Zoo-ology

Happy New Year!

2014 was the first full year online for The Zoo Reviewer, and we're celebrating with a rebranding.  When the blog was first launched, it was intended to be, as the name suggested, mostly a review of zoos and aquariums.  After some pretty careless early days, it was realized that, if the reviews weren't rationed out a little more carefully (about one per month), they'd all be used up pretty soon, and then there would be nothing to share.

Instead, this has become more of a blog about zoo-ology.

Ask a bunch of folks to tell you what the study of animals is called, and most will probably say zoo-ology (actually most probably won't know, but zoo-ology will be the most common actual answer).  The thing is, the study of animals is actually zoology, (pronounced zo-ology, not zu-ology, as in "zoo").  Everyone sees the "zoo" part of the word and pronounces it like that("zoo" is an abbreviated form of "zoological garden" or "zoological park."

Of course, so many people say zoo-ology that I decided, after careful thought, that there had to be such a thing, and so now there is.

Zooology [zu-ol-o-gee] noun - the scientific study of zoological parks and aquariums.

This blog is meant to be more than a description of zoos and aquariums, or the animals within them.  It's meant to be an exploration of them on a deeper level, and the world in which they operate, and the issues surrounding them.  By and large, people love zoos and aquariums, but they are losing touch with them.  Only by better communicating with the public, by sharing their stories, can zoos and aquariums keep that support.

Thanks to all of the tens of thousands of readers who shared the blog in 2014.  Hopefully, 2015 will be another great year for spreading the word about Zoo-ology.