Final Thoughts from Maya Angelou

Every zoo and aquarium professional that I have ever worked with has wanted one thing (well, two if you count "the occasional cost of living raise").  That is - to provide the best possible care for their animals, to know that the animals are happy and healthy.  Figuring out what that entails has always been the tricky part.  Things that used to be considered best practices - keeping animals in sterile, easily cleaned enclosures, hand-rearing most infants to keep them safe - are now viewed as antiquated and best left in the past (though there are occasions when both of those examples may still be necessary).

We're constantly learning more about the animals we work with, and that means that we are constantly finding new ways to improve their care, whether it be nutritionally, socially, behaviorally, or through better habitats.  It reminds me of a great quote from the poet Maya Angelou, that I frequently hear members of the procession use:

We can only know better by asking ourselves questions - sometimes hard or uncomfortable ones - about the welfare of our animals.  And more importantly, we have to be willing to listen to the answers.