My cousin interned at the Fort Worth Zoo and has informed me that RHINOS are weirdly chill. She said any time they needed to clean the enclosure, the rhinos would just lean on the fence or the trees watching them without getting in the way.
I love living close to the Fort Worth Zoo. It's genuinely one of the best Zoos in the nation that's not a Theme Park. (eg. Animal Kingdom, SeaWorld, ect.) Every time people form out of state come to visit they always comment how much better it is compared to the one near them.
The last story. No. That Tiger did appreciate the company. It's not weird to think that way. Animals have feelings too. They're different, yes but, not THAT different.
I'm in college for zookeeping and at our zoo our capuchin monkeys are absolutely terrified of frogs. During the rainy season when frogs are abundant all you can hear across campus is capuchins barking at their amphibian nemesis.
The #1 animal in the KOS (kill on sight) list is the chimpanzee, while gorillas and orangutans can be tranquilized chimpanzees are too unpredictable so you can't take the risk.
I remember when I was a kid, wanting to be a zookeeper so I could spend time with animals. This makes me kinda glad I didn't go down that path. Zookeepers also work in horrible conditions. That last one with the tiger, that absolutely meant a lot to him and you are not silly for thinking so. Animals have a much higher emotional intelligence than we think they do.
for animals it is actually significant, when they form some bond with people while not a zookeper, I've seen animal interrupt feeding time to just go and say hi to keepers getting in the area multiple times, which is something that is still impossible in the public eye
Worked at an aquarium (...fish zoo?). The person talking about the dolphin trainers is right. The wet suit people are pretty jock-ish. Some are nice, but a lot are kinda snobbish. The otter and penguin people were usually all very sweet. The dolphins always CREEPED ME TF OUT. I had to go into precarious parts of the habitats at times, and they really enjoyed scaring me and surprising me, and those mfs WOULD LAUGH ABOUT IT. Creepy af.
Huh that's interesting. I guess it kind of makes sense given how people think about those types of animals. Dolphins are pretty smart. Guess they wanted to entertain themselves but can still imagine what you mean. Does sound creepy.
The giraffe I used to work with back when I played at zookeeping (before getting a job that paid more than pocket change) liked to sneak up on me while I was cleaning its area in order to try to pee on me. The first time he did it he almost got me right on the head.... I looked up and got quite a shock, then took off just before the waterfall. Tigers are some of my favorite animals to work with. The are almost dog like in the way they play and cuddle... but they don't know their own strength. We had one that went on walks with me, on a leash... I'm 6 ft tall and about 225 lbs... once she nearly wrenched both arms out of socket when she got surprised on a walk, she was less than a year old at that time. Monkeys are a-holes... They love messing with people in rather horrid ways. They will sling poo, disassemble their pens then mess with you when you come to fix it, steal anything and everything, and ignore all toys and puzzles we give them in favor of torturing their "favorite" keepers. I've been injured more often by farm animals, specifically pigs and goats, than any of the exotic animals I have worked with. We had a rescued pot-bellied pig that would stampede across the entire field just to body-slam keepers to the ground and try to gore them with her, non-existent, tusks. There were several times where we sent each other flying, remember I am not small. When I saw her coming I would raise my foot to block and would end up vaulting over the pig while she skidded on the ground where I used to be. The goats just liked to headbutt you when you weren't paying attention.
At first I thought it was horrible for employees being paid so little, but then I realized the majority of the money is going towards food and supplies for the animals. I don't work at a zoo, but I volunteer for a nonprofit wildlife rehab. Any money we get is from donations and it goes towards the animals, and you won't believe how much food is used in a week.
It's STILL Horrible that they are being paid so little. Sure the majority goes to food and supplies but the fact that the people who are expected to HANDLE the feeding and the care are being paid so incredibly little is... insane and in many ways unacceptable.
foxes generally aren't that dangerous (unless they have rabies but nearly anything can have rabies) their bite strength is very weak. A house cat can bite with the force of 70 psi, a red fox is only a bit stronger around 90 psi. A Rottweiler's bite strength is around 350 psi.
I work at a zoo from close to midnight. Not a keeper, but being there alone i get some interesting encounters. For one, i have had to square up with some painted dogs one night. These things have the most layers to their enclosure, more than the tiger, lions, heck, even the bear (oh my!). However, the rear of their enclosure is a weak spot, with just a lil chain link and some cement next to the dirt. Well, somebody left a warehouse door open for our building supply storage, so i had to close it, making a huge racket. I turn aroudn to see 3 dogs staring at me through the night right up against the fence line. I could see theyd dug into the dirt a bit and thankfully found the edge of some asphalt. So i had to square off with them until they realized they wouldnt get an easy one off me. Made myself big and watched them until they finally tucked their tails and slinked off into the darkness of their enclosure. Two, had a jaguar try stalking me. Never a good idea to let them think they can stalk you, so i flashed my light in its direction to let it know i saw it. Hasnt played any stalking games with me since. 3. Guests really are the worst of it. Theyll try to climb fences, wade ponds, reach through to animals, and generally bother them. Its immensely frustrating to round a corner and see a whole family, adults included, all trying to climb into the otter exhibit and have to deal with them civilly. How would you like if i showed up at your door, forced my way inside and then just started trying to touch you and say youre pretty as you were on your couch trying to watch tv? You wouldnt, so dont do the same to the animals.
14:20 white tigers are not really rare. Naturally occurring ones are, but in captivity they can be created through the practice of inbreeding. As a result, there are many white tigers with deformities like cleft palates, and behavioural issues
Cheetahs will also spit on you, similar to how a house cat spits/hisses, when upset. I normally don't care for human voices reading videos like this and adding in commentary but this was actually quite enjoyable. Thank you 😊
used to work the gift shop at a zoo. Policy was to tranquilize everything. Except the chimpanzees. They were the only animals on the kill first ask questions later list. And this zoo had panthers, tigers and even leopards. But the chimps were the biggest issue. If you've spent evfn five minutes near a chimp you'll know they're absolute menaces that won't hesitate to rip your face off if given the chance.
Another zoo I worked at had ostriches but no big cats. This was because an ostrich had gotten into what used to be the lion enclosure and kicked the lion that came near or so hard the poor thing's jaw broke. The lion is okay and living happily at a sanctuary. The ostrich was shot on sight.
The meanest creature I’ve worked with was a toucan lmao. The other toucans were fine. Gentle, even. But this one particular little dude would constantly nip at anybody who stepped into the enclosure to change his water. We’d have to watch out fingers while bringing his fruit bowl because he would nip HARD at us to try and get us to drop it because the little guy hated us so much he’d rather eat his food off the ground than endure our presence long enough for us to set it down on his little pedestal
1:46- 1:49 I've seen the peacocks at my zoo and I've had that exact same thought. I’m just waiting for something like the rhinos, zebra, giant anteater, or capybara to do something unexpected to one of the Peacocks.
as a kid in pennsylvania, there was an exhibit at a local with a white and orange tiger duo and when the white tiger passed it became national news, but everyone brushed it off because they were really old... kind of weird hearing that story now
@@averycheesypotatoClouded Leopards are actually Big Cats! The Genus Neofelis is in the same subfamily as the Panthera Genus. (Lion, Tigers, Leopards, Jaguars, Snow Leopards) that subfamily being called Pantherinae.
@@Wolfie54545 They may be classed as big cats, but are seen as the connection between big & small cats. Their vocalizations don’t fit so neatly into either category either
Yes, zebras can be really bad. My experience with them was overall decent, but they have a high fight drive and use it. People who keep big cats or other predators typically won't own zebras.
@@DrawciaGleam02 You're looking at it from the wrong angle. They have to be able to defend themselves against predators, a lot of them that work in groups, and for zebras, being able to fight off a predator, is a boon. Prey species are not nice just because they eat plants. Predators aren't mean just because they eat meat. Predators are less pressed by other animals. Prey species are pressed by almost everything.
@@LostSoulchild89 I have seen zebras gang up on a giraffe for no particular reason, but there were one mare who would squish people up against the fence and pet herself on them? Arabian/Dromdary camels are actually domesticated, but they like to mess with critters that run from them just for fun. Strangely dog-like in all ways but super smart. Overall, when it comes to working with animals, expect the unexpected and learn individuals. It's a fun time.
