It is with great sadness and despair that the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden announces...
The little one from the previous page??! D: No! Oh gosh, that is such sad news.
How did she break her leg? How were the parents acting about her limp or whatever? I wonder how they deal with trust issues and confusion when the giraffes notice their baby doesn't come back from the vet (assuming baby was euthanized in a sterile room as opposed to the animal exhibit with adults nearby). It's one thing when asshole suits at Sea World or something sell dolphins to make more money, but lowly caretakers at a zoo seem more interested in animal welfare, so it makes me think how they "explain" that one heh.
This is like when I was checking out the Vancouver Aquarium's beluga cam one day and read that their little baby had died of a congenital disorder. I think she was just over a year old and I had watched her play with her newborn aunt. It was heart-breaking. I was particularly not in a mood to hear about sad animal news that day, but even without that, I've always felt close to the vanaqua cuz there is still nothing like it in Canada. Captive marine mammals, sure. I mean there's Marineland, a few sea lions scattered around, and I think the West Edmonton Mall has dolphins, but that is it, and they are businesses first, rather than dedicated to genuine study and education. I get that you can't rescue wild cetaceans in the middle of Ontario, but even the way Vancouver runs itself as not-for-profit, I respect. If you're gonna keep the animals in tanks, give them the best care possible, don't build rollercoasters through their habitats, and try not to breed them like hamsters. Also it helps to work with the scientific community and sponsor conservation efforts or adoption programs.
I've yet to visit, but they are on the dream list. It's like there are the aquariums to visit cuz of size and variety, then the ones to support cuz they ~do the right thing~ heh. The one in Atlanta sounds great and high-tech, but apparently they've already lost a beluga or two and a bunch of whale sharks, so I am really disappointed.
Unless those kind of statistics are consistent with other places, in which case I'm even more disappointed.
Anyway, farting on about my childhood. It is always more sad when you remember the individual animal. I used to write to zoos about their marine mammals as a kid (I liked the sound of their names), so while I'd have all the information, a few places stood out more either cuz they ~spoke to me~ or movies were filmed there. So I knew Finna and Bjossa the orcas from Vancouver, Keiko from Free Willy moving to Oregon then Norway, "Lolita" from the Miami Aquarium, Yaka and Vigga from Marine World Africa USA, Kandu, Nootka, Kiska and Canuck from Marineland... I learned how to pronounce "bayou" from a beluga's name, and "Ulysses" was a killer whale at Sea World Florida.
My uncle was driving me to the Gathering of the Fellowship convention when the radio announced Keiko's death, and I keep the Time Magazine write-up on my wall.
I didn't keep up with those things as I got older and became obsessed with movies, but I've peeked at a few websites in recent years. Most things run by fans tackle the political side of it (captivity is evil), but sometimes I just want pretty pictures and to know the animals' names and personalities.
After too long, I was able to visit my babies again last summer, so between that and the websites, I have a few more whales to keep tabs on and possibly get sad about some day heh. If you guys ever hear about Osiris the beluga at Marineland, she's a friend!
*E*