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June 2017 Moms
Stankonia2014
member
FFFC
Stankonia2014
member
You know how the saying goes, not guaranteed to be flame-free.
Hit me with your confessions.
Hit me with your confessions.
Re: FFFC
Edited to be less of a downer - didn't want to bring the thread down right at the start!
I was so happy when the Philadelphia Zoo shut down their elephant exhibit after admitting they could not adequately care for them. I feel like this probably needs to be said about a lot of other animals there too.
This was brought on by Tilikum, one of the whales at SeaWorld, dying. Has anyone seen Blackfish? Genuinely heartbreaking.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/06/508534005/tilikum-seaworlds-famed-orca-and-subject-of-blackfish-dies?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170106
DD #1 born 4/1/2012
My Married Bio
That's all I have for today...
Mom to Madison- 5 and Lillian 2....and now surprise baby #3!
so I can just chill in bed.
...it didn't work. But I DID get DS down for an unusual morning nap so I have had some extra time horizontal in bed. All while letting my dishes sit in the sink, laundry sit in the washer/dryer and Christmas decor pile high ready to be put away.
Meh. Maybe later...or maybe I'll still have this "stomach ache" when DH actually does get home. Mama's way tired today.
DH: 29
DS: 18 months 4/2/2015
Baby #2 EDD: 6/1/2017
I ate a bagel with cream cheese AND a donut this morning. I want all the things!!!!!!
But since he just had to comment on it I ordered a second one in a different color today so I at least can rotate lol. When you find something you love it's necessary. Suck it DH.
Me: 31 DH: 34
Married 11/09/2013
LO#1: LMP 09/14/2014 BFP 10/15/2014 EDD 06/24/2015 DS Born 06/14/2015
LO#2: LMP 09/18/2016 BFP 10/19/2016 EDD 06/27/2017 DD Born 06/27/2017
LO#3: LMP 05/16/2018 BFP 06/18/2018 EDD 02/20/2019
1) Only 10% of zoos/aquaria in the US are accredited. Those institutions have education and conservation elements of their mission. The accrediting organization is called the AZA. If you want to be a responsible visitor, only go to accredited institutions.
Circuses and places like Sea World are not in the same category, nor are unaccredited zoos (nor most sanctuaries). This is a very very important distinction.
Note: A few Sea World facilities were in fact given AZA accreditation in 2015 which sparked controversy. I still think it is easy to see the difference between them and your regular accredited zoo because their website is SeaWorldEntertainment dot com. Most accredited institutions are explicitly not in the business of entertainment, but rather education and conservation.
2) Accredited zoos/aquaria (forget Sea World, now) take a very strong science-based approach. This includes studying and measuring their impact on visitors.
Are the signs actually teaching people something? Are people leaving at the end of the day with more knowledge and commitment to taking action that is better for the environment?
If visitors are not learning or not expressing a desire to change behaviors, the zoo/aquarium will often tweak its signs or programming or outreach.
3) A vast majority of people will never have encounters with animals except in a zoo. To want to save animals, you have to care about animals. I work with wildlife because I grew up going to zoos. It has been scientifically proven that my example is a common experience. Learning about animals in a book is not the same. We need zoos in order to connect humans and wildlife.
4) All that in mind, some species (or even individual animals) are not possible to keep in captivity responsibly. Elephants fit this category, and many zoos are phasing them out. As science learns more, zoos are able to be more and more responsible. I agree with OP that probably some other species also shouldn't be in captivity. Certainly whales shouldn't.
5) Accredited zoos have a cooperative breeding program. A senior curator or director will keep the studbook for every individual of a species in all the accredited zoos - for example, lions. Then that person is responsible for managing the transfers of animals between zoos to ensure their safety (e.g., can't keep two grown male lions together) and their happiness (if an animal isn't doing well with its community). This ensures survival of a species in captivity without having to take animals from the wild.