Here's one event I had when around a docent. A bird (looked like a small heron) entered the Giant anteater exhibit in the zoo and got stuck in some bamboo. Then as if in slow motion, the anteater approached it and started investigating. Bare in mind, giant anteaters have lousy eyesight but amazing smell and hearing, as well as sharp claws. So, it starts clawing at this bird, all while it's flailing and squawking until it's been freed from the bamboo….. Only to be dragged while still alive and eviscerated into bloody ribbons. The most ironic thing was, moments before, the docent was telling people that they ate ants and termites and were vegetarian, only for it to do all that and start consuming the blood.
@@Theellephantintheroom well to be fair, I was shadowing that Docent so I was already in the “education” mindset instead of a guest mindset. Also I feel like it was similar to the deer falling into the lion exhibit, horrified Adults and screaming kids. Only for me, it was fascinating to see our male Giant anteater showing of territorial behavior and “enriching” himself at the expense of this Black-crowned Night Heron (found out the name later on). Only thing I had to do was call the keepers on the emergency line so that they can remove the bisected heron corpse after they called the anteater off habitat. But yeah, it was pretty cool to witness something you would normally see in the wild in the comfort of the zoo.
I'm a zookeeper and have to honestly say as far as foxes go their pee does smell extremely rank, it smells like cat pee mixed with human urine..it does come out but you basically have two options which is soaking in vinegar or rubbing alcohol. I helped bottle raise three kits for my job and still watch them sometimes and it's amazing, but I have to steam clean the floors of their room every night with a vinegar and water mixture along with wiping every surface in their potty area down with rubbing alcohol. It never smells according to people I've brought over but it damn sure takes a lot of work, I'm talking working from 8am to 6pm and then coming home to steam clean the entire floors, wash all their bedding and wipe down their room every night which takes roughly an hour depending on how messy they were that day, afterwards I have to soak in a eucalyptus and baking soda bath to get rid of the smell. Not to mention they are nocturnal, and that annoying song you heard about foxes? isn't too far off at all, they will scream all night and sound like a thousand sqeaky toys going off at once but at car alarm volumes, so yeah not the best pet for a person who wants to keep their sanity. Edit: also, not a lot of people know this but cheetahs are actually extremely inbred, at one point there was less than 100 of them and they inbred so much that they developed shorter jaw muscles and other traits that make them very different to cheetahs from back in the day.
To answer your "where does he live that minimum wage is 7.25 an hour" question. That's the federal minimum wage. Employers don't have to pay above that if they don't want to, so it's literally everywhere in the US. The wages you see that are higher are from places who can't get employees or keep employees. Zoos would be different in the respect a love of animals is what keeps the keepers coming back. Especially if they keeper has bonded with their animals. They become your family and you want to protect them because the next guy might not be as good. So props to the keepers who are underpaid and overworked. Just like ferrets or skunks you can have foxes de-gland. It will take some time, but the smell does go away. The bigger issue with foxes is 1) they are a more nocturnal animal. 2) they are LOUD af. 3) they dig.... A LOT! Hope you have a good sized backyard that you don't mind gets tore up cuz they make burrows everywhere. Fun fact about Cheetahs, well maybe not so fun, but they tend to have anxiety. I mean in the wild they are the bitches of the savannah. Speed is literally all they have when compared to other large cats. That said, there are cheetahs in zoos who have dogs as anxiety companions. Its super adorable to see, what is considered a big cat just playfully rough housing with their golden lab buddy.
I am like number 766, and you got a new subscriber from me, because A) you are actually reading the stories B) Providing your own commentary with the stories when relevant. it's the commentary that makes each of the video unique, i may have heard the stories before, but not someone's unique view on said stories.
Zebras are more ruthless than you think. I heard one story how a gardener was working and the owners just happened to own zebras, the gardener man was working shirtless, and the zebra approached him by the fences and made off with his nipple.
I work at a marine park. All of the animals we have are trained with positive reinforcement because it's both more humane and more effective than punishing them when they do things incorrectly. Things like sea lion shows are done voluntarily from the animals. They have learned through years of training that if they do certain behaviors when asked, they get rewarded, whether it's with food or a toy or a back rub or something else they enjoy. That being said, an adult sea lion can weigh anywhere from a couple hundred to over a thousand lbs, so if they don't want to come out and do a show, there's not really anything we can do about it. I have personally seen a show get canceled midway through because a sea lion decided he wanted to goof around instead.
My best friends hubby used to work at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. He was a groundskeeper, so didn't have much to do with the animals. The thing with Taronga Zoo, is it's in Australia so, hot in summer. It's also on the foreshore in Sydney. The Giraffes have a great view but it has many steep hills. Part of his job was basically just cleaning up human vomit. Hot day, walking up hills, have a sugary drink. Have another, forget to eat, walk up hill in the sun, have another sugary drink. Sugary drinks, hot days and steep hills apparently don't agree with many people. Use sunscreen, wear hats, sunnies and long sleeves, drink water or sports drinks people, not coke or pepsi. And enjoy the view while you watch the free flight show. It's amazing.
I know some zoos are accredited zoos that are part of are typically non profit organization and rely on grants and state funding to stay open and any profit made off of gift shops, food, and tickets are what goes to electric bills and some to employees that’s why salaries are so low though salaries also depends on what state or country you are employed in. 15 is considered minimum wage in some states while 8 is minimum in others.
This is true, in the USA there are usually the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) while other countries can qualify through AZA but also have their own accreditation organization . If you are not part of anything like the AZA you still have to pass some inspection from government bodies such as the DEA and the like for the USA and other countries with their governmental body equivalent. I know for Arizona zoo keepers have $15 for minimum wage, they even have a poster in the zoo staff breakroom saying just that.
I'm a massive fan and nerd about our local zoo. I've been going there since I was born. Because of our relative small size, sadly some of the normal "tranq and recaptures" have to be on the "shoot to kill". The most likely reason one would be loose is earthquake, and the numbers mean we wouldn't have enough time to respond nor territory of safety to try and recapture them. We usually have 5 on that list at any one time More cheetah fun facts: they are very high strung and you will often see them paired with dogs as this allows them to take social cues from animals that know how to interact calmly or happily with humans, making them absolute kittens. They also CHIRP, it's so adorable it's criminal! Two of the biggest "secrets" are that the zebras were meant to be included in the savannah area - giraffes, nyala, ostritches… and zebra! But the zebra, true to their nature, were absolute jerks and caused the other animals great strife, so they were returned to their old enclosure and left to live out the rest of their time off display, then not replaced. The other one is a bit more of a secret. We used to have baboons (and if you aren't scared of those… you are wrong. They were the highest priority on the STK list). They had been moved into an enclosure near the back of the zoo for some years. They were often down at the glass, and I personally witnessed one screech and slap the glass when a child interacted with her own child, threatening the human kid while they smiled innocently. They, uh, apparently just… turned on each other one night? So yeah, we don't have baboons anymore.
"Where does this guy live where Minimum Wage is 7.25 an hour?" It might surprise you to learn this if you live in some states (I assume you're American too) with a decent minimum wage, but most of the US, actually. The Federal Minimum Wage is 7.25 for non-tipped workers, and most states and municipalities don't have their own minimum wage laws. Most places offer well above the Federal Minimum because it's (rightfully) impossible to get people to work for that much. As such most places offer between 10 and 14 dollars for starting, unless you're a tipped employee like a server, in which case the company and uncle Sam are legally allowed to give you the middle finger.
The thing about the smell of animals sticking to you is absolutely true. It’s not exclusive to zoo workers either. People smell like their pets and you honestly can’t do much about it.
The zoo i went to growing up had a tiger (i think, or lion..) escape incident. Nothing happened but they built a new enclosure, so we would always point out the old enclosure.
I would find watching a lion hunt a deer to be fascinating. Also, they are cats. Big cats. Doesn't mean they can't fuck you up though Also hippos should definitely be "shoot on sight". Those things are extremely dangerous
Not zookeeper but... Grand canyon national park... 1. Dumbest question: "when do you let the wild animals out?" 2. Most aggressive animal: Squirrel- DO NOT HAND FEED. 3. Fact of site: the death rate average is 7 annually. This average is still going up. 4. Worst question: "I have tickets for the Zipline to phantom ranch from bright angel?!? So where is the Zipline?" Explaining 4... There is no Zipline. Some jackass scammer printed fake tickets for a "new attraction" at grand canyon in Vegas... There will never be a Zipline here- most of grand canyon is off limits for construction, and a Zipline would hit terminal velocity half way down.
I agree on the sea lions bit, dolphins and orcas Im not a fan of keeping captive, but sea lions really seem to behave like large dogs even out of the shows.
