#i have been to many a zoo and never have i ever seen a captive green anaconda that wasnt submersed in its pond

[2024skin]

I'm not interested in keeping an anaconda but I did get curious about anaconda husbandry and from my research I've concluded that a lot of articles on proper care for captive snakes will toe around the fact that if you want a semi-aquatic 15+ foot snake, you need to be prepared to invest thousands of dollars into it. I read one article that was basically like "[green anacondas] prefer enclosures with submersible baths, but filtering and sanitizing the water in these tanks can be so challenging and expensive, it's safer to make an enclosure without it" how about if you can't afford to filter a water tank for an aquatic animal larger than yourself, you should not be keeping that animal????

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

I am back to complain more but do you ever notice how like. Every pet that isn't a cat or a dog is often labelled "exotic"? It really confuses me. It seems like sometimes a very good domesticated pet and a wild animal that is deeply unethical to keep as a pet both get put into the same category. Idk. I don't like when people do that. I don't think "cats and dogs" and "not cats and dogs" is a very useful way to categorise peoples pets.

I have also seen people suggest that the only domesticated animals are cats and dogs!

ITS RIDICULOUS

humans have NEVER only practiced husbandry with domesticated animals. NEVER.

first off... we had to domesticate things in the first place

second off... most animal husbandry until recently was practical, not companion-based, so *all* pet husbandry now is just very different from the past

third off... many populations of animals have been "tamed" for human husbandry, including things you would never imagine to be possible (Cassowaries! FUCKING CASSOWARIES WERE REARED ON NEW GUINEA.)

fourth off... Human-Animal Bonding (HAB) is in fact a universal thing - we see signs of it across animal groups (and probably other organisms, but anthropocentrism = not acknowledging plants have feelings), with zoo animals and even wild animals bonding with humans in a variety of forms, leading to a release of bonding chemicals in both the human and the non-human animal's brains. idk where this "your pet cant love you" shit came from, because the science shows it happens in the most random animals (fish. fish release bonding chemicals with their humans. fish.)

fifth off... there are SO MANY ANIMALS IN SHELTERS THAT NEED HOMES it is irresponsible to say that people shouldn't have x or y pet if they are able to actually take care of it (admittedly, there are many ACTUALLY exotic pets where that last part doesn't count, but not as many as these anti-pet schmucks say)

sixth off... so. many. things. are. domesticated. chickens! pigeons! ducks! geese! and you know what? a lot of those things DONT MAKE GOOD PETS. domesticated doesn't equal good pet, and non-domesticated doesn't equal bad pet. it's NUANCED. NUANCED. LIKE EVERYTHING.

seventh off... the actual problems that occur in pet care come from not respecting the animal as an individual and as a different kind of individual than yourself, not from an inherent problem in caring for certain kinds of animals. you have to view the human-animal bond as a *partnership*, not a hierarchical relationship, that just happens to include you physically caretaking for the partner. bah. when you think you "own" the animal, have control over it, get to dictate it - that's when you have problems.

eighth off... there are many animals that can *only* survive in captivity, whether its proper pet care, a shelter, or a zoo/aquarium. maybe they're disabled, maybe they were reared by humans, maybe they were traumatized. the list goes on. so many people would just "free" these animals into the wild where they would, ya know, die (remember Keiko, anyone?)

ninth off... anthropocentrism means assuming other animals want the same things as us... I s2g if I see another person say "oh poor pet birdie in a cage it should be free" when I know for a fact these pet birds actually appreciate the safety and security as long as they get enough out-of-cage and bonding time...

tenth off... this all goes back to the fundamental truth that humans are a PART of nature, that we are ALSO ANIMALS, that we are just connecting with other creatures and that is NORMAL, and it is OKAY that we shape the world, the problem is HOW we shape it... like... we are not separate from nature, and thinking that is how we got into this climate crisis in the first place!

G A H

idk what the actual definition of "exotic" pet should be, but "non-domesticated" isn't it

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Random Star Trek thoughts now that my parents and I are a decent ways in to the first season of the original series. (none of us has ever seen the full show from start to finish, despite them being born in the 60's)

How many godlike alien races who want to watch the human race struggle for funsies like a twisted TV program are there in this universe

How do people dislike Enterprise when season one of the original series exists? Like how do you justify that? Kirk makes more ridiculous mistakes than Archer ever did and Kirk is around when humans have been in space for 100+ years! Enterprise was the FIRST, of course they were naive and made stupid mistakes and offended random aliens. What's Kirk's excuse? (I know out of story it's because the ~lore~ and ~worldbuilding~ were still in the process of being created, but seriously. what is people's beef with Enterprise and how DO they justify it when ssn one of the original exists?)

