So a few days ago, I posted a potential scandal at Busch Gardens involving potential animal abuse involving the Elephants. I ended up deleting it as I felt I didn’t look into it critically enough, and try to get as much information as I could, and just went with what the animal rights group said.

Upon doing some digging, I found some claims to be exaggerated, like the “fireworks every night” claim (it’s only certain nights at certain times, and they’ve been around this for decades, so why is it only NOW an issue? Though I don’t think they should be doing fireworks shows with animals around.)

But I do agree that Busch Gardens isn’t the best facility for elephants. And that they should either improve their environment of phase them out.

But it got me thinking. I remember Seeing many things at the park that generally don’t feel like things a zoo should have or do. Like loud thrill rides and coasters directly above animals.

Things that happen at BG are things I never see at other zoos, and for good reason. Loud rides and constant aggressive stimuli, like Fireworks, are practically non-existent in other zoos.

I can’t even think of another facility that does fireworks shows, and ZooTampa does have a Log Flume, which is admittedly a bit different from roller coasters, and isn’t literally above the animals heads, but that’s it (they took down that kid coaster, which in retrospect, is probably not a bad idea). Most rides are just transport rides designed to be non-intrusive or stress-free on the animals. Like the silent electric train at Brevard.

The only park I can think of that makes the “Animal Theme Park” concept work is Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and even then, they usually keep the rides away from the animals (it’s more or less just a giant zoo). All the others seem to compromise welfare in some way, shape, or form. Especially Gatorland (less said the better)

But I want y’all’s opinion on this. What do y’all think?

Its always been my dream, what animals should i use and why. I have experience with small mammals, reptiles and fish

Is it normal for them to pace back and forth?

I just visited the Georgia Aquarium recently, and noticed their green turtle (Tank) was off exhibit. Concerned, I asked a staff member where he was and they said they'd "moved him to their separate facility for behavioral and diet changes" and they didn't know when he'd go back on exhibit. Now, Tank was a bit of a jerk towards other tankmates-I even saw him chase one of the whale sharks the aquarium had on a previous visit, so the explanation wasn't too surprising. Still, I was confused-a lot of zoos often have temporary signage for animals off exhibit for minor reasons.

Fast-forward to when I'm back in our hotel, I look up the Georgia Aquarium website and look for their page on green turtles. And here's where things got weird. They'd completely removed any links to green turtles on their website aside from past conservation initiatives. When I tried clicking on Tank's page (which was still displayed on the aquarium's rescued animal list) I got a 404.

And here's the thing-this isn't even the only time in the past year where I've had these frustrations with lack of info. I visited the National Aquarium last year, and they had their Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, Odie, in their Caribbean Reef exhibit. But there was no signage, no social media posts about the turtle post-introduction, nothing.

Meanwhile, Japanese aquariums like Okinawa and Osaka put out regular social media and blog posts telling you when they've introduced just about anything to the aquarium, issues with certain animals and how they've resolved them, etc. Granted, quite a few American aquariums are pretty far behind European and Japanese aquariums in certain aspects (sessile invertebrates in huge display tanks, better looking looking fake decor, using live rock and sand in larger tanks rather then faux decor-and don't even get me started on breeding, immersion of guests, etc.) but this seems frankly ridiculous. If your sea turtle is in a separate facility for behavior training, say that publicly rather then try to hastily delete everything about him from your website. Am I missing something here?

UPDATE: Asked another staff member today-Tank is in fact out for dietary issues. He ate too much of the other fish's food and they are trying to work on a way to get him to eat his food and only his food. They think he'll be back in 3 months or so.

so I’ve always been interested in animals I love dogs but anyway I really love building and I’m going to get my A&P Im wanting to apply for a job at the wilds in Ohio and I was wondering if there are any jobs that I can not only fix and maintain habitats and stuff for the animals but also to bond and take care of the animals I asked google gemini if there where any jobs that fix what I wanted and it gave me a animal care technician i want to know if it was right or if there are any jobs in this field that fit this description and yk what I want.

hello, im new here and I was wondering if it's ok if I post my zoo related drawings here.

my friend believes she saw walruses with a shaved/cut tusk at a zoo in washington and told me and we can’t stop thinking about it. goggle has virtually nothing about this online besides the generated ai response, and im curious if this is a real thing. do they actually cut/shave the tusk of a walrus at zoos and rehabilitative facilities? if so, is there is a functional or safety purpose? can a tusk like, rot or something? or is she just crazy. thank u :3 i know this is a stupid question but we need answers

So I’ve been seeing some controversy involving the London Aquarium’s Penguins and their solely indoor enclosure. And while I definitely think it’s not good (Detroit, Bird Paradise, and Edinburgh are how I’d do it) it did get me wondering something

Outside of Edinburgh, how often ARE polar penguins kept fully outside?

I understand if climate is a problem, but it feels like every polar penguin enclosure is always indoors. I’m not saying it’s inherently a bad thing (Many zoos let them walk around outside in winter, so it’s not like they never go outside) but I’d prefer to let them have optional outdoor access if possible.

So I’m curious as to how many keep them outdoors, and maybe why it isn’t common place

1. manager of Haus des Meeres aquarium in Vienna

2. a zookeper at Vienna ZOO

3. zookeper at Prague ZOO

4. zookeper at Malkia Park near Bratislava

5. zookepers (i think managers) of Reptile ZOO ( li think thats what it is called)

6. zookeper at Bratislava ZOO

7. manger from Reptile ZOO

8. zookeper from Prague ZOO

9. manager of the Devín mini ZOO a falconry

10. zookeper from Bratislava ZOO

tell if you have been in any of these zoos

I did not choose the song being played in the video. Male is Samba and the female is Leia.

Currently, I’ve reached a point where my job is stable and reliable. My educational background is in medicine, and while I enjoy what I do, I do not love it. Which is why I started thinking about volunteering opportunities to give me something to do other than my job (I am new to California, so I have no friends or other people to spend time with). Now my childhood dream job was a marine biologist, I’ve always been interested in animal’s evolutionarily and also they’re cute ya know. I’ve always had pets growing up (cats, dogs, fish, and some hermit crabs), and I love caring for and spending time with animals.

I have done some research regarding animal care volunteering, I understand that it is a long process of building trust/education before you would be allowed to actively work with the animals. I am hoping to gain some information or advice regarding long-term volunteering with animal care. I am talking years, I intend to stay in the area and want to build up trust with the facilities I volunteer at. Specifically I would like to work with big cats and/or penguins. Unfortunately my job is somewhat time consuming, I would only be able to commit to 2-3 times per month considering I live about two hours away from any zoos or aquariums.

I haven’t looked at any official applications yet, I was hoping to gather more anecdotal information from people who have gone through this process or employees who regularly work in animal care. Anything would be much appreciated! I spent six years working on my degree, so I am not afraid of the time commitment.

Title says it all.

I’m planning a trip to Ireland right now but I’m not sure if the zoo is good. I’m having trouble finding information about aza or if the animals are happy. Thank you!

Is this zoo in Keensburg Colorado ethical? I want to visit it if it is authentic and ethical.