@@hexidecimark yeah I had to look it up after, turns out yeah, sealions pretty much do the best in captivity. Seems to be in their goofy social nature.
I’ve read somewhere that we technically have no measured way of designing enclosures to be gorilla-proof: not only because they’re really strong, but also because they’re way too smart.
The thing about foxes as pets is the same as any other pet tbh. You get nose blindness. Ive been to houses where you can just smell the wet dog or rabbit. Tbh my house probably smells some jind of way too, but like i said you bevome desensitized to it in your own home.
"why is Gen X so tough?" You realize we watched Mutual of Omaha's Animal Kingdom every week and every episode watched some preditor rip something to shreds, right? 😂
I managed an aquarium store in my hometown with a huuuuge saltwater display room - the closest thing to an actual aquarium within a 6 hour drive. We had an electrical failure during a thunderstorm and lost many of our most popular animals, including my little buddy Flapjack, who was a little Blue Spot ray that loved to splash kids who walked by. Tears were definitely shed.
The people working at zoos work extremely hard. It's extremely difficult to look after so many different animals with so many specific needs. The animals also get up to mischief often, such as that one orangutan that kept a hairpin or something between his upper lip and gum, and would lockpick his cage. Good education and sh*t pay? Yup. You have any idea how much work you need to be able to do and how much knowledge you need to have to take care of so many animals? No? Me neither, but it's definately a metric f*ck tonne. Can confirm the thing most zookeepers hate more than anything else, the one thing they would change about their job if they could, is they would keep the most annoying, loud, and straight up dumb animal ever found in a zoo out of it: the visitors.
The federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 an hour, same as it has been for over a decade, so any state that hasn't made it's own higher minimum wage, just has that $7.25 level. Here in Vermont, minimum wage is a bit over $13 an hour, so obviously businesses can afford a higher minimum wage, yet Congress won't raise the minimum wage, even though inflation has about doubled prices since the last minimum wage increase.
I'm laughing because the "announcer" was shocked that ANYWHERE had 7.25 an hour for minimum wage....as i'm sitting in Smyrna, Georgia. lol like I want to laugh but then...I'm just sad. MOST states in America pay either $7.25 or JUST above that. And if you work food service? prolly $2.13 an hour MAYBE with tips. Make it MAKE SENSE.
Story 4: I saw a sea lion show at a marine park in Australia (Mooloolaba Sea Life, Sunshine Coast). It was quite cool. All of the sea lions were rescued animals, i.e. stranded on land, was sick and was under human care for too long, has disabilities etc. One of the sea lions was put there because it got too used to humans and kept harassing people for food. So to keep people safe and to avoid culling, the park took it in. They performed tricks and at the end, a lucky volunteer is picked from the crowd to get soaked by the biggest sea lion (part of its performance is it would jump into the huge tank making the water spill out onto the audience). The handlers would tell us fun facts about the seals as they perform. One even showed us its "nails" when prompted, and let the trainer mess its fur up to show us that seals aren't smooth and hairless like dolphins.
Actually the federal minimum wage is STILL $7.25/hour in 2023. So no one actually has to pay even full time employees more than $7.25/hour but they do because no one will work for less than $15/hour.
Zoos are a lot of time either fund via donations or are owned by cities, zoos sometimes barely make funding resulting in less than stellar wages for staff. Also $7.25 is US federal minimum wage and is the minimum wage of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Wyoming and Georgia actually have lower minimum wages of $5.15 but due to the FFLSA, they default to $7.25
I didnt know people earn that much money, when he said that the minimum was 725 an hour. I want to think I missunderstood something because here a doctor earns around 450000 pesos or 450 dolars a month
i feel like few people realize that if any creature is going to shoot first and ask questions later, it's large herbivores. some herbivores will intentionally kill carnivores they think are a present or future threat - some will even *seek out* these carnivores and their young particularly to kill them before they're a problem form the herbivore's perspective. because of course, they don't want to take those chances just like the reason humans mercilessly killed out european wolves (who were known for preying intentionally on humans. meaning yes, most 'evil' wolf symbolism is *probably* referencing these extinct european wolves who literally used to eat us a few centuries back). if there is anything that is going to merc you just cuz it can, it's going to be a large herbivore or otherwise some large creature that isn't on the top of the food chain. barring jaguars, i frickin guess.
11:18 I'd like to think if he had Docent training or the qualifications to handle the Ray he’d get a pass but, yeah no- let the animal die then risk liability trying to save it. The zoo bureaucracy must be upheld lest legal troubles or potential AZA status comes into question/gets revoked.
Oh dear God, one time as a child I broke open a rotten walnut and for whatever primal reason I leaned in close and touched the yellow goo that was inside the shell with my bare hands. The smell wouldn't come out of my hand no matter how hard I scrubbed.
Going on about cheetahs: You're thinking of their subfamily, Felinae. Not to be confused with the larger family of Felidae which does include "big cats" aka Pantherinae. So the main difference between these two subfamilies is the structure of their hyoid bone, a little bone in their throats. Felinae have more rigid hyoids which allow for purring but not roaring. Cheetahs also chirp. It's adorable. One thing that should be mentioned is that while Cheetahs will hunt larger prey, it's just not as common. Normally it's brothers who'll hunt larger prey. The main reason Cheetahs don't attack humans is because the Cheetahs seen in sanctuaries or zoos were raised around humans. Wild Cheetahs are also very shy animals and recognize humans as predators/competition. They'd rather avoid humans entirely than try to confront them.
If you want to feed the zoo animals. Ask a zoo keeper to do a backstage toure pay the extra $$$$ sign your life away. Then you get to feed them and they wont eat something that will kill them. The same thing with toys. At my zoo thats what killed the hippo. A kid threw a red ball house ball in its enclosure it ate it probably thinking it was an apple and died from complecations from the ball being removed surgically
Until very recently, the USA Federal minimum wage was 7.25/hr. Strictly speaking, it still is. They just recently passed a bill on the Federal level to raise the minimum to 15/hr. But now cost of living on average requires 25+/hr.
@RezaQin minimum wage is the only reason millions of people in america didn't die of starvation when sales taxes started to bleed them dry. Minimum wage is the only reason what your father did to keep bread on your table, actually kept bread on your table, and wasn't a watered-down form of indentured servitude. You want to know why you make more than 3 cents a day? Federal minimum wage. You can not tell me that if given the opportunity, corporations would not simply refuse to pay their workers if they were not forced to by law, and you can not convince me that a corporation, given total free reign to set pay, would not set that pay to be the lowest people would accept and still do the work. And you would be shocked how little pay someone will take when the alternative is to starve to death.
Cheetahs are part of the felidae order which also includes mountain lions and domestic cats. while tigers,snow leopards leopards ,lions and jaguars are the pantheridae genus
Anyone who gets horrible animal smells that won't go away even when scrubbing off the first layer of skin should try using steel soap. It's literally just a piece of stainless steel shaped like a bar of hand soap but it works wonders. It's made for fishermen to get rid of the fishy smell on their hands but works just as well for the stinky old pee smell from billy goats and rams that will inevitably get on you if you are around them
8:43 So, just as a thing: Lions, decently strong, decent hunters, and decently fast, they are also group hunters. Bite force of 650 psi. Preferred finishing blow is usually puncturing or breaking the neck. Lions are also the second largest cat in the world. Tigers are stronger than lions, and decently good swimmers, also stealthier, and are solo hunters. Bite force of 1050 psi. Preferred finishing blow is the same as Lions. Tigers are the largest cat in the world, not counting hybrids. Jaguars are better swimmers, better climbers, even stealthier, and also solo hunters. Bite force of 1500 psi. Preferred finishing blow is just biting straight through the skull and brain of their victim. Jaguars are the fourth largest cat in the world, and third largest big cat specifically.
