"Kumbolaland had been peaceful for over three thousand years... They had even long since put their weapons down. The last real fight had occurred in 1952 between a drunken ox-drover and an equally drunken ox-thief, and it was still a popular topic of conversation."
- Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens
I've worked at some of the largest zoos in the country over the course of my career, but most of my time has been spent at smaller places, often being a big fish in a somewhat shrinking puddle. Working in small zoos is a lot like living in a very small town. For one thing, everyone knows each other very well - sometimes, better than you'd like, to the point where it's an absolute relief to have someone knew to talk to, and the rare occasions when there is a new staff member are treasured. Everyone also tends to wear several hats and do several jobs, again like a stereotypic small town where the barber is also the sheriff and the mayor is also the dentist. And, also, if often seems like nothing ever happens.
And when something does happen, it becomes the defining trait of your facility's history.
Sometimes it's a minor (or major) scandal. Sometimes it's a point of pride and success. Either way, it's the main story of your facility, and it seems like it's the only thing people know you by. "Aren't you the zoo where...?"
Big zoos don't have that problem. They absorb past scandals, even recent ones, and drown them out in other events. Past triumphs are lost in the past, overshadowed by more recent events. It's a lot harder to make a reputation when you're a small zoo, and once you made even a tenuous one through even a single event, it becomes surprisingly hard to change it.
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