I love that the godlike alien races who keep kidnapping the crew have been absolutely ridiculous. Like we had the guys who wanted humans to be an attraction in their zoo and were gonna breed them as slaves to fix up their planet for them, only to finally check out Earth's history and go "wholy crap you guys are VIOLENT when in captivity you know what never mind we are afraid of you now plz leave". And then the guys who owned the planet that made whatever you were thinking of real (including, but not limited to, Alice in Wonderland characters, a tiger, a medieval knight, Kirk's Irish nemesis from college, and a WW2 plane that started a strafing run on the poor souls who accidentally summoned it) but neglected to tell the humans what was going on until after Bones DIED. Allegedly. But they brought him back to life, so it's good, right? And then there was the dude who kidnapped Kirk to hunt him for sport based off ancient Earth customs he thought he knew and turned out to be a celestial kindergartner whose parents intervened and grounded him for not playing nice with the people he brought to his planet. And THEN there are the people with the AUDACITY to call humans primitive and violent when they arrested Kirk and the captain of the ship he was pursuing (this is the Gorn episode btw) and plonked them down on the planet to fight to the death and watched it like a tv show because Enterprise and the Gorns dared to enter the part of space NEAR their SOLAR SYSTEM. Not near their planet, their SOLAR SYSTEM. And that's only like, half of them, maybe, I can't keep up with this.

The objectively and unironically best part of every episode is the intro with the silly music and Enterprise flying at high speeds directly at the screen in the most 60's cheesy special effect way possible. I laugh every time.

So very very glad I have watched the movies because the character development is taking a LONG time to get anywhere (I know this is partially due to the fact that the episodes were filmed and aired at different times but wowie).

We found the story about how Martin Luther King Jr. convinced Nicole Nichols to stay on the show and it melted all our hearts and I love her character so much more now.

It took so long for actual ALIENS to be in this space show, seriously, the first like 10 episodes are just How Many Ways Can Humans Sabotage Themselves ~in SPACE~?

Love that humans are so unhinged in this. We cannot be stopped, we WILL improvise adapt and overcome. 10/10 space orc energy.

Actual conversation: My mom: I didn't know if maybe you needed a break from Star Trek. me: mom I used to binge watch classic Doctor Who. I'm fine.

Okay, I'll stop, I am really enjoying it for the most part, especially as the characters personalities start to come out more. As far as I can tell it only gets more enjoyable from season 1 so I'm looking forward to the other seasons!

[wandringaesthetic]

So a post I saw on here led me to look into how one might purchase human bones and the sourcing thereof, and:

There aren’t many laws restricting trade of human bones in the US. You can’t legally ship them to some states, but possessing them. Enh. It’s fine.

ETHICALLY, however.

Most human bones currently in, uh, circulation, came from India (which stopped exporting human bones in the 1980s) and China (which stopped exporting human bones in 2008). You can get bones relatively easily and legally, but they’re not generally going to be from the original source. There’s basically no way you can know whether any particular bone was acquired from the original owner with consent before their death.

The original post that led me down this rabbit hole had a twist ending regarding the resale of bones from dis-articulated Victorian medical skeletons. Which indeed might have been acquired through foul play or grave robbing or financial coercion. Who knows! But this line of thinking could conclude in a place where it’s rarely to never ethical to own human remains, which I’m not really comfortable with given this is why old-timey physicians sometimes engaged in a bit of grave robbing.

Gentle reader, I therefore ask you to question. These bones already exist with no practical way to trace and return them to their source. From where I’m standing you might as well sell human wrist bones to goths. Are you gonna steal em yourself and give these folks a proper burial? You don’t know what kind of rites the former bone-owner would have even wanted! I feel like it’s more respectful to use them for whatever witchy purpose or to carve them into earrings than it is to throw them in the trash.

Feel free to argue with me on this I don’t feel particularly strongly about it.

This reminds me of two things:

1) Buying and selling of feathers from most wild birds is illegal BECAUSE (I might be getting some details of this wrong) in the 1800s it was fashionable to decorate hats with feathers from songbirds which led to them being killed for said feathers and threatened/endangered. If there’s ever a huge market for human remains YES then this becomes an ethical issue. Because that incentivizes graverobbing OR outright killing people for their bones OR (more likely) pressure to sell ones’ remains pre-mortem.

