All Creatures Great and Small

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

                                                                

                                                                -     Mahatma Gandhi (apocryphal)

It's not surprising that most of the hot-button topics of the culture wars relate to children.  Whether it's what books children should be allowed to read to how schools should handle transgender children to whether people should be allowed to take steps to prevent themselves from having children, the entire subject of children is fraught with emotion.  There are very things more personal or insulting than criticizing (or being perceived as criticizing) someone else's parenting... as I am reminded of every time I (nicely!) ask parents to tell their kids to stop climbing fences, throwing rocks, etc.

Close behind that, people also feel very strongly about their pets and animal care practices.  There's a reason J.D. Vance said "childless cat ladies," and why it struck such a nerve with so many people.  There's a reason that (false) stories about immigrants eating cats and dogs caused such a whirlwind of news coverage.   Animal issues were barely mentioned on the campaign trial, but pets still resonate strongly with people, with animal abusers facing almost as much (well-deserved) vitriol as child abusers (also well-deserved).  But even though you didn't hear Donald Trump or Kamala Harris give any speeches on the subject of animal welfare, there are still massive cultural controversies and divisions about how we relate to non-human animals under human care... and that's not even touching the hot button topic of animal agriculture.

Two recent stories which come to mind...

First (and featured to a small extent in Trump rallies), there's the saga of Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon, illegally-kept pets by a wildlife enthusiast in southern New York.  The Instagram-famous pets were seized by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, after which the rodent bit an official, and as a result was euthanized for rabies testing.   The backlash has been severe, with critics claiming that it was a massive case of government overreach resulting in the unnecessary death of the animals.  I'm firmly opposed to the idea of people taking wild mammals and raising them as pets - but I can't help but think that there was a better way that this could have been handled that would have allowed the animals to live out their lives under human care in other circumstances.  This was a teachable moment that turned into a tragedy.

States in which it is legal to own a raccoon:

I'm a hell of a lot less conflicted about what happened at Louisiana State University.  For generations, the mascot of LSU has been Mike the Tiger.  Tigers are popular mascots for sports teams, but most campuses don't have an actual tiger living on campus, as LSU does.  Historically, the big cat was paraded out to home games.  The practice was phased out, and now the tiger (actually a succession of "Mikes") can be seen living in a rather nice habitat on the campus.  This peaceful situation was disrupted when Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry decided that he wanted the tiger present at an LSU-Alabama game.  The school vet, and the tiger's keepers, said that it was a bad idea for a variety of reasons, and that they would not produce the tiger for the game.  Snubbing their advice, but realizing that it blocked him from using that tiger, Landry arranged to have a tiger driven over from Florida (the animal owned by a character with a somewhat spotty USDA record) and driven around the packed, thunderously-loud stadium in a cage about the size of a mattress, surrounded by screaming fans.  

In each of these cases, I feel like the problem is people viewing animals not as sentient beings, but as props.  I'll cut Peanut's former caretaker some slack for good intentions, especially in the face of NY's overly heavy-handed response.  I see no possible justification for Landry's more with the tiger.  I could understand thinking it might be an interesting idea and asking about it, but when everyone you ask essentially tells you that it's a bad idea and tantamount to animal abuse... maybe don't keep asking until you finally get someone to say "yes" to your idea.

Animal welfare seldom makes the political mainstage, mostly because it's usually seen as a local issue, rather than a federal one.  I have a hard time seeing it ever being a dominant political issue in the manner that immigration or abortion will.  Still, it easy to see that these are issues that people feel very strongly about (sometimes violently so, judging from the amount of death threats that swirl around whenever these stories make the news), they shouldn't be swept aside as filler stories or light news.  (Most) people care very much about the wellbeing of animals, and the question of how they should be treated are topics that are worthy of serious discussion, if only to help us as a society improve our collective empathy.

Book Review: Many Things Under a Rock - The Mysteries of Octopuses

A person wishing to know what it would be like to encounter extraterrestrial intelligence could do much worse that meet an octopus.  The eight-legged cephalopods are among the most intelligent creatures on earth, and yet theirs is an intelligence so different from ours.  Whenever I encounter an octopus, I'm struck by how they manage to be so similar and yet so different from us at the same time.

Biologist David Scheel had spent much of his earlier career studying mammals on the plains of East Africa, so transitioning to the study of the what is probably the world's most charismatic invertebrates in the icy waters of Alaska is quite a change.  Scheel brought an informed outsider vantage point to his study of these creatures, providing a lot of interesting insights into the challenges and rewards of studying these often-cryptic animals.  His resultant book, Many Things Under a Rock, takes its name from an indigenous Alaskan name for the giant Pacific octopus, the species that the book is primarily focused on.  