I went on a zoo tour and it was great because I was the only one that showed up so they let my boyfriend come for free too, he got to pat the rhinos, hold the snakes and feed the bears and big cats with me. We also got to ride around on a buggy when normally we would have to walk. Anyway the keeper told us the same thing about the zebras, she said that they are also the most dangerous to go into the enclosure with because they so flighty as a result of being prey animals. They spook easily and that they were known to stampede and potentially run over keepers. The stallions could also get aggressive to protect their mares. Was so interesting to find out that they considered them more dangerous to interact with than others. One of my favourite memories at our local zoo was I was walking through the Aquarium part with my mum when I was a little kid and I mentioned that I was sad the sun bear was gone and was wondering what happened to him and was worried he had died. A keeper overheard me and asked us if we wanted to see him and we absolutely said yes, we just had to be very quiet. He was being kept in a large private indoor enclosure and the keeper told us that he was recovering from surgery from skin cancer so he had to be kept indoors while the as the skin on his muzzle was exposed and sensitive to further sun damage. He was being kept away from the public as well to prevent stress while he recovered. The keeper said he wasn't supposed to show him to anyone but said I sounded so sad and worried for him that he wanted to show me he was okay and that he was heading in to go and feed him anyway so figured having us quietly watch would be okay. I had never been so close to the sun bear before as his usual outdoor enclosure was one that had you view from a distance and it was absolutely amazing to me to get to see him up so close while we watched the keeper feed him (it was glass so he was right up near the glass while being fed). I won't forget the kindness of that keeper, hearing me as a little kid so worried about the bear and choosing to show me he was okay even though he technically wasn't supposed to. That gesture honestly meant the world to me, I was a big animal nut (still am haha) and would get made fun of for it at school (kids will be mean about anything) and was bullied in general at school so having a complete stranger be so nice to me and want to reassure me when I was worried about the sun bear was honestly just so kind of him. My brother and sister missed out because they were looking at fish elsewhere so it is a really nice memory I get to share with just my mum. She still brings it up to people aswell XD The sun bear made a full recovery and he is still alive at our local zoo today, the skin cancer hasn't come back and he has even fathered a cub! The mother was a sun bear stolen from the wild as a cub by a bear bile farm and was rescued by an organisation but couldn't be released back into the wild because of not learning how to survive in the wild and being kept in a tiny cage for three years of her life. So she was brought to our zoo to be apart of the sun bear breeding program.
Oh another funny memory was when the emus escaped their enclosure. It was a walk through exhibit and some numpty left both gates open (there was two so when you entered or left you had one gate closed at all times when the other was open). I was with my mum, brother and sister. We were on the big cat boardwalk and turned around to see three emus just casually walking over towards us, almost like guests at the zoo coming to look at the big cats. They walked up to us but just chilled out, they were just exploring and were used to people patting them so they were pretty friendly. Wanted to investigate our bags and see if we had food on us but then continued on. We let a nearby keeper know where they went so that they could radio the keeper who was already out trying to locate them. They weren't a danger but understandably the keeper wanted them back and safe in their enclosure. We have a running joke that our mum seems to attract emus because at another point (not at the zoo) we were having a barbecue at a park and a wild emu came over to steal our sausages. My mum hadn't separated them so the emu grabbed one but took the rest by accident so my mum ended up having to do tug of war with an emu over a string of sausages. It was so funny, I wish smart phones with the camera quality we have now were a thing when I was a little kid because it was hilarious and would have made a great video to put online XD There was also a hand raised capuchin at the zoo who had to be relocated to a more secure enclosure because he figured out that if he swam over the little moat and laid a branch over the electric fence he could climb out without getting a shock. The reason he kept escaping? To steal meat pies from guests at the nearby cafe.
Not sure why but I couldn't stop watching the game on screen and wonder why the player blew themselves up over and over. Somebody take away them grenades lol
Yep! They are all in the subfamily Felinae, which is the Small Cats. The only two Genus of Big Cats, subfamily Pantherinae, are Panthera (Lions, Tigers, Leopards, Jaguars, Snow Leopards) and Neofelis (Clouded Leopards) all other cats are Small Cats. Except for the extinct Saber-Toothed cats, but Machairodontinae is a tale for another day.
Zebras are very aggressive. A mam in TX got his arm ripped off by his pet Zebra. Donkeys and Zebras are very smart, even more then horses. And they remember all the wrong done to them. Monkeys kindda suck sometimes. They get tormented alot at zoos, and so they will throw their own feces at people. Alot. Monkeys and their related cousins need a ton of interactive type things to be happy.
not sure if this counts, and im not a zookeeper, but when i was in a zoo with my family (though at this moment i only was with my brother) i saw 2 people fr*nch kissing. it was also quite long, like they were still doing it after we deciced to leave the place after i think 30 seconds - 1 minute. also there were quite a lot of children, like a lot. its fine if you do this, but why in a public zoo? and why in a place with so many children?
soooooo to answer this question, 3:09, ive been to one its fricking amazing. it was a dolphin show but still, A DOLPHIN JUMPED 40 FEET INTO THE AIR!!!!!
One thing I find interesting about cheetahs is how beneficial a therapy dog is to them. They get a cheetah cub, and get a puppy too, two come best pals. Puppy is the therapy dog. Also, I believe white tigers are man bred, made by humans… quite unethical with the issues they have, but hey, who cares… you get a tiger that’s white. All for their looks. Shouldn’t be bred, and the fact people did it in the first place is idiotic. They’re a hybrid between Bengal tigers and Siberian tigers, serve no conservation purposes. No purposes at all but looks.
My sister Works at a zoo and is one of the people trained to use the long arms they keep in case of excape. She cares for feeds and loves the lions she works with but if they get out she would have to shoot them
I’m not a zookeeper. But when I was visiting one time I saw a venomous snake and reported it, they’re indigenous to the area of Texas I grew up in, and this zoo was a Texan zoo. It was a wild rattlesnake, I used to run cross country and oftentimes ran next to a pond that was home to water moccasins. I always kept running because if I reacted or slowed down, there was actually a higher chance that I’d get bitten doing that because of my lower overall speed. Anyways, I notified zookeepers who initially thought it was a coral snake that had escaped a day ago. I never went back to that zoo. Also, I’m slightly terrified of snakes and I’m surprised I didn’t kill it, as that’s my typical reaction when I’m not running. I get a big stick and try to take it’s head off if I don’t have my shovel/entrenching tool. This insensitivity I have towards snakes, or reaction time to kill them, makes me oddly valuable as the only Texan who has dealt with snakes in my unit, since I’m now in the army. My LT has called me numerous times over getting rid of them, though I’ll also be honest when I say, I keep king-snakes. King snakes will eat other snakes, my unit has seen that first hand and now listens when I say what a “good snake” versus a “bad snake,” is. Dunno why I’ve interacted with them so much though, it’s actually kinda odd.
![[Full Story] I Worked Multiple Jobs to Put Myself Through College While My Dad Spent Everything on..](/img/1.gif)
"Foxes are cats running on dog hardware" is now one of my favorite things
with dolphin audio
with a dolphin soundboard lol
My cousin interned at the Fort Worth Zoo and has informed me that RHINOS are weirdly chill. She said any time they needed to clean the enclosure, the rhinos would just lean on the fence or the trees watching them without getting in the way.
Yeah Rhinos are pretty calm as long as you don't give them a reason to see you as a threat.
I love living close to the Fort Worth Zoo. It's genuinely one of the best Zoos in the nation that's not a Theme Park. (eg. Animal Kingdom, SeaWorld, ect.) Every time people form out of state come to visit they always comment how much better it is compared to the one near them.
The last story.
No. That Tiger did appreciate the company. It's not weird to think that way. Animals have feelings too. They're different, yes but, not THAT different.
props to the commenter for spending their time with the tiger
I'm in college for zookeeping and at our zoo our capuchin monkeys are absolutely terrified of frogs. During the rainy season when frogs are abundant all you can hear across campus is capuchins barking at their amphibian nemesis.
Don't they live close to poison dart frogs in the wild? Instinct says frog shaped things are dangerous,so monkey follows instinct
The #1 animal in the KOS (kill on sight) list is the chimpanzee, while gorillas and orangutans can be tranquilized chimpanzees are too unpredictable so you can't take the risk.
I remember when I was a kid, wanting to be a zookeeper so I could spend time with animals. This makes me kinda glad I didn't go down that path. Zookeepers also work in horrible conditions.
That last one with the tiger, that absolutely meant a lot to him and you are not silly for thinking so. Animals have a much higher emotional intelligence than we think they do.
for animals it is actually significant, when they form some bond with people
while not a zookeper, I've seen animal interrupt feeding time to just go and say hi to keepers getting in the area multiple times, which is something that is still impossible in the public eye
Many animals are more social than we realize. Especially if that person feeds them or entertains them.
Worked at an aquarium (...fish zoo?). The person talking about the dolphin trainers is right. The wet suit people are pretty jock-ish. Some are nice, but a lot are kinda snobbish. The otter and penguin people were usually all very sweet. The dolphins always CREEPED ME TF OUT. I had to go into precarious parts of the habitats at times, and they really enjoyed scaring me and surprising me, and those mfs WOULD LAUGH ABOUT IT. Creepy af.
