I'm going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
Whoo, I can finally post. Thanks stupid DDoS shite >:(
I start my voluntary zoo teaching next week, and I'm pretty damn excited. Three consecutive days, and I'm going to be completely buggered and probably ready to kill the children, but it's going to be so awesome! I also found out that around 150 people applied for the Learning Centre Volunteer positions and only about 8 or so of us were selected. I'm feeling pretty damn smug right now. Feels like I'm finally being acknowledged for all the hard work, experience and tertiary education I've done. Next stop: paid position! Oh, and as an added bonus I get free entry to the zoo for the next 12 months! AWESOME!!
I'm also pretty happy that the zoo's ethos is to focus on sustainability and conservation, rather than entertainment, and education. Obviously, education goes hand in hand with raising awareness, but it's definitely a positive step in the right direction. I was so ecstatic to learn that as a result of students writing in complaining about the use of Palm Oil in products, Cadbury, Nestle and KFC now no longer use Palm Oil in their products. It's fantastic to see these large companies listening, and to see so many children being proactive. There's hope for the world yet! It's still a sad reality, however, that less than 3% of the forests in Sumatra remain, primarily as a result of Palm Oil. Or more to the point, unsustainable farming of Palm Oil. That 3% that remains is only still there because the region is too mountainous to be accessed to use for Palm Oil Plantations.
Obviously as part of my role within the education department at the zoo, I get to go behind the scenes. We went inside the old Elephant enclosure, which is heritage listed, and it was a little shocking to see just how small it really is. It's not much larger than my own backyard... But, on the positive side, the zoo acknowledged the restricted space and the elephants have a great enclosure now, with heaps of environmental enrichment. We also went into the old Orangutan enclosure - the original enclosure from waaaay back in the day, like the olden times (ok, so more like 50 years ago) - and its really quite horrific the conditions the animals were provided. This building is also heritage listed and remains as a stark reminder of the bygone days, and to also highlight the advancement and change in the role of zoos. So basically, one orangutan was put into this rather small enclosure - it's roughly about say 4-5 meters wide and only about 2-3 meters across - and would be on display from 9-5. Every day. The orangutan had no access to the back area until the end of the day. This area was a much larger space, however the floor was concrete and it had no shelter whatsoever. The ape was essentially exposed to the elements. Orangutans are arboreal - meaning they are tree dwellers - and as such do not have the anatomy to cope with being permanently grounded. As a result, they suffered deformities by being forced to walk around much more than they would regularly. The zoo, though ashamed, has used the area to highlight how it has grown and evolved over time, and to further highlight the role of zoos, moving from a purely entertainment role to a conservation one that cares for its animals entrusted in its care. And, the sad reality is that there are still zoos across the world that still keep their animals in outdated and horrific conditions, purely for the entertainment of us humans.
That brings me onto my final point. In areas that thrive on tourism and perhaps regard animals in a different light to those of us in a western society; we are the ones that fuel this behaviour. I have been to Thailand and I have seen first hand the locals that charge money for westerners to have their photos taken with a gibbon, or an elephant (elephants are banned from Bangkok, btw) or a snake or whatever it may be. What angered me the most was not so much the locals exploiting these animals, it was the westerners that were quite happy to encourage this attitude and fuel the market. I wonder how many people would be gushing and smiling while having their photo taken with an exotic animal if they understood what was involved in getting the animals; to learn that its parents were probably killed; to learn that the animal is being forced to entertain with no regard to its wellbeing, welfare or normal behaviour (many animals, particularly in Koh Samui are exploited at night because of the popular night culture. These animals are diurnal and are therefore not active at night and are made to change their normal habits for our entertainment, which causes great distress). I just want people to think before they encourage by having their photo taken with exotic animals, particularly of street vendors. It is us that fuels the market. If tourists ceased - or at the least, there was a significant decline - encouraging the exploitation of exotic animals then the vendors will be forced to find an alternate trade. And while I don't condone what these vendors are doing, they can't be held exclusively accountable for their actions. These countries are incredibly poor, and reality is that they can make a tidy profit.
Now I'm off to dinner with my mum and my brother for mum's birthday! TGI Friday's YUM!
