Zoo Doo

I didn't take this shot of Patrick. You can find the photographer's blog and pictures at aeolian dissonance.

Actually, the photograph is not posted on my blog, as the link to the larger version indicates, it is from my photostream on Flickr. After reading your "About Me" blurb, I'm sure you will want to do the right thing here and credit my fully copyrighted photograph with my name. Of course, the right thing to do with an image that is © all rights reserved, is to ask permission of the artist before using it, as is stipulated not only by copyright law, but is also part of the Flickr TOS. If I had chosen to make the image a Creative Commons License image, then it would have been appropriate for you to use it without my permission, but it is still polite to acknowledge and request usage.

Thanks,

Barry

My in-laws met us at the zoo today. They only had an hour to visit so I took them through the Children's Zoo first and we checked in on Clay at his "end of the session" party. The keepers kept offering us ice cream and cookies. We passed and I'm glad we did. I took them down to see Patrick. Betty had heard me telling stories about him at Thanksgiving and I figured if he was out he would put on a good show. We found him sprawled on a huge log soaking up a sunbeam. I waved for him to come over and he casually ambled our way stopping to strip some bark off a felled tree. Right before reaching us he threw the bark at the window and did his charging up and down ritual a few times. Then he pulled something that I had never seen him do and never want to see him do again. Scooting backwards to the very edge of the ravine, he reached behind his back and pooped in his hand. That was enough to make me ill seeing he was inches from us. My first thought was that he would smear it on the window. That would have been horrible. But no, he went more base. He began to pick through it and eat. I'm afraid that if I had eaten the ice cream and cookies it would have all come up. I was a tad bit queasy for the rest of the day.

Later in the afternoon I had a great talk with the Gorilla docent. One of my favorite things to do is to sit in the research center, watch Jenny and Timbo, and read. Jenny is the oldest gorilla in North America. She has been at the zoo almost all of her 54 years. It is so weird to realize that she was there when I was a little girl visiting. I wonder what went through her head as she was introduced to her new habitat. No concrete, no bars...only open sky, green grass, trees. Charles said it took her a few days to adjust. I can imagine. There is an old chimp, that after being offered for many years now a huge lush habitat, still chooses to sit on the concrete at the edge of her room. She will only make a quick dash onto the grass for a treat that lands close by.

We aren't much different. As humans we get so comfortable in our surroundings and circumstances(even if they are bad) that sometimes we struggle to adjust to something good, better, healthier. We would rather hang onto what we've got (and I don't mean the song) than step into the beautiful. The unknown, the different, is too scary.