Dolphins and their cousins Orcas are just dicks tbh
Huh that's interesting. I guess it kind of makes sense given how people think about those types of animals. Dolphins are pretty smart. Guess they wanted to entertain themselves but can still imagine what you mean. Does sound creepy.
Dolphins are unbelievably sadistic. They’re well known for raping or torturing other animals to death
Dolphins are sometimes mean-spirited in the wild so I guess it's not a huge surprise.
thats putting it REALLY lightly@@randomchild4223
The giraffe I used to work with back when I played at zookeeping (before getting a job that paid more than pocket change) liked to sneak up on me while I was cleaning its area in order to try to pee on me. The first time he did it he almost got me right on the head.... I looked up and got quite a shock, then took off just before the waterfall.
Tigers are some of my favorite animals to work with. The are almost dog like in the way they play and cuddle... but they don't know their own strength. We had one that went on walks with me, on a leash... I'm 6 ft tall and about 225 lbs... once she nearly wrenched both arms out of socket when she got surprised on a walk, she was less than a year old at that time.
Monkeys are a-holes... They love messing with people in rather horrid ways. They will sling poo, disassemble their pens then mess with you when you come to fix it, steal anything and everything, and ignore all toys and puzzles we give them in favor of torturing their "favorite" keepers.
I've been injured more often by farm animals, specifically pigs and goats, than any of the exotic animals I have worked with. We had a rescued pot-bellied pig that would stampede across the entire field just to body-slam keepers to the ground and try to gore them with her, non-existent, tusks. There were several times where we sent each other flying, remember I am not small. When I saw her coming I would raise my foot to block and would end up vaulting over the pig while she skidded on the ground where I used to be.
The goats just liked to headbutt you when you weren't paying attention.
At first I thought it was horrible for employees being paid so little, but then I realized the majority of the money is going towards food and supplies for the animals. I don't work at a zoo, but I volunteer for a nonprofit wildlife rehab. Any money we get is from donations and it goes towards the animals, and you won't believe how much food is used in a week.
It's STILL Horrible that they are being paid so little. Sure the majority goes to food and supplies but the fact that the people who are expected to HANDLE the feeding and the care are being paid so incredibly little is... insane and in many ways unacceptable.
foxes generally aren't that dangerous (unless they have rabies but nearly anything can have rabies) their bite strength is very weak.
A house cat can bite with the force of 70 psi, a red fox is only a bit stronger around 90 psi.
A Rottweiler's bite strength is around 350 psi.
I would have been that kid watching the deer getting shredded by the lion who said “awesome!”
same
I work at a zoo from close to midnight. Not a keeper, but being there alone i get some interesting encounters. For one, i have had to square up with some painted dogs one night. These things have the most layers to their enclosure, more than the tiger, lions, heck, even the bear (oh my!). However, the rear of their enclosure is a weak spot, with just a lil chain link and some cement next to the dirt. Well, somebody left a warehouse door open for our building supply storage, so i had to close it, making a huge racket. I turn aroudn to see 3 dogs staring at me through the night right up against the fence line. I could see theyd dug into the dirt a bit and thankfully found the edge of some asphalt. So i had to square off with them until they realized they wouldnt get an easy one off me. Made myself big and watched them until they finally tucked their tails and slinked off into the darkness of their enclosure.
Two, had a jaguar try stalking me. Never a good idea to let them think they can stalk you, so i flashed my light in its direction to let it know i saw it. Hasnt played any stalking games with me since.
3. Guests really are the worst of it. Theyll try to climb fences, wade ponds, reach through to animals, and generally bother them. Its immensely frustrating to round a corner and see a whole family, adults included, all trying to climb into the otter exhibit and have to deal with them civilly. How would you like if i showed up at your door, forced my way inside and then just started trying to touch you and say youre pretty as you were on your couch trying to watch tv? You wouldnt, so dont do the same to the animals.
14:20 white tigers are not really rare. Naturally occurring ones are, but in captivity they can be created through the practice of inbreeding.
As a result, there are many white tigers with deformities like cleft palates, and behavioural issues
Cheetahs will also spit on you, similar to how a house cat spits/hisses, when upset.
I normally don't care for human voices reading videos like this and adding in commentary but this was actually quite enjoyable. Thank you 😊
used to work the gift shop at a zoo. Policy was to tranquilize everything. Except the chimpanzees. They were the only animals on the kill first ask questions later list. And this zoo had panthers, tigers and even leopards. But the chimps were the biggest issue. If you've spent evfn five minutes near a chimp you'll know they're absolute menaces that won't hesitate to rip your face off if given the chance.
Another zoo I worked at had ostriches but no big cats. This was because an ostrich had gotten into what used to be the lion enclosure and kicked the lion that came near or so hard the poor thing's jaw broke. The lion is okay and living happily at a sanctuary. The ostrich was shot on sight.
The meanest creature I’ve worked with was a toucan lmao. The other toucans were fine. Gentle, even. But this one particular little dude would constantly nip at anybody who stepped into the enclosure to change his water. We’d have to watch out fingers while bringing his fruit bowl because he would nip HARD at us to try and get us to drop it because the little guy hated us so much he’d rather eat his food off the ground than endure our presence long enough for us to set it down on his little pedestal
1:46- 1:49 I've seen the peacocks at my zoo and I've had that exact same thought.
I’m just waiting for something like the rhinos, zebra, giant anteater, or capybara to do something unexpected to one of the Peacocks.
as a kid in pennsylvania, there was an exhibit at a local with a white and orange tiger duo and when the white tiger passed it became national news, but everyone brushed it off because they were really old... kind of weird hearing that story now
Might be connected.
Fun Fact about the cat world, they can either Purr or Roar. So if a cat can purr it can not roar and vice versa
Unless you’re a clouded leopard- then you just sort of fail at both, in an adorable way
@@averycheesypotatoClouded Leopards are actually Big Cats! The Genus Neofelis is in the same subfamily as the Panthera Genus. (Lion, Tigers, Leopards, Jaguars, Snow Leopards) that subfamily being called Pantherinae.
@@Wolfie54545 They may be classed as big cats, but are seen as the connection between big & small cats.
Their vocalizations don’t fit so neatly into either category either
Yes, zebras can be really bad. My experience with them was overall decent, but they have a high fight drive and use it. People who keep big cats or other predators typically won't own zebras.
Kinda weird since y'know the zebras are plant eaters.....
@@DrawciaGleam02 You're looking at it from the wrong angle. They have to be able to defend themselves against predators, a lot of them that work in groups, and for zebras, being able to fight off a predator, is a boon. Prey species are not nice just because they eat plants. Predators aren't mean just because they eat meat. Predators are less pressed by other animals. Prey species are pressed by almost everything.
@@LostSoulchild89 I have seen zebras gang up on a giraffe for no particular reason, but there were one mare who would squish people up against the fence and pet herself on them? Arabian/Dromdary camels are actually domesticated, but they like to mess with critters that run from them just for fun. Strangely dog-like in all ways but super smart. Overall, when it comes to working with animals, expect the unexpected and learn individuals. It's a fun time.
Here's one event I had when around a docent.
A bird (looked like a small heron) entered the Giant anteater exhibit in the zoo and got stuck in some bamboo.
Then as if in slow motion, the anteater approached it and started investigating.
Bare in mind, giant anteaters have lousy eyesight but amazing smell and hearing, as well as sharp claws.
So, it starts clawing at this bird, all while it's flailing and squawking until it's been freed from the bamboo….. Only to be dragged while still alive and eviscerated into bloody ribbons.
The most ironic thing was, moments before, the docent was telling people that they ate ants and termites and were vegetarian, only for it to do all that and start consuming the blood.
damn talk about a traumatic zoo experience
@@Theellephantintheroom well to be fair, I was shadowing that Docent so I was already in the “education” mindset instead of a guest mindset.
Also I feel like it was similar to the deer falling into the lion exhibit, horrified Adults and screaming kids.
Only for me, it was fascinating to see our male Giant anteater showing of territorial behavior and “enriching” himself at the expense of this Black-crowned Night Heron (found out the name later on).
Only thing I had to do was call the keepers on the emergency line so that they can remove the bisected heron corpse after they called the anteater off habitat.
But yeah, it was pretty cool to witness something you would normally see in the wild in the comfort of the zoo.
