Things people do that irritate you when you go to the zoo? #2

Brown Bear - Sainte-Croix December 2018
Sun Bear - Colchester October 2018
Giant Panda - Edinburgh August 2018
Asiatic Black Bear - Never seen before...
Sloth Bear - Never seen before...
Polar Bear - Vienna March 2019
American Black Bear - Thoiry zoo October 2018


Reminds me of one time that I was in Chester and a woman asked me where the red ape was, lookling at Realm of the red ape on the map ...

 

I understand a lot of people who go to the zoo are usually younger people, but they really need to be controlled or observed better, but here are the people I can’t stand

1. People who mistake animals for something else. I've seen people call Anteaters, Aardvarks, and vice versa. People call turtle tortoises when they are clearly different animals. The one that really annoys me for some reason is people calling a bison a buffalo when they are completely different. It really isn’t that hard to to walk to a sign that is 5 feet away from you.
2. People who hit the glass. I have not only seen elementary-aged kids hit the glass, but GROWN ADULTS! Not even the parents tell the kids to stop. People don’t realize that some animals are nocturnal or they sleep a lot.
3. People who yell at animals. Similar to people who tap on the glass, but these people get on my nerves even more! In the summer there are usually kids taking trips to the zoo for summer camp. There are always at least five kids who are yelling at the tiger to wake up. I really want to yell at people who yell at animals and tap on the glass, but I don’t want to be yelled at by somebody’s crazy mom.
4. People who pass by exhibits. I understand that some people may have to go somewhere after and may not be able to see everything. But there could possibly be some cool animals that people are missing and not realizing it. It doesn’t bother me a lot, but it’s a little sad to see a lot of people looking at the bears when there is nobody by the anteaters.

 

And well people should appreciate anteaters if they have the opportunities to see anteaters, one of my favorite species. NZP's giant anteaters were great and sired several living offspring. If their genes were over-represented, one or both could have stayed as ambassadors for their species.

I don't think anything really annoys me when I'm at the zoo, because I'm just so happy to be there, but I do hear people very frequently say, especially with elephants or hoofstock or even primate adults, "Oh, look at the small one! He must be the baby!". Not all zoos have big matrilineal groups, some just a few unrelated animals, so some females are bigger than males, and some groups have no babies. People say this all the time when looking at NZP's 71-year-old elephant Ambika, one of the oldest in North America! I generally can't help but smile and kindly tell them her story. She may not be a baby, but she's extremely special for being such a geriatric! They always smile in delight, but I still can't quite understand why zoogoers automatically think that every group must include a baby lol.

 

I like that nothing annoys because it really lets you have a good time. There’s nothing better than a relaxing day at the zoo.

 

This could be a byline for this whole site. I'm sure it's felt universally by anyone who's chosen to be on here.

 

Isn't it strange when some parents will try and label "mum, dad and baby" - and if there are only two animals will wonder where "mum" or "dad" is. The other day at Chester, I was watching one of the adult female elephants with young Indali and younger Anjan, and the mother with two children next to me tried to convince the children it was dad, mum and baby.

 

"Hey look!
There are storks!"

Indicating flamingoes


Somebody once told me that he was at the zoo and heard a woman telling to her son,indicating the maras: <Look,the penguins!>

 

Yes, just what I mean! It's as if we need to humanize them to some extent as a way of getting into their world.

 

I'm not sure I have much to add to this topic and I'm sure most of these things have been mentioned here before, but I just have to get this off my chest right now, so here's a few common annoyances of mine.

- People who clog up or block roads, especially on narrow paths, by taking up most or all of the road by for example spreading out across the width of and taking up most of the road with their groups, groups just standing around talking while blocking pathways, walking with two or more people side by side especially when they have one or more child carriages or wheelchairs with them and people having child carriages that are really wide. It really irks me when I cannot pass other visitors and groups of visitors and I find it very disrespectful and lacking in common sense that groups of people take up the entire pathway without thinking of other visitors.

- People who yell and scream, especially children and parents who just let their children yell and scream. Too many parents these days fail to teach their children any respect for others. In general I hate people who just have to be loud without regard for other visitors. Youth movement and school groups are generally even worse in terms of noise, blocking areas and disrespectful behavior.

