When I was younger, it seemed like zoo animals were immortal. The animals never died; or, at least, when they did die, their deaths were never acknowledged. You just went to the zoo one day, and the exhibit was empty, or someone else was in there instead. Did that favorite animal get transferred to another zoo? Was it resting behind-the-scenes in retirement? Who knew?
It was an era in which zoos were becoming more responsive to criticisms from animal rights groups, and as such were loath to discuss the reality - every animal, whether wild or captive, eventually dies.
It hit me as a shock when I became a keeper... because my animals did, in fact, die.
In recent years, zoos have become more open about the passing of animals, trusting the public to believe that the zoo has done its best, and allowing the public to mourn with staff when animals are lost. Some zoos even have erected memorials to animals that are especially beloved, sometimes with life-sized statues. It can, I'll admit, make it a little harder when you're a bird or herp keeper. You care deeply about your charges, but they seem to fly under the public radar (and your zoo's social media) when they go, no matter how much those individuals meant to you.
So I was happy to see that the St. Louis Zoo is celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) this year with an ofrenda to commemorate their animals (as well as staff pets). Death is a part of life - the last part, to be specific - for our animals, and it is unavoidable, no matter how excellent their care is. Dealing with death is part of caring for animals, at home, on the farm, or at the zoo. We can't change that. What we can change is how we celebrate and remember that animals that were part of our lives, either permanently, through statues and plaques, or with a holiday dedicated to their memory.
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