@@Dr.Sho_Minamimoto Lol I'd prolly be cackling though because I find gore and trauma delicious and hilarious for some reason
I'm a zookeeper and have to honestly say as far as foxes go their pee does smell extremely rank, it smells like cat pee mixed with human urine..it does come out but you basically have two options which is soaking in vinegar or rubbing alcohol. I helped bottle raise three kits for my job and still watch them sometimes and it's amazing, but I have to steam clean the floors of their room every night with a vinegar and water mixture along with wiping every surface in their potty area down with rubbing alcohol.
It never smells according to people I've brought over but it damn sure takes a lot of work, I'm talking working from 8am to 6pm and then coming home to steam clean the entire floors, wash all their bedding and wipe down their room every night which takes roughly an hour depending on how messy they were that day, afterwards I have to soak in a eucalyptus and baking soda bath to get rid of the smell. Not to mention they are nocturnal, and that annoying song you heard about foxes? isn't too far off at all, they will scream all night and sound like a thousand sqeaky toys going off at once but at car alarm volumes, so yeah not the best pet for a person who wants to keep their sanity.
Edit: also, not a lot of people know this but cheetahs are actually extremely inbred, at one point there was less than 100 of them and they inbred so much that they developed shorter jaw muscles and other traits that make them very different to cheetahs from back in the day.
The parrot in story two, total legend😂
Don't some zoos, in regards to story 19, provide cheetahs with emotional support dogs?
Yes! My local zoo's cheetah has a dog friend.
Yeah. I've heard about it.
Bobcats actually smelled worse then the skunks at our zoo.
Many types of cats can void their anal glands just like a skunk. This causes the smell.
To answer your "where does he live that minimum wage is 7.25 an hour" question. That's the federal minimum wage. Employers don't have to pay above that if they don't want to, so it's literally everywhere in the US. The wages you see that are higher are from places who can't get employees or keep employees. Zoos would be different in the respect a love of animals is what keeps the keepers coming back. Especially if they keeper has bonded with their animals. They become your family and you want to protect them because the next guy might not be as good. So props to the keepers who are underpaid and overworked.
Just like ferrets or skunks you can have foxes de-gland. It will take some time, but the smell does go away. The bigger issue with foxes is 1) they are a more nocturnal animal. 2) they are LOUD af. 3) they dig.... A LOT! Hope you have a good sized backyard that you don't mind gets tore up cuz they make burrows everywhere.
Fun fact about Cheetahs, well maybe not so fun, but they tend to have anxiety. I mean in the wild they are the bitches of the savannah. Speed is literally all they have when compared to other large cats. That said, there are cheetahs in zoos who have dogs as anxiety companions. Its super adorable to see, what is considered a big cat just playfully rough housing with their golden lab buddy.
I am like number 766, and you got a new subscriber from me, because A) you are actually reading the stories B) Providing your own commentary with the stories when relevant. it's the commentary that makes each of the video unique, i may have heard the stories before, but not someone's unique view on said stories.
Zebras are more ruthless than you think. I heard one story how a gardener was working and the owners just happened to own zebras, the gardener man was working shirtless, and the zebra approached him by the fences and made off with his nipple.
I work at a marine park. All of the animals we have are trained with positive reinforcement because it's both more humane and more effective than punishing them when they do things incorrectly. Things like sea lion shows are done voluntarily from the animals. They have learned through years of training that if they do certain behaviors when asked, they get rewarded, whether it's with food or a toy or a back rub or something else they enjoy. That being said, an adult sea lion can weigh anywhere from a couple hundred to over a thousand lbs, so if they don't want to come out and do a show, there's not really anything we can do about it. I have personally seen a show get canceled midway through because a sea lion decided he wanted to goof around instead.
If foxes are cats running on dog hardware, cheetah's are dogs running on cat hardware.
My best friends hubby used to work at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. He was a groundskeeper, so didn't have much to do with the animals. The thing with Taronga Zoo, is it's in Australia so, hot in summer. It's also on the foreshore in Sydney. The Giraffes have a great view but it has many steep hills. Part of his job was basically just cleaning up human vomit. Hot day, walking up hills, have a sugary drink. Have another, forget to eat, walk up hill in the sun, have another sugary drink.
Sugary drinks, hot days and steep hills apparently don't agree with many people. Use sunscreen, wear hats, sunnies and long sleeves, drink water or sports drinks people, not coke or pepsi. And enjoy the view while you watch the free flight show. It's amazing.
I know some zoos are accredited zoos that are part of are typically non profit organization and rely on grants and state funding to stay open and any profit made off of gift shops, food, and tickets are what goes to electric bills and some to employees that’s why salaries are so low though salaries also depends on what state or country you are employed in. 15 is considered minimum wage in some states while 8 is minimum in others.
This is true, in the USA there are usually the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) while other countries can qualify through AZA but also have their own accreditation organization .
If you are not part of anything like the AZA you still have to pass some inspection from government bodies such as the DEA and the like for the USA and other countries with their governmental body equivalent.
I know for Arizona zoo keepers have $15 for minimum wage, they even have a poster in the zoo staff breakroom saying just that.
I'm a massive fan and nerd about our local zoo. I've been going there since I was born. Because of our relative small size, sadly some of the normal "tranq and recaptures" have to be on the "shoot to kill". The most likely reason one would be loose is earthquake, and the numbers mean we wouldn't have enough time to respond nor territory of safety to try and recapture them. We usually have 5 on that list at any one time
More cheetah fun facts: they are very high strung and you will often see them paired with dogs as this allows them to take social cues from animals that know how to interact calmly or happily with humans, making them absolute kittens. They also CHIRP, it's so adorable it's criminal!
Two of the biggest "secrets" are that the zebras were meant to be included in the savannah area - giraffes, nyala, ostritches… and zebra! But the zebra, true to their nature, were absolute jerks and caused the other animals great strife, so they were returned to their old enclosure and left to live out the rest of their time off display, then not replaced.
The other one is a bit more of a secret. We used to have baboons (and if you aren't scared of those… you are wrong. They were the highest priority on the STK list). They had been moved into an enclosure near the back of the zoo for some years. They were often down at the glass, and I personally witnessed one screech and slap the glass when a child interacted with her own child, threatening the human kid while they smiled innocently.
They, uh, apparently just… turned on each other one night?
So yeah, we don't have baboons anymore.
"Where does this guy live where Minimum Wage is 7.25 an hour?" It might surprise you to learn this if you live in some states (I assume you're American too) with a decent minimum wage, but most of the US, actually. The Federal Minimum Wage is 7.25 for non-tipped workers, and most states and municipalities don't have their own minimum wage laws. Most places offer well above the Federal Minimum because it's (rightfully) impossible to get people to work for that much. As such most places offer between 10 and 14 dollars for starting, unless you're a tipped employee like a server, in which case the company and uncle Sam are legally allowed to give you the middle finger.
At San Diego zoo I saw 3 male zebras going for it. I had a bit of a giggle when I saw it, but the gay couple next to me absolutely lost it
Last story got me teary eyed can’t lie
Yeah , it didn't make me cry - However I feel there should be a movie made about it .
♑✍️🇳🇴🇦🇺
I saw the sea lion show and dolphin show at the Georgia aquarium earlier this year. All the animals looked like they were enjoying themselves.
The dolphin’s smile is nature’s greatest deception
Cheetahs are absolutely adorable. The fact that they purr and meow like housecats is the cutest thing to me.
Cheetahs are in the subfamily of cats called Felinae. This is the “small cat” subfamily. Cheetahs are small cats.
Acinonyx is the Genus.
Gotta say.... the timing of the discord ad was impeccable.
The thing about the smell of animals sticking to you is absolutely true. It’s not exclusive to zoo workers either. People smell like their pets and you honestly can’t do much about it.
The zoo i went to growing up had a tiger (i think, or lion..) escape incident. Nothing happened but they built a new enclosure, so we would always point out the old enclosure.
I would find watching a lion hunt a deer to be fascinating.
Also, they are cats. Big cats. Doesn't mean they can't fuck you up though
Also hippos should definitely be "shoot on sight". Those things are extremely dangerous
7.25 an hour is minimum wage in North Dakota so... probably the USA
it's the Federal minimum wage.
Not zookeeper but... Grand canyon national park...
1. Dumbest question: "when do you let the wild animals out?"
2. Most aggressive animal: Squirrel- DO NOT HAND FEED.
3. Fact of site: the death rate average is 7 annually. This average is still going up.
4. Worst question: "I have tickets for the Zipline to phantom ranch from bright angel?!? So where is the Zipline?"
Explaining 4... There is no Zipline. Some jackass scammer printed fake tickets for a "new attraction" at grand canyon in Vegas...
