Aquarist/Dugong keeper. Marine mammals have taken over my life. Pro responsible animal management and therefore a selective supporter of zoos and aquariums.
Fandoms include but not limited to: The Adventure Zone, McElroy content, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Captive Prince. There is no consistency to this blog, so just a heads up!
How do you follow up a 40-mile midnight sled dog run? With a much shorter (4-mile!) daylight run with the puppy team! They look awesome and lack nothing in the enthusiasm department.
#sleddogs #mushing #sleddog #dogsledding #minnesota #onlyinmn #musherlife #winterwonderland #sleddogsrock https://www.instagram.com/p/BslxHK6HcXD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dbpdeq9jmg2r
Most behaviors that you see keepers demonstrate at the zoo or aquarium are natural behaviors that the animals do in the wild. When the animals do them, the keepers give them a treat and pair it with a gesture or a word, so that they associate them, and eventually the word or gesture is enough to elicit the behavior because the animal knows that there’s a reward. But here’s the thing: most of those behaviors are encouraged because they help veterinarians and keepers do health checks.
Yeah, its cute when they nose boop the stick, but also keepers need to check their vision and depth perception and mobility. Sea lions are so cute when they wave! But vets and keepers need to check under those flippers to make sure that they’re healthy and that they don’t have any restrictions on their motion or cuts on their skin. Why do they ask animals to jump? Again, to make sure that they’re healthy, and also because its fun and animals LOVE to move around and jump and have fun, its mentally stimulating.
This is the most important thing I will ever reblog and anyone who is still ignorant enough to think zoos are awful can fuck off my blog. Zoos are necessary. If you think otherwise please unfollow me because I don’t want you here.
This is super important for people to see. I have worked at a zoo and I can not tell you how many times I’ve had to defend the zoo for the good they do. People need to learn that zoos are actually helping save endangered species.
Hm anxiety attack about starting work without my core team…
Mostly because I found out the casual staff have been spreading bullshit about how my training experience is limited to working in a petting zoo. So that’s nice.
Is this the first time you’ve had an experience like this?
Yep, never had to work with such a volatile group of bunny huggers before….
Just yesterday I asked for help to visualise what each body score for our eagle rays looked like and was completely talked down to like “it’s okay that you don’t have a scientific background like I do” bitch I have a 5 year animal science degree I just don’t know how to identify body condition on eagle rays yikes dude