2) Orcas in captivity. I agree that we shouldn’t be capturing any more. That’s appropriately illegal in most places in the world now. The vast majority of orcas currently in captivity were bred in captivity and attempts to release captive orcas into the wild have not been successful. I’m not sure about the ethics of breeding them in captivity, but.... If they need to be penned in order to survive, we might as well let people look at them until the ones in captivity die out? (I’ve seen proposals for some sort of sanctuary, a la elephants, but am unsure of the practicality of that. Also I’ve not seen the push to end elephants in zoos the way I’ve seen the push to end orca captivity, because..... ???)

[survey--s]

490.

Have you ever seen an emu in real life, whether in captivity or the wild? Sure, they’re nasty little fuckers and like to nip and peck lol. Our local zoo has them free-roaming in some areas and you’re always warned to keep your hands well away haha.

When was the last time you visited your state’s biggest city? I’ve never actually been to Carlisle before. It’s a good 2+ hours away by car.

Do you remember what colour the eyes were of the last person you spoke to? Yeah, he has blue/green eyes.

Have you eaten pasta in the past week? Yes. I had noodles for lunch a couple of hours ago, actually.

Did you pierce your ears yourself or have it done by a professional? All my piercings were done by professionals.

Are you wearing any shoes right now? No, I’m wearing pink, white and grey ankle socks.

How many letters are in your surname? Six.

Do you enjoy Burger King? I don’t dislike the food (as in the taste) but something about it doesn’t agree with me and every time I’ve been there recently, I’ve been or felt sick afterwards lol.

Have you ever worn bell bottom jeans? Sure, they were all the rage when I was a teenager lol.

How far away from your house is the nearest ice cream place? It’s about a two minute drive, but it would take maybe half an hour on foot.

What colour is your kitchen counter? White.

When was the last time you washed the dishes? About an hour ago.

Do you own a lot of cookbooks? I don’t think we own any, actually. If I want a recipe I just look it up online.

How many rooms are in your house? Five.

Have you ever seen American Pie? No. I was never allowed to watch stuff like that growing up and as an adult it just doesn’t really appeal to me.

What do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio? He’s a good actor. 

Do you stay in touch with many people from high school or college? No, I’m not in touch with any of them lol.

Are you feeling nervous about anything right now? Hmm, yes, but not in a bad way? I have my beach ride tomorrow and I always get butterflies beforehand as it’s such an adrenaline burst. 

How many cars can your driveway and garage hold? Our garage is too full to hold a car, and our driveway can fit one vehicle on it.

When was the last time you were late for something? I can’t remember, I absolutely hate being late. Do you own an iPod, and if so, what type? No.

Did you ever play Stardoll when you were younger? I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, so I’m going to say no lol.

Is there a university in your town or city? No. 

What’s your father’s handwriting like? His writing is quite neat but it’s loopy so I feel like it’d be hard to read until you get used to it. When he prints it’s in all caps. <--- ha, this is exactly the same as my dad. I can read it but it takes a while if you’re not used to it.

Have you ever lived on a farm? Nope.

Are you hung up on anybody right now? No.

Do you eat fries one by one or in big bunches? Depends how big they are and what meal I’m eating.

Why did you last have to see a doctor? To get a sick note from work, but that was over three years ago now.

Did you wash your hair last time you showered? Yes, I always do.

Has anyone ever ransacked your bedroom? No.

Do you have any weird sleeping habits that people have told you about? Chris once told me I squeak in my sleep sometimes, hahah.

Do you enjoy That 70s Show? Yeah, it’s one of those comfort/nostalgia shows I can watch anytime. You definitely couldn’t air anything like that nowadays though lol. That 90′s Show is SO sanitised in comparison.

Are there any clouds in the sky, and what colour are they? White.

Do you think you’re fast at typing? Yeah, I did touch-typing at school and always get comments on it.

What was the last type of pizza you ate? Spinach and ricotta, with sundried tomatoes.

How old are you? 34.

Do you know anyone with an unusual middle name? I’m sure I do, but nobody is coming to mind right now.

Would you consider yourself to be intelligent? In some ways, yes. I’m quick to learn and have lots of book smarts but I wouldn’t say I was very socially intelligent.

Have you ever waxed your eyebrows? I have not.

What does your shampoo smell like? Whatever Tresemme smells like.

Have you ever passed gas in front of your significant other? Sure, all the time lol.

Do you have any big regrets in your life? No.