There will never be a Zipline here- most of grand canyon is off limits for construction, and a Zipline would hit terminal velocity half way down.
That's a good question, however dismaying the answer may be.
I agree on the sea lions bit, dolphins and orcas Im not a fan of keeping captive, but sea lions really seem to behave like large dogs even out of the shows.
Having seen them in the wild, I must say they also act like dogs there, too. Their faces can look remarkably similar, too.
@@hexidecimark yeah I had to look it up after, turns out yeah, sealions pretty much do the best in captivity. Seems to be in their goofy social nature.
I’ve read somewhere that we technically have no measured way of designing enclosures to be gorilla-proof: not only because they’re really strong, but also because they’re way too smart.
The poor baby flamingos omg
Cheetahs = Cute
Jaguars = A-holes
The thing about foxes as pets is the same as any other pet tbh. You get nose blindness. Ive been to houses where you can just smell the wet dog or rabbit. Tbh my house probably smells some jind of way too, but like i said you bevome desensitized to it in your own home.
"why is Gen X so tough?" You realize we watched Mutual of Omaha's Animal Kingdom every week and every episode watched some preditor rip something to shreds, right? 😂
I managed an aquarium store in my hometown with a huuuuge saltwater display room - the closest thing to an actual aquarium within a 6 hour drive. We had an electrical failure during a thunderstorm and lost many of our most popular animals, including my little buddy Flapjack, who was a little Blue Spot ray that loved to splash kids who walked by. Tears were definitely shed.
Awwwww the last story!!!! He has a friend now!!😢❤
That last one was really sweet.
I feel like some homestucks got flashbacks with that first story
The people working at zoos work extremely hard. It's extremely difficult to look after so many different animals with so many specific needs. The animals also get up to mischief often, such as that one orangutan that kept a hairpin or something between his upper lip and gum, and would lockpick his cage.
Good education and sh*t pay? Yup. You have any idea how much work you need to be able to do and how much knowledge you need to have to take care of so many animals? No? Me neither, but it's definately a metric f*ck tonne.
Can confirm the thing most zookeepers hate more than anything else, the one thing they would change about their job if they could, is they would keep the most annoying, loud, and straight up dumb animal ever found in a zoo out of it: the visitors.
U neeeeeeed more subs just found ur channel ( that I know of ) but ur vids r amazing
The federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 an hour, same as it has been for over a decade, so any state that hasn't made it's own higher minimum wage, just has that $7.25 level.
Here in Vermont, minimum wage is a bit over $13 an hour, so obviously businesses can afford a higher minimum wage, yet Congress won't raise the minimum wage, even though inflation has about doubled prices since the last minimum wage increase.
I'm laughing because the "announcer" was shocked that ANYWHERE had 7.25 an hour for minimum wage....as i'm sitting in Smyrna, Georgia. lol like I want to laugh but then...I'm just sad. MOST states in America pay either $7.25 or JUST above that. And if you work food service? prolly $2.13 an hour MAYBE with tips. Make it MAKE SENSE.
Story 4: I saw a sea lion show at a marine park in Australia (Mooloolaba Sea Life, Sunshine Coast). It was quite cool. All of the sea lions were rescued animals, i.e. stranded on land, was sick and was under human care for too long, has disabilities etc. One of the sea lions was put there because it got too used to humans and kept harassing people for food. So to keep people safe and to avoid culling, the park took it in. They performed tricks and at the end, a lucky volunteer is picked from the crowd to get soaked by the biggest sea lion (part of its performance is it would jump into the huge tank making the water spill out onto the audience). The handlers would tell us fun facts about the seals as they perform. One even showed us its "nails" when prompted, and let the trainer mess its fur up to show us that seals aren't smooth and hairless like dolphins.
4:41 it's called the United States of America. At least at the federal level it's 7-25
Correction: zoo managers are managers, period.
we are at the point where we censor "NSFW"? holy shit, how far did humanity fall.
Actually the federal minimum wage is STILL $7.25/hour in 2023. So no one actually has to pay even full time employees more than $7.25/hour but they do because no one will work for less than $15/hour.
Zoos are a lot of time either fund via donations or are owned by cities, zoos sometimes barely make funding resulting in less than stellar wages for staff. Also $7.25 is US federal minimum wage and is the minimum wage of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Wyoming and Georgia actually have lower minimum wages of $5.15 but due to the FFLSA, they default to $7.25
Rip to the poor bucket
I didnt know people earn that much money, when he said that the minimum was 725 an hour. I want to think I missunderstood something because here a doctor earns around 450000 pesos or 450 dolars a month
7.25 an hour is minimum in TX
how could you forget that cheetahs can also meow? its very cute, you gotta see it ❤😻
Still want a fox, yes I’ve been to a rescue and experienced the smell
i feel like few people realize that if any creature is going to shoot first and ask questions later, it's large herbivores. some herbivores will intentionally kill carnivores they think are a present or future threat - some will even *seek out* these carnivores and their young particularly to kill them before they're a problem form the herbivore's perspective. because of course, they don't want to take those chances just like the reason humans mercilessly killed out european wolves (who were known for preying intentionally on humans. meaning yes, most 'evil' wolf symbolism is *probably* referencing these extinct european wolves who literally used to eat us a few centuries back). if there is anything that is going to merc you just cuz it can, it's going to be a large herbivore or otherwise some large creature that isn't on the top of the food chain.
barring jaguars, i frickin guess.
11:18 I'd like to think if he had Docent training or the qualifications to handle the Ray he’d get a pass but, yeah no- let the animal die then risk liability trying to save it.
The zoo bureaucracy must be upheld lest legal troubles or potential AZA status comes into question/gets revoked.
Story 10 Foxes.. dangerous, you must of lived your whole life in a city 😂
12:27 scratched by 😂oh that tickled me
Oh dear God, one time as a child I broke open a rotten walnut and for whatever primal reason I leaned in close and touched the yellow goo that was inside the shell with my bare hands. The smell wouldn't come out of my hand no matter how hard I scrubbed.
Going on about cheetahs: You're thinking of their subfamily, Felinae. Not to be confused with the larger family of Felidae which does include "big cats" aka Pantherinae. So the main difference between these two subfamilies is the structure of their hyoid bone, a little bone in their throats. Felinae have more rigid hyoids which allow for purring but not roaring. Cheetahs also chirp. It's adorable.
One thing that should be mentioned is that while Cheetahs will hunt larger prey, it's just not as common. Normally it's brothers who'll hunt larger prey. The main reason Cheetahs don't attack humans is because the Cheetahs seen in sanctuaries or zoos were raised around humans. Wild Cheetahs are also very shy animals and recognize humans as predators/competition. They'd rather avoid humans entirely than try to confront them.
If you want to feed the zoo animals. Ask a zoo keeper to do a backstage toure pay the extra $$$$ sign your life away. Then you get to feed them and they wont eat something that will kill them. The same thing with toys. At my zoo thats what killed the hippo. A kid threw a red ball house ball in its enclosure it ate it probably thinking it was an apple and died from complecations from the ball being removed surgically
7.25 hourly is Wisconsin, but probably more.
Until very recently, the USA Federal minimum wage was 7.25/hr. Strictly speaking, it still is. They just recently passed a bill on the Federal level to raise the minimum to 15/hr. But now cost of living on average requires 25+/hr.
Minimum wage is a tax that caused inflation.
@RezaQin minimum wage is the only reason millions of people in america didn't die of starvation when sales taxes started to bleed them dry. Minimum wage is the only reason what your father did to keep bread on your table, actually kept bread on your table, and wasn't a watered-down form of indentured servitude. You want to know why you make more than 3 cents a day? Federal minimum wage. You can not tell me that if given the opportunity, corporations would not simply refuse to pay their workers if they were not forced to by law, and you can not convince me that a corporation, given total free reign to set pay, would not set that pay to be the lowest people would accept and still do the work. And you would be shocked how little pay someone will take when the alternative is to starve to death.
Cheetahs are part of the felidae order which also includes mountain lions and domestic cats. while tigers,snow leopards leopards ,lions and jaguars are the pantheridae genus
Anyone who gets horrible animal smells that won't go away even when scrubbing off the first layer of skin should try using steel soap. It's literally just a piece of stainless steel shaped like a bar of hand soap but it works wonders. It's made for fishermen to get rid of the fishy smell on their hands but works just as well for the stinky old pee smell from billy goats and rams that will inevitably get on you if you are around them
8:43
So, just as a thing:
Lions, decently strong, decent hunters, and decently fast, they are also group hunters. Bite force of 650 psi. Preferred finishing blow is usually puncturing or breaking the neck.
