Adventures With Dad

So, while in Montreal, one of the places we went was the Biodome.

It’s a zoo.  Gina was REALLY excited to go there because she had learnt about it (or seen a picture of it) in one of her textbooks.

Inside was a bit of a letdown.  The first part was about like the area in the Wpg zoo, where the have all the snakes and monkeys.  It’s hot, humid, and kinda dark.  It’s also way more crowded than it should be.

My experience with Zoos is interesting.  I’m really familiar with Seaworld Orlando.  It’s easily the zoo I’ve seen the most, and it’s also one of my favorites.  I’m also familiar and impressed with Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Busch Gardens.  Even Discovery Cove or Gatorland.  There’s a locational theme here, isn’t there.

Now, I know, the readers here are thinking “these are amusement parks, not zoos”.  And they’re kind of right.  They sell tickets to get in, and there are rides and stuff.  But at the same time, they keep live animals, and have all the same concerns as a traditional zoo.  Except one - Space.

I’ll pick just Seaworld as my example here.

So Seaworld is a zoo.  It has Dolphins, Stingrays, Whales, Manitee, etc.  They are often trained for performing in shows and exhibits.  There’s certainly a component here that says it’s using the animal to make a profit, and that IS the case.  No argument.  On the other hand, it’s also really clear that the the animals enjoy being there.  Perhaps that because they don’t know better, or perhaps it’s just a great place.  Either way, they’re happy there, and enjoy their lives.  They interact with each other, and with people on a daily basis, and generally (though not always) they also have “leave me alone” areas where they can just be alone and grumpy if they want.   Tellingly, most don’t want to be alone.

But Zoos themselves are different.

In the biodome, most of the fish had rubbed their jaws away from rubbing on the aquarium glass.  This can happen for two reasons.  At the biodome, I believe it’s space.  They’re simply too crowded to be able to “live” and they’re trying to find an escape.  Which is a horrible way to live.

The other alternative is that they’re just looking for something else that’s new.  An interaction, anything.  But something that’s new and mentally stimulating.  I know, they’re just fish, and fish are dumb, but I struggle with that idea.  Partly because it’s clear fish “know” different people.  The Stingrays in Texas loved playing with me, and were climbing the tank to follow me when I had to leave.   But they had no escape from the little kids teasing them, even at the back of the aquarium.  I can’t help but think zoos would be far more effective if the animals were more able to wander on their own.  To pick and choose who they wanted to play with.  Be that a human, or a bird that’s just there for a day during a southern migration.  The more the zoo seems to limit that interaction, the worse the zoo.  And the worse the animals.

I don’t think I really saw that prior to our trip here.  I knew that people complained about zoos, I’ve heard all the controversy about the zoo in Calgary.  I’d like to challenge zoos with this idea.  There are lots of animals that can’t live n the wild.  There are lots of reasons for that.  Perhaps the Manitee in Seaworld most clearly showing it up.  They all have missing limbs, or whatever, following a collision with a boat prop.  THAT is who should be in a zoo.  Same with the turtles.  They have an operation (usually they’ve eaten fishing line, which they can’t digest, and they’ll die without having it removed surgically).  These animals are brought to Seaworld.  My admission pays for their care, usually, I’ll buy the fish that feed them, and then once they’ve healed, they are released.  This is an awesome arrangement, and it’s REALLY hard to argue that it isn’t a great deal for the animals too.

But there are lots of places where the zoos just need to be closed outright.  The biodome is one.

In addition to the fish, the Penguin had worn the paint off the wall trying to rub their way out with their beaks/faces.  This isn’t a good thing.   The fish they eat is thrown in as a clump of dead frozen scraps.

Contrasting this with say Parc Whatever where we were a few weeks back, where the coyotes occasionally did decide that they wanted live prey, and took down a deer or a pig.  This is how it should be.

It’s just interesting to see that some zoos treat animals so well, and others are so much the opposite.

The biodome doesn’t have enough space for as many animals as they have.  As such, it should choose to focus on one particular area or it should be shut down.  Either way, there needs to be more space for the animals.

Over and out.