- Children who run around between and in front of other visitors and the reckless parents who let them. I have almost walked into children quite a few times and have a few times almost fallen myself due to running children. Why do parents even take this risk and where is the common sense? Also, if you do accidentally walk into a child and the child where to be injured you are likely to be in very serious legal trouble, regardless of whether it was an accident.

- People who tap/hit on windows and fences. Disrespectful and idiotic.

- People who complain about animals in human care being so sad, like "oh, so sad that animal has to be in a cage". I don't mind people commenting openly about bad exhibits, but I hate the general anti-human care complaining. If you think that way, what the hell are you doing in a zoo to begin with? Maybe you'd feel more at home at the nearest animal rights idiots protest.

- People openly complaining about certain animals being uninteresting or disgusting.

- In zoos that do allow dogs: people who don't keep their dogs short and close to them on the leash and let their dogs sniff other visitors, especially when it is big and sometimes scary looking dogs. Also, dogs barking at or upsetting zoo animals or other dogs.

- People who just have to try and pet animals, even when it is clearly indicated it is not allowed. Where is the common sense and how do they think it is a good idea anyway? Just yesterday I saw people trying to touch lemur tails, even with someone to supervise around and despite it being indicated as prohibited.

- In general people ignoring clearly indicated reasonable rules. Also, the general lack of respect and common sense.

These things have always been a source of irritation for me but lately they have been getting on my nerves ever more and have at times resulted in me getting upset or agitated during or after zoo visits. Honestly I can't deal with these things very well anymore and my level of tolerance for these things is currently really low and my frustration level very high. I am not succeeding at finding ways to deal with these things and am starting to think that unfortunately I might eventually have to give up on zoos for this reason. I have already decided to put my idea to buy a new telelens at the very least on hold, if not to scratch it, because at this point I don't know how much future me visiting zoos actually has left.

 

I am not succeeding at finding ways to deal with these things and am starting to think that unfortunately I might eventually have to give up on zoos for this reason.

Try visiting out of season, or maybe if there is a 'bad' weather forecast? - many visitors seem to be terrified of the rain or the possibility of it, and will hide at home until their app says it is safe to come out again... there might be fewer of your 'problem' visitors on these days.

 

Unfortunately I only really get to visit on days with good weather (in but also out of the main season, but on weekends that doesn't always matter anymore) as I cannot drive myself and rely on another person for transport, and that person doesn't want to do go during bad weather. Also, I hate rain and it would make photography impossible.

 

Mmm... it maybe that your zoo visiting days are numbered then, as there is little evidence to show any improvement in the behaviours you've listed, probably more the opposite. An Englishman, or indeed a Belgian, hating the rain is something of a limiter too...

 

What works for one persons with an ASD doesn't necessarily for another.

However, you are not wrong my main problem isn't the mentioned negative behaviors but my perception of those as I am indeed having a harder time lately with the ASD and also haven't been sleeping very well . You are also not wrong that the general idea of being relaxed before going to the zoo will help, although what you mentioned might not work for me and I might have to try something else. It is definitely something I will have to try.

 

I recently visited Detroit Zoo for the first time with my family. The rest of my family had heard that the enclosures were very big, so my sister asked to borrow a pair of my binoculars. I gave her the pair I usually use for birding. She ended up using them only once, to get a better look at a zebra. A group of visitors around us saw her using binoculars, they started laughing at her. They apparently thought it was very funny and asked if she was "bird-watching" like it was the funniest thing in the world. I have used binoculars at zoos before (and, of course, when I go birding) and have never encountered anyone like this before.

 

I have two things that irritate me more than anything.

People who don't look at the animals with their eyes but with their phones I often go with friends and they take pictures of every animal without looking properly.

Also when parents can't control their kids, for example I was at London Zoo and two kids on scooters started ramming into us while we were looking at an exhibit.

 

Earlier today I was looking at Trevor Zoo's pair of ruffed lemurs when a young child proudly declared they were sifakas. I'm not sure if this should be corrected or commended because he actually knew what a sifaka was

~Thylo

 

No actually!

~Thylo