As the title implies, there is a heavy indigenous influence to Scheel's book, which I very much enjoyed.  I suppose I tended to think of most underwater creatures as existing almost on a separate plan of existence from humans, at least until people began venturing under the surface with SCUBA gear and what not (ignoring the fact that octopus can leave the water, something the vast majority of fish and other marine creatures can't do).  The truth is that people have a millennia-long association with octopuses, both as sources of wonder and fear (Scheel has a chapter devoted to the cryptozoology of octopuses), but, more practically, as a source of food.  Likewise, I suppose on some level I knew that octopuses were animals of the northern oceans, but I never had really thought of them as Alaskan wildlife before.

In this exploration of octopus behavior and anatomy - how social are they?  how do they use tools?  how do they reproduce? - Scheel spends much of this time diving among them in waters around the world.  He also features captive octopuses in his work, and even maintains a small aquarium at his university to allow his students to have hands-on experience with the creatures.  The Seattle Aquarium and Alaska SeaLife Center are also highlighted here.  Sometimes Scheel's work even comes home with him, and he describes an octopus that takes up residence in the fish tank in his living room.  These stories are particularly enjoyable, because, with more prolonged, regular encounters with the same animals, we really get to see their personalities - from affectionate to mischievous - shine through.

Octopuses are easily among the most popular of aquarium animals, and their eight-legged grip on pop culture and science have been evident for many years.  At a superficial level, it seems like many folks just think of them as scary sea monsters.  It's easy to see how they could be considered frightening, being so eerily different from us, and yet so recognizable.  Beyond that first impression, however, there is a creature that is so remarkably intelligent, sensitive, and charismatic as to install enchant any human lucky enough to have met them.

Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses at AbeBooks.com

The Work Goes On

Governments supposedly project an aura of stability, but the truth is, they can be fickle partners.  That becomes no more apparent than at the time of an administration change, especially between two administrations with such radically different visions of what a country should look like.  While there will doubtlessly be some areas of continuity between a Biden and Trump White House, I feel fairly confident that conservation issues won't fall under that umbrella.  

The federal government, which historically has been the main driver of wildlife conservation in the US, is likely about to take its hands off the wheel.  Assuming it doesn't deliberately drive us into a ditch.

A lot of zoo professionals that I know - especially those that are LGBTQ, or from communities of color, or have basic empathy - are sad and hurt by the events of this week.  I've heard a fair number express dismay that things just don't seem worthwhile now.  The truth is, however, that the work that we do is more important now than ever.  Without the government's support, the job of saving wildlife falls even more so to zoos, aquariums, and other NGOs and nonprofits.  It's up to us not only to raise the funds and do the work of protecting our country's biodiversity - such as leading breeding and reintroduction programs for native species and restoring native habitats - but of using our collective voice, our platform, to help create a country where people care about issues like wildlife, climate change, and habitat preservation.  To this, every member of the zoo and aquarium community has an important role to play, and we all need to step up to the challenge.

It's a damned shame that there's not more support for the cause out there, as Tuesday goes to show.  But the work still needs to go on and somebody has to do it.  Might as well be us.

An Aardvark Interlude

A lot of people are still sad and upset over the events of this week, and I'm certainly not saying it's without reason.  Fortunately, zoos and aquariums are a goldmine of cute animals which not only help brighten our moods after misfortunes, but also remind us that there's plenty of good in the world worth fighting over.  Consider this aadorable aardvark recently born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park:

Political Animals

My boss's house loomed over the private zoo where I worked like a feudal manor overlooking its serfs... which, I suppose, was not an inaccurate way of looking at it.  Even though it was just yards away from the keeper office, and though I was one of the senior members of the staff, I only stepped foot inside the house once in the four years I worked for him.  I found it to be an awkward, uncomfortable experience - everything seemed a little wrong to me, a little stark, and a little... I don't know... gauche?  More emphasis on expensive than aesthetics or comfort.  I also was bothered by the fact that, though the living room walls were lined with expensive looking shelves, it took me a while before I finally saw a book.

I was not the least bit surprised to see that, instead of an animal tome, it was the recently-released memoir of Sarah Palin.

No community (especially one as unruly and - often - poorly socialized as ours) is ever truly monolithic.  Still, taken as a whole I've noticed that the zoo community tends to lean left of center.  It's not surprising.  Most of us start of in it as young, well-educated, and with a deep interest in conservation and environmental issues.  Animal care requires a degree of empathy, which often extends to humans as well as creatures, and most zoos are located in cities, which tend to foster more progressive viewpoints.  Oh, and most of us are also perpetually broke.  Even those of us who climb the ranks tend to remember where we came from and continue to empathize.  Not that I haven't met politically and culturally conservative keepers, it's just not as common, and they tend to be part of the exception to the rule.