I start my voluntary zoo teaching next week, and I'm pretty damn excited. Three consecutive days, and I'm going to be completely buggered and probably ready to kill the children, but it's going to be so awesome! I also found out that around 150 people applied for the Learning Centre Volunteer positions and only about 8 or so of us were selected. I'm feeling pretty damn smug right now. Feels like I'm finally being acknowledged for all the hard work, experience and tertiary education I've done. Next stop: paid position! Oh, and as an added bonus I get free entry to the zoo for the next 12 months! AWESOME!!
I'm also pretty happy that the zoo's ethos is to focus on sustainability and conservation, rather than entertainment, and education. Obviously, education goes hand in hand with raising awareness, but it's definitely a positive step in the right direction. I was so ecstatic to learn that as a result of students writing in complaining about the use of Palm Oil in products, Cadbury, Nestle and KFC now no longer use Palm Oil in their products. It's fantastic to see these large companies listening, and to see so many children being proactive. There's hope for the world yet! It's still a sad reality, however, that less than 3% of the forests in Sumatra remain, primarily as a result of Palm Oil. Or more to the point, unsustainable farming of Palm Oil. That 3% that remains is only still there because the region is too mountainous to be accessed to use for Palm Oil Plantations.
Obviously as part of my role within the education department at the zoo, I get to go behind the scenes. We went inside the old Elephant enclosure, which is heritage listed, and it was a little shocking to see just how small it really is. It's not much larger than my own backyard... But, on the positive side, the zoo acknowledged the restricted space and the elephants have a great enclosure now, with heaps of environmental enrichment. We also went into the old Orangutan enclosure - the original enclosure from waaaay back in the day, like the olden times (ok, so more like 50 years ago) - and its really quite horrific the conditions the animals were provided. This building is also heritage listed and remains as a stark reminder of the bygone days, and to also highlight the advancement and change in the role of zoos. So basically, one orangutan was put into this rather small enclosure - it's roughly about say 4-5 meters wide and only about 2-3 meters across - and would be on display from 9-5. Every day. The orangutan had no access to the back area until the end of the day. This area was a much larger space, however the floor was concrete and it had no shelter whatsoever. The ape was essentially exposed to the elements. Orangutans are arboreal - meaning they are tree dwellers - and as such do not have the anatomy to cope with being permanently grounded. As a result, they suffered deformities by being forced to walk around much more than they would regularly. The zoo, though ashamed, has used the area to highlight how it has grown and evolved over time, and to further highlight the role of zoos, moving from a purely entertainment role to a conservation one that cares for its animals entrusted in its care. And, the sad reality is that there are still zoos across the world that still keep their animals in outdated and horrific conditions, purely for the entertainment of us humans.
That brings me onto my final point. In areas that thrive on tourism and perhaps regard animals in a different light to those of us in a western society; we are the ones that fuel this behaviour. I have been to Thailand and I have seen first hand the locals that charge money for westerners to have their photos taken with a gibbon, or an elephant (elephants are banned from Bangkok, btw) or a snake or whatever it may be. What angered me the most was not so much the locals exploiting these animals, it was the westerners that were quite happy to encourage this attitude and fuel the market. I wonder how many people would be gushing and smiling while having their photo taken with an exotic animal if they understood what was involved in getting the animals; to learn that its parents were probably killed; to learn that the animal is being forced to entertain with no regard to its wellbeing, welfare or normal behaviour (many animals, particularly in Koh Samui are exploited at night because of the popular night culture. These animals are diurnal and are therefore not active at night and are made to change their normal habits for our entertainment, which causes great distress). I just want people to think before they encourage by having their photo taken with exotic animals, particularly of street vendors. It is us that fuels the market. If tourists ceased - or at the least, there was a significant decline - encouraging the exploitation of exotic animals then the vendors will be forced to find an alternate trade. And while I don't condone what these vendors are doing, they can't be held exclusively accountable for their actions. These countries are incredibly poor, and reality is that they can make a tidy profit.
Now I'm off to dinner with my mum and my brother for mum's birthday! TGI Friday's YUM!