encouraged to see her working, at least she wasn't off on sick leave. I do wish we knew more.

I may send a letter, not asking for info but telling her how much her fans love and miss her!  Can't speak for everyone but she is definitely a big favorite of mine.  She just loves all of the birds so much, it just radiates from her!

[Rammchick]

16 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Always a plus to see Susan.  I wish we knew the timing of the segments but we saw her in the winter so I think that's positive.  I am also encouraged to see her working, at least she wasn't off on sick leave. I do wish we knew more.

I may send a letter, not asking for info but telling her how much her fans love and miss her!  Can't speak for everyone but she is definitely a big favorite of mine.  She just loves all of the birds so much, it just radiates from her!

Susan is my spirit animal!  I volunteer in wildlife rehab and I also have a huge love for all the animals we treat.  Of course, we don't form relationships with them (we try not to, at least) but how cool it must be to get to know them as individuals.  Clearly I missed my calling!

I am always happy for a Susan sighting.  She did look tired and pale, but still pretty spunky, all in all.

[possibilities]

The way they showcase a serious medical problem every week is starting to really get to me. It's like the main thing we know about their animals is how seriously injured/ill they are. 

I'm sure it's partly for drama, but still... I would like to see more of the everyday stuff that tells you more about the animals and less about advanced veterinary medicine.

I appreciate SOME stories like that. But the % is too many.

[hilaryvm]

On 12/4/2021 at 8:07 PM, possibilities said:

I was a bit sad, though, to see the "tractable animals" for the educational program are housed in really small, boring, empty cages. The other animals they've shown us get way more interesting facilities. That building looked more like a jail than a home.

This has always really bothered me too.  It almost seems cruel to me to keep them in these type of cages, especially when other species have much nicer habitats and sometimes access to others of the same species.  It's the one thing about the show that bothers me every time they show it.

[Cetacean]

46 minutes ago, hilaryvm said:

It's the one thing about the show that bothers me every time they show it.

I have to agree.  They seem to get more human interaction but when you know the kind of habitats that they normally inhabit, those cages seem really cruel.  I would love to see this addressed.

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, hilaryvm said:

This has always really bothered me too.  It almost seems cruel to me to keep them in these type of cages, especially when other species have much nicer habitats and sometimes access to others of the same species.  It's the one thing about the show that bothers me every time they show it.

I was just thinking the same thing after the last episode.  I was hoping that maybe they don't live there all the time and that's just a holding pen for when they're scheduled for "ambassador" duty.

[possibilities]

29 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I was just thinking the same thing after the last episode.  I was hoping that maybe they don't live there all the time and that's just a holding pen for when they're scheduled for "ambassador" duty.

I hope that's true. I am thinking of writing to them about this. It really bothers me a lot, and it seems so out of character for the way they care for the other animals. Even thoroughly domesticated "pets" get much nicer quarters. It's disturbing.

[Rlb8031]

All of the animals with habitats also have smaller holding areas that they are moved into when they clean, treat animals, and (for those that can't bear the harsh NY winters) when the weather changes. I think that what they show for the ambassador animals. Those animals may not get the larger enclosures, but there is an open area that is immediately adjacent to the building where the ambassador animals are kept that the animals are given access to. They have shown it several times when doing stories on the ambassador program. It was large enough to accommodate the two cheetahs and their companion dogs, with plenty of room to spare, so its not exactly a small area. In addition, they've shown several of those animals walked throughout the zoo, both off hours and when there are visitors. I do believe that the zoo does try to get the ambassador animals into more areas, and give those animals more time for unfettered exercise when they aren't participating in programing.

[RoxiP]

I was thinking that the ambassador animals are kept in smaller enclosures because their main focus is on the relationship they have with their handlers.  They seem to get out of their cages more often and are much more into one-on-one relationships with humans than the animals kept in the other parts of the zoo.

1 minute ago, RoxiP said:

I was thinking that the ambassador animals are kept in smaller enclosures because their main focus is on the relationship they have with their handlers.  They seem to get out of their cages more often and are much more into one-on-one relationships with humans than the animals kept in the other parts of the zoo.

So I found this on zoochat.com in response to a similar question...

So I work with program animals so I may be able to help.

The spaces used for program animals at the Bronx is similar to spaces used for program animals at most accredited zoos.

Calling where these animals live a “cage” brings a negative connotation to the situation and makes it easy to fall into the false idea that these animals are not well cared for. In reality, these spaces are very similar to the back holding areas for almost all species at accredited zoos. What’s nice about these spaces especially for program animals that will rotate species often is the flexibility. You can fit the same space for a warthog for a bird if you perch it properly. Both are appropriate for the various species held and they suffer no welfare consequences.

It is also not correct to say the kangaroo is not roaming free compared to other animals at a zoo. In reality, all the animals in a zoo are confined to their designated exhibit spaces so there is no “roaming free” even for non program animals. In reality program animals probably have more “freedom” because they get the opportunity to leave their normal habitats and roam the zoo or go outside the zoo to new spaces that many animals never get the chance too.

 

[Metwo]

I can not stand that idiot Kathleen.  Love everything else about the show.

[possibilities]

My DVR is picking up episodes they say are new, but I think they are re-edited or maybe even just re-released stories they showed before. Some of them I definitely remember, and others I don't.

Does anyone know if they have stopped filming new seasons forever?

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Does anyone know if they have stopped filming new seasons forever?

I can't find anything about it.  The last announcement was for Season 5 and that was announced in September 2021.  I am hoping that we'd see something in September of this year if they have been filming.   Nothing on their FB page, either. I love not only the animals but the keepers and would love to know how Susan is doing.

[CrazyInAlabama]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

My DVR is picking up episodes they say are new, but I think they are re-edited or maybe even just re-released stories they showed before. Some of them I definitely remember, and others I don't.

Does anyone know if they have stopped filming new seasons forever?

I think the newer episodes are partly older clips, but a lot was new.   The zoo was really hit hard by Covid, both the staff, and animals.  Also, for filming they probably test throughout the day, and if anyone is positive, take the appropriate measure.   The zoo parking lot was also the staging area for a lot of the ambulance and other aid trucks during the lock downs.  

[Yeah No]

I wouldn't worry about this show.  It's pretty popular so I'm relatively confident it'll come back for another season.  Last year they also flagged episodes as new that contained old and new footage so that's nothing new.