What colour is the ground or floor where you are right now? Grey.

Do you live on a street, avenue, road etc.? I live on a hill.

Can you taste anything right now? Yeah, Pepsi Max.

What was the last board game you played? Probably Monopoly as that’s pretty much all we ever play.

Are you renting the house you’re currently living in? No, we own our home.

Do you listen to Guns n Roses? No.

How old were you when you had your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Fourteen.

Have you ever been a bridesmaid? No.

Has the sun already set for the day? No, it’s 2:44 pm. Can’t believe I still have more than half my fucking shift to go. I’ve seen like 5 people in the last two hours. <-- ha it’s exactly that time here right now as well. Anyway, no, it hasn’t. Sunset isn’t for another 4-5 hours.

When was the last time you did laundry? I washed and changed out bedsheets this morning.

Do you know how to tie a tie? Yeah, I wore a tie everyday for school from the age of five. What are the age gaps between you and your siblings? I don’t have any siblings.

Does your birthday come before June 19th in a calendar year? Nope.

Do you pay attention to the FIFA World Cup? If so, what team do you go for? No.

Are you on any medications right now? Nope.

[rjzimmerman]

The Panda Factories (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

TWO CHUNKY PANDAS, a male and a female, arrived from China at the National Zoo in Washington on Tuesday. If everything goes as planned, they will eventually have cubs.

Exchanges like this have helped turn giant pandas into the face of conservation worldwide.

The panda program was created with the stated goal of saving a beloved endangered species. Zoos would pay up to $1.1 million a year per pair, which would help China preserve the pandas’ habitat. By following carefully crafted breeding recommendations, zoos would help improve the genetic diversity of the species.

And someday, China would release pandas into the wild.

But a New York Times investigation, based on more than 10,000 pages of documents, has found that the Chinese authorities and American zoos have put a rosy sheen on a program that has struggled, and often failed, to meet those objectives. The records, photographs and videos — many of them from the Smithsonian Institution Archives — offer a detailed, unvarnished history of the program.

They show that, from the beginning, zoos saw panda cubs as a pathway to visitors, prestige and merchandise sales.

On that, they have succeeded.

Today, China has removed more pandas from the wild than it has freed, The Times found. No cubs born in American or European zoos, or their offspring, have ever been released. The number of wild pandas remains a mystery because the Chinese government’s count is widely seen as flawed and politicized.

Along the way, individual pandas have been hurt.

Because pandas are notoriously fickle about mating in captivity, scientists have turned to artificial breeding. That has killed at least one panda, burned the rectum of another and caused vomiting and injuries in others, records show. Some animals were partly awake for painful procedures. Pandas in China have flickered in and out of consciousness as they were anesthetized and inseminated as many as six times in five days, far more often than experts recommend.

Breeding in American zoos has done little to improve genetic diversity, experts say, because China typically sends abroad animals whose genes are already well represented in the population.

Yet American zoos clamor for pandas, and China eagerly provides them. Zoos get attention and attendance. Chinese breeders get cash bonuses for every cub, records show. At the turn of the century, 126 pandas lived in captivity. Today there are more than 700.

Kati Loeffler, a veterinarian, worked at a panda breeding center in Chengdu, China, during the program’s early years. “I remember standing there with the cicadas screaming in the bamboo,” she said. “I realized, ‘Oh my God, my job here is to turn the well-being and conservation of pandas into financial gain.’”

Dr. Loeffler, who spent part of her time in Chengdu as a scholar affiliated with the National Zoo in Washington, said that scientists there used anesthesia excessively and sloppily. At one point, she said, she bucked protocol and jumped onto an examination table to cradle an animal as it was being anesthetized.

Kimberly Terrell, who was director of conservation at the Memphis Zoo until 2017, said, “There was always pressure and the implication that cubs would bring money.” She noted that zoo administrators insisted on inseminating its aging female panda every year, despite concerns among zookeepers that it was unlikely to succeed. It never did.

“The people who actually worked day to day with these animals, who understand them best, were pretty opposed to these procedures,” she said. The zoo said its breeding efforts followed all program requirements. (Dr. Terrell, now a scientist at Tulane University in Louisiana, settled an unrelated gender discrimination lawsuit against the zoo in 2018.)

The Times collected key documents and audiovisual materials from the Smithsonian archives and supplemented them with materials obtained through open-records requests. The trove, which spans four decades, includes medical records, scientists’ field notes and photographs and videos that offer crucial evidence of breeding procedures, side effects and the conditions in which pandas were held.