6) It does happen that zoo breeding programs save species. This was especially true with frogs, when a fungus (chytrid) was sweeping through the globe (Latin America and a bit of Africa), wiping out entire frog species and populations. The pattern was predictable, so they collected as many frogs from the wild as possible, kept them safe in captivity until the fungus passed, then released them. Without zoos, no facilities would have existed to save these frogs. And it's not just about frogs - they eat mosquitoes and other pests. It's called an "ecosystem service" - they provide services to the environment that benefits humans.
Rhinos are going extinct in the wild basically yesterday or tomorrow. Zoos are working tirelessly to try to keep a captive population to release them back into the wild one day.
Other examples exist. The American bison would have gone extinct if it weren't for zoos and captive breeding.
7) Accredited zoos in the US now require a connection to field conservation. They donate important money and educate the public about global conservation efforts.
8) In accredited zoos, each animal has a team of vets, nutritionists and keepers. These animals get better care than you, me, or our children.
Are there aspects of zoos that don't sit right with me? Absolutely. For me personally, the good that (good) zoos provide outweighs the negative. And I think science and a conscientious zoo community is doing everything it can to minimize the negatives.
I don't go to circuses, sanctuaries, or pet tigers at the mall or whatever other nonsense involves wild animals. I have ridden elephants in Asia in the past, but now that I know more, I wouldn't do it again. There are supposedly more tigers in private hands in Texas than in the wild. I think there are responsible institutions and terrible ones, and if you care about animals, it is important to support the good institutions and boycott the bad ones.
Sorry for the book. My $0.02. It's an important topic for parents, given they're a target audience for zoos and circuses and whatnot.
The only two zoos we visit happen to be AZA. I would assume the one was because it has been voted the #1 zoo in the US. Now I feel a little less guilty about taking my children.
DD #1 born 4/1/2012
My Married Bio
Yes!! It's target Liz Lange maternity. It's a tunic length sweatshirt. I have the grey and just ordered green because I tried the light pink and it was see through ish.
https://www.target.com/p/-/A-51076205
https://www.target.com/p/-/A-51076206
I'm dumb, I'll just order online. Doh.
MMC: 09/13 (9 weeks)
DD: Born 8/22/14
Babies #2 & 3: Due dates 6/9/17
And my other love: writing
DH: 29
DS: 18 months 4/2/2015
Baby #2 EDD: 6/1/2017
Here's an excerpt from the AZA site that discusses what they evaluate IN ADDITION to facilities and animal care. (Note: most animals come off exhibit at night, so you are probably seeing maybe ~60% of a zoo's facilities.)
"The Accreditation Commission also evaluates the veterinary program, involvement in conservation and research, education programs, safety policies and procedures, security, physical facilities, guest services, and the quality of the institution's staff. And because a zoo or aquarium needs a strong foundation in order to continue to meet high standards, accreditation also evaluates each institution's finances, its governing authority, and its support organization. In other words, we look at everything!"
(Note: I don't know the facility, so I am not judging. Just providing relevant information in response to your question. I eat a lot of meat, so I know my lifestyle has inherent hypocrisies. We all do the best we can, and need to pick what we pay attention to and what we need to let go. If you don't get a bad vibe from the place and your kids are learning an appreciation for animals and nature, so be it.)
Me: 34 DH: 35
Married: July 2009
BFP: November 2012 after 2 years of TTC DS born August 2013
Diagnosed with PCOS April 2016
3 months of trigger shot with timed intercourse BFN x3
First IUI: 9/17/16 BFP: 9/30/16 EDD: 6/11/17
I'm kidding (mostly). Is there a similar designation to AZA in Canada?
MMC: 09/13 (9 weeks)
DD: Born 8/22/14
Babies #2 & 3: Due dates 6/9/17
And my other love: writing
Me: 34 DH: 35
Married: July 2009
BFP: November 2012 after 2 years of TTC DS born August 2013
Diagnosed with PCOS April 2016
3 months of trigger shot with timed intercourse BFN x3
First IUI: 9/17/16 BFP: 9/30/16 EDD: 6/11/17