The anti-rule, if you will, the complete contrast, tend to be the owners of private facilities, such as my former boss.  They all tend to be die-in-the-wool blood red.  Part of it may be a greater concern about financial matters; owning their own zoos, they tend to be a fair bit less idealistic and more focused on the bottom line, which I can hardly fault them for.  Part of it's probably cultural too, as such facilities are much more likely to spring up in rural areas.  At the same time, I've also noticed an angry, anti-regulatory streak (and if you're in the zoo world, you realize just how many forms of regulations the field is subject to), a constant simmering anger about government agencies and inspectors who dare to tell them what to do with *their* animals.  

Because these facilities are generally unaccredited and don't participate in the formal breeding programs, they have to buy their animals, or trade for them.  I feel like sometimes the constant buying and selling of animals fosters a viewpoint of them as commodities in their eyes.  I remember walking up on the owner and his wife as they were stroking a young camel I had been raising.  I was so eager to hurry up to them and tell them about how he'd been doing, his training and his growth - until I got close enough to hear that they were wondering what price he'd fetch.

The disdain also extends to the keepers, who tend to be even less-well paid than their counterparts in public zoos, and have fewer opportunities.  I remember my boss plopping down next to me on a bench one day and saying "Keepers are like tissues," he told me with no preamble  "You use them.  Then you get new ones."  With that he smiled at me and wandered off.

I've been following the giraffe drama out of Natural Bridge - the stay on the removal of the remaining three animals has been lifted.  A lot of the commentary from the zoo and its allies has been focused on the heaping abuse on the state, the courts, and government in general; a few folks have even claimed that they think Trump will swoop in and save them, though I doubt that it's made it across his portfolio at this time.  Some of the posters just went on all Q-Anon crazy, and I'm glad I don't have to deal with them, either in real life or online.

It marvels me that people who are drawn to the same basic life decision - wanting to spend their careers working with animals and share them with the world - can produce people with such different outlooks on just about everything - including the animals themselves and how they should be managed and cared for.

Species Fact Profile: Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis)

                                                   Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad

                                           Bombina orientalis (Boulenger, 1890)

Range:  Eastern Asia (northeastern China, Korea, southeastern Russia, possibly Japan)

Habitat: Coniferous and Deciduous Forest Wetlands

Diet: Insects, Mollusks, Worms, Algae, Fungi

Social Grouping: Occur at high population densities in favorable habitat, but asocial

Reproduction: Breed in late spring, through summer.  Males court females by calling in shallow water to attract females, fertilizes eggs as the female lays eggs as she swims, with the male clinging to her back.  Up to 250 eggs, split among several clutches, laid on submerged plants in shallow water.  Hatch as tadpoles after 3-10 days, complete metamorphosis and leave the water at about 5 months

Lifespan: 30 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern

• Body length 3.5-8 centimeters long, weight 25-55 grams.  Females are larger than males, but males have thicker forearms; during the mating season, males also develop nuptial pads on their first and second fingers.
• Dorsal color varies from brownish-gray to bright green, often with some dark spotting; dorsal skin has many pronounced tubercles,.  Ventral surface is bright red or yellow (the "fire belly"), also with black spotting
• Unlike many frogs and toads, cannot extent their tongue to catch prey, so instead jump on it
• Skin contains a toxin, bombesin.  While primarily relying on the camouflage of their dorsal surface to hide from predators, if they are seen they will flip over and arch their backs (position called unkenreflex) to show off their red bellies, warning predators' of their poison.  Some species of snake can eat the toad with no ill effect.  Toxin is generally not very harmful to humans, but can be introduced through mucus members after handling.
• Hibernate from late September through late April or early May, sometimes alone, sometimes in small groups.  Hibernate inside fallen trees, stone piles, or in the leaf litter, but sometimes in water
• Commonly kept as a pet, as well as a research specimen, among the best-studied of amphibians
• Very resilient to habitat disturbance, and can even be found breeding in heavily polluted water.  Despite this, and their popularity as pets, they have not become invasive

Cheyenne Mountain Speaks Out

For as long as we have zoos and aquariums, there are guaranteed to be folks who are determined to oppose these institutions on philosophical grounds.  When that happens, the question always becomes, how best to respond?  Ignore it, try not to give any oxygen to the complainers, hope they just fade away?  That can just give cede the entire philosophical floor to them to make their claims unchallenged.  Fight back?  There's the risk of looking too defensive, or like you have something to hide or be ashamed of.

It's a tough call.  I've seen different zoos try each strategy, with the result sometimes varying.  SeaWorld was slow to respond to criticism about its orca program, which only allowed that backlash to snowball.

Recently, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO, went with option #2.  In response to repeated attempts by the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) to have the zoo's African elephants declared persons and "freed" for the zoo, CMZ had had enough.  Their statement to their followers, below.  It's a bit of a read, but I'm glad to see a zoo put out a detailed, well-thought out and well-reasoned response to set the record straight and stand by their animal care practices.

  

Not So Itsy Bitsy

Chester Zoo, better than any zoo I can think of, understood the assignment of how to celebrate Halloween... with a little tongue in cheek as well