Originally posted by Bosse de Nageanimals probably often act weirdly in zoos. penned up and all.
To be precise -- the giraffe's 'canine teeth are splayed out in two or three lobes to comb the leaves off shoots'.
Can you imagine a giraffe combing off someone's ear?
The role of the tongue in gathering leaves is repeatedly emphasised in the literature.
I'm not saying you couldn't set a giraffe up to bite an ear off, but it's just not something the animal is likely to do on its own.
Originally posted by NordlysOnce when I was in New Amsterdam I saw Frank Zappa being goosed by a faith whale and then a giraffe popped out of his ear and started blowing whipped cream all over the place. All of a sudden there were blue lights flashing, the police cordoned off the area and this Watusi giant appeared in David Byrne's blue suit. Apparently he didn't realise that it was famous.
Thank Frank Zappa for that. I didn't even put the quote there.
Originally posted by FreakyKBHNot all zoos are bad places. Plenty do an awful lot for conservation and preservation of species. Without them, many areas and animals would have died out already. They also raise money for such projects and in some way educate children to think more broadly upon the nature of the earth and the animals we share it with. In some way there's a utilitarian service being provided by the poor animals in the cages.
Okay, respond if you can offer something helpful. Otherwise, just read and weep.
Second oldest girl, eight years old, needs my permission to go to the Cleveland Metro Park Zoo. I try to give my kids everything they want, whenever possible. I like them happy and having a sense that the world revolves around them--- to a degree--- because my world--- a ...[text shortened]... to peer pressure and hope no polar bear crashes the gate and turns her into his human Popsicle?
Now not all zoos are forward thinking and some are little more than cage shows, but my advice would be to let her go and explain to her that the best way for animals to exist is in the wild in their natural habitats, but for some of the reasons above, it is important that zoos exist. Encourage her to learn more about conservation and ask her what she thought about the trip afterwards; did she think the animals looked clean, happy and what could the alternatives have been in the wild. Was their natural habitat under threat etc. I presume it's a school trip so the emphasis will be on education anyway.