Lions are also the second largest cat in the world.
Tigers are stronger than lions, and decently good swimmers, also stealthier, and are solo hunters. Bite force of 1050 psi. Preferred finishing blow is the same as Lions.
Tigers are the largest cat in the world, not counting hybrids.
Jaguars are better swimmers, better climbers, even stealthier, and also solo hunters. Bite force of 1500 psi. Preferred finishing blow is just biting straight through the skull and brain of their victim.
Jaguars are the fourth largest cat in the world, and third largest big cat specifically.
I'm sorry but how do u just pull legs off an animal‽‽‽
I went on a zoo tour and it was great because I was the only one that showed up so they let my boyfriend come for free too, he got to pat the rhinos, hold the snakes and feed the bears and big cats with me. We also got to ride around on a buggy when normally we would have to walk. Anyway the keeper told us the same thing about the zebras, she said that they are also the most dangerous to go into the enclosure with because they so flighty as a result of being prey animals. They spook easily and that they were known to stampede and potentially run over keepers. The stallions could also get aggressive to protect their mares. Was so interesting to find out that they considered them more dangerous to interact with than others.
One of my favourite memories at our local zoo was I was walking through the Aquarium part with my mum when I was a little kid and I mentioned that I was sad the sun bear was gone and was wondering what happened to him and was worried he had died. A keeper overheard me and asked us if we wanted to see him and we absolutely said yes, we just had to be very quiet. He was being kept in a large private indoor enclosure and the keeper told us that he was recovering from surgery from skin cancer so he had to be kept indoors while the as the skin on his muzzle was exposed and sensitive to further sun damage. He was being kept away from the public as well to prevent stress while he recovered. The keeper said he wasn't supposed to show him to anyone but said I sounded so sad and worried for him that he wanted to show me he was okay and that he was heading in to go and feed him anyway so figured having us quietly watch would be okay. I had never been so close to the sun bear before as his usual outdoor enclosure was one that had you view from a distance and it was absolutely amazing to me to get to see him up so close while we watched the keeper feed him (it was glass so he was right up near the glass while being fed). I won't forget the kindness of that keeper, hearing me as a little kid so worried about the bear and choosing to show me he was okay even though he technically wasn't supposed to. That gesture honestly meant the world to me, I was a big animal nut (still am haha) and would get made fun of for it at school (kids will be mean about anything) and was bullied in general at school so having a complete stranger be so nice to me and want to reassure me when I was worried about the sun bear was honestly just so kind of him. My brother and sister missed out because they were looking at fish elsewhere so it is a really nice memory I get to share with just my mum. She still brings it up to people aswell XD
The sun bear made a full recovery and he is still alive at our local zoo today, the skin cancer hasn't come back and he has even fathered a cub! The mother was a sun bear stolen from the wild as a cub by a bear bile farm and was rescued by an organisation but couldn't be released back into the wild because of not learning how to survive in the wild and being kept in a tiny cage for three years of her life. So she was brought to our zoo to be apart of the sun bear breeding program.
Oh another funny memory was when the emus escaped their enclosure. It was a walk through exhibit and some numpty left both gates open (there was two so when you entered or left you had one gate closed at all times when the other was open). I was with my mum, brother and sister. We were on the big cat boardwalk and turned around to see three emus just casually walking over towards us, almost like guests at the zoo coming to look at the big cats. They walked up to us but just chilled out, they were just exploring and were used to people patting them so they were pretty friendly. Wanted to investigate our bags and see if we had food on us but then continued on. We let a nearby keeper know where they went so that they could radio the keeper who was already out trying to locate them. They weren't a danger but understandably the keeper wanted them back and safe in their enclosure. We have a running joke that our mum seems to attract emus because at another point (not at the zoo) we were having a barbecue at a park and a wild emu came over to steal our sausages. My mum hadn't separated them so the emu grabbed one but took the rest by accident so my mum ended up having to do tug of war with an emu over a string of sausages. It was so funny, I wish smart phones with the camera quality we have now were a thing when I was a little kid because it was hilarious and would have made a great video to put online XD
There was also a hand raised capuchin at the zoo who had to be relocated to a more secure enclosure because he figured out that if he swam over the little moat and laid a branch over the electric fence he could climb out without getting a shock. The reason he kept escaping? To steal meat pies from guests at the nearby cafe.
Did they really censor NSFW? This world is getting weird.
I’ve noticed this on other videos lately, lots of new speak coming from fooling algorithms
Honestly some chimps are the only animals I’d consider a shoot first, ask questions later.
Not sure why but I couldn't stop watching the game on screen and wonder why the player blew themselves up over and over. Somebody take away them grenades lol
Never did highschool biology my highschool butt is so damn jealous
Cheetahs are not big cats because they purr and chirp instead of roar . Reasons why cougars and snow leopards are also not big cats
Yep! They are all in the subfamily Felinae, which is the Small Cats. The only two Genus of Big Cats, subfamily Pantherinae, are Panthera (Lions, Tigers, Leopards, Jaguars, Snow Leopards) and Neofelis (Clouded Leopards) all other cats are Small Cats.
Except for the extinct Saber-Toothed cats, but Machairodontinae is a tale for another day.
“Wait you’re watching this on you tube”
Zebras are very aggressive. A mam in TX got his arm ripped off by his pet Zebra. Donkeys and Zebras are very smart, even more then horses. And they remember all the wrong done to them.
Monkeys kindda suck sometimes. They get tormented alot at zoos, and so they will throw their own feces at people. Alot. Monkeys and their related cousins need a ton of interactive type things to be happy.
16 its the same for me with horses i have no problem picking horse poop up with my hands if need be its just broken down grass, hay and oats
not sure if this counts, and im not a zookeeper, but when i was in a zoo with my family (though at this moment i only was with my brother) i saw 2 people fr*nch kissing. it was also quite long, like they were still doing it after we deciced to leave the place after i think 30 seconds - 1 minute.
also there were quite a lot of children, like a lot.
its fine if you do this, but why in a public zoo? and why in a place with so many children?
god forbid a couple go to a zoo on a date
@@mrsnake6562 The issue was that they were making out for a prolonged period of time in front of everyone.
soooooo to answer this question, 3:09, ive been to one its fricking amazing. it was a dolphin show but still, A DOLPHIN JUMPED 40 FEET INTO THE AIR!!!!!
One thing I find interesting about cheetahs is how beneficial a therapy dog is to them. They get a cheetah cub, and get a puppy too, two come best pals. Puppy is the therapy dog.
Also, I believe white tigers are man bred, made by humans… quite unethical with the issues they have, but hey, who cares… you get a tiger that’s white. All for their looks. Shouldn’t be bred, and the fact people did it in the first place is idiotic. They’re a hybrid between Bengal tigers and Siberian tigers, serve no conservation purposes. No purposes at all but looks.
My sister Works at a zoo and is one of the people trained to use the long arms they keep in case of excape.
She cares for feeds and loves the lions she works with but if they get out she would have to shoot them
I’m not a zookeeper. But when I was visiting one time I saw a venomous snake and reported it, they’re indigenous to the area of Texas I grew up in, and this zoo was a Texan zoo. It was a wild rattlesnake, I used to run cross country and oftentimes ran next to a pond that was home to water moccasins. I always kept running because if I reacted or slowed down, there was actually a higher chance that I’d get bitten doing that because of my lower overall speed. Anyways, I notified zookeepers who initially thought it was a coral snake that had escaped a day ago. I never went back to that zoo. Also, I’m slightly terrified of snakes and I’m surprised I didn’t kill it, as that’s my typical reaction when I’m not running. I get a big stick and try to take it’s head off if I don’t have my shovel/entrenching tool.
This insensitivity I have towards snakes, or reaction time to kill them, makes me oddly valuable as the only Texan who has dealt with snakes in my unit, since I’m now in the army. My LT has called me numerous times over getting rid of them, though I’ll also be honest when I say, I keep king-snakes. King snakes will eat other snakes, my unit has seen that first hand and now listens when I say what a “good snake” versus a “bad snake,” is. Dunno why I’ve interacted with them so much though, it’s actually kinda odd.
13:33 What kinda psycho goes to the gym right after work!?!?
18:54 no big deal. Just an inland Taipan.