They show that the riskiest techniques happened in the program’s infancy, but that aggressive breeding continued at the National Zoo and at other institutions for years. A panda in Japan died during sperm collection in 2010. Chinese breeding centers, until recently, separated cubs from their mothers to make the females go back into heat.

This panda proliferation has prompted debates among zoo workers and scientists over whether it is ethical to subject animals to intensive breeding when they have no real prospect of being released into the wild. But those discussions have largely played out privately because researchers and zookeepers said that criticizing the program could hurt their ability to work in the field.

[survey--s]

578.

Have you ever seen an emu in real life, whether in captivity or the wild? Yeah, both in a zoo and in the wild - they're evil fuckers lol.

When was the last time you visited your state’s biggest city? I've actually never been there.

Do you remember what colour the eyes were of the last person you spoke to? He has blue/grey eyes.

Have you eaten pasta in the past week? I've had ramen if that counts? I guess it does - it's noodles after all.

Did you pierce your ears yourself or have it done by a professional? All my piercings were done by professionals.

Are you wearing any shoes right now? Nope.

How many letters are in your surname? Six.

Do you enjoy Burger King? I actually don't dislike the food but it always gives me the shits lol.

Have you ever worn bell bottom jeans? Sure.

How far away from your house is the nearest ice cream place? About two minutes drive.

What colour is your kitchen counter? White.

When was the last time you washed the dishes? About ten minutes ago.

Do you own a lot of cookbooks? I don't think we own any actually - I find all my recipes online.

How many rooms are in your house? Five plus a hallway. Six if you include the attic but it's not really habitable.

Have you ever seen American Pie? No. I was just a bit young for it when I came out and my dad never approved of stuff like that anyway.

What do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio? I don't really have an opinion on him - he's a good actor though.

Do you stay in touch with many people from high school or college? Not really, just a handful of people here and there.

Are you feeling nervous about anything right now? No.

How many cars can your driveway and garage hold? Technically two, but the garage is full of stuff lol.

When was the last time you were late for something? Today - we were going to my parents' and Mike took the wrong turning so we had to turn around and do a really long detour.

Do you own an iPod, and if so, what type? No.

Did you ever play Stardoll when you were younger? I have no idea what you're talking about, lol.

Is there a university in your town or city? No.

What’s your father’s handwriting like? Actually really neat - he writes in like, really professional looking cursive.

Have you ever lived on a farm? No, but I love the idea of it. I know farms are a LOT of work though.

Are you hung up on anybody right now? Nope.

Do you eat fries one by one or in big bunches? It depends on how big they are and how hungry I am.

Did you wash your hair last time you showered? Yeah, I always wash my hair when I take a shower.

Has anyone ever ransacked your bedroom? No.

Do you have any weird sleeping habits that people have told you about? I mumble in my sleep apparently - lots of people have told me that.

Do you enjoy That 70s Show? Yeah, I really liked it. That 90s show was a disappointment though.

Are there any clouds in the sky, and what colour are they? I can't see the sky from here, but I'm going to go with yes, and probably mostly grey.

Do you think you’re fast at typing? I know I am.

What was the last type of pizza you ate? BBQ chicken with peppers, bacon and onions, plus a cheese stuffed crust.

How old are you? 34.

Do you know anyone with an unusual middle name? I'm sure I do, but nobody specific is coming to mind right now.

Would you consider yourself to be intelligent? In some ways.

Have you ever waxed your eyebrows? No.

What does your shampoo smell like? Coconut.

Have you ever passed gas in front of your significant other? Of course, all the time lol. I mean, we sleep together every night so it's not like I can control it.

Do you have any big regrets in your life? Nope.

What colour is the ground or floor where you are right now? Grey.

Do you live on a street, avenue, road etc.? Hill.

Can you taste anything right now? BBQ sauce. I just had some with my sweet potato fries.

What was the last board game you played? Monopoly, I think.

Are you renting the house you’re currently living in? Nope.

Do you listen to Guns n Roses? Not really.

How old were you when you had your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Fourteen.

Have you ever been a bridesmaid? No.

Has the sun already set for the day? I think sunset is in about an hour.

Do you know how to tie a tie? Yeah, I had to wear a tie for sixteen years at school.

What are the age gaps between you and your siblings? I don't have any siblings.

Does your birthday come before June 19th in a calendar year? Nope.

Do you pay attention to the FIFA World Cup? If so, what team do you go for? I do not.

Are you on any medications right now? Nope.