I guess the title should read former Zoo Keeper, but I still feel
like a keeper. I love animals, every kind, I haven't met one I didn't
like. Granted I'd had individuals that tried my patience, but don't we
all?
I broke down and watched "Blackfish" which I knew would anger
my keeper side. Surprisingly, it didn't upset me the way I expected. I
expected yet another crack at captive animals (read: PETA). While it did
have its low-blow moments what got me was the situations that the
trainers were put in. Having worked at four AZA accredited zoos and
aquariums, I have had my share of bad and good management. One thing that
always bothered me was being told by the powers that be "you are
replaceable" -especially when you are trying to stand up for what is
best for your animals. That is what struck home the most about this
documentary.
I watched the documentary and not much of it shocked
me. Anyone who has worked in the zoo field (worked their way into it,
these days) knows the 60 year old chimp who is the product of a "smash
and grab". This is my way of referring to the old practice of killing
the adult animals and taking the babies to be exhibit animals. Granted
most of the chimps that age were once part of a department store window.
SHOCKER- these animals were not necessarily taken from their wild
places for a zoo. Now, this practice is not accepted by AZA accredited
institutions. Not to say it doesn't happen, we all know money talks, so
if some millionaire wants a baby whatever, chances are there is someone
willing to get it for them. These days animals in Zoological
institutions are kept genetically diverse by a very complex genetic
mapping and match making set up, which for the sake of time, I will not
get into.
Having been on the receiving end of some of Sea Worlds
animals I can say I was not too impressed. However, this instance I am
referencing was a good 18 years ago, and we all know how much things can
change in that time. My one big qualm with Sea World has always been
that it was a 'show'. However, most zoos and aquariums have been forced
to move this direction due to the bottom line. That doesn't make them
bad. Also, 10 years ago you could walk into a zoo, aquarium (or even Sea
World) and get a job training lions, elephants or whales. I can't speak
for Sea World (having no other contact than receiving one of their sea
lions, oh so many years ago), but these days you cannot walk into a job
at a respected institution doing those things. Anyone who has wanted to
be a zoo keeper in the last 5ish years can vouch for that! Keepers are
highly educated (quite a few have masters degrees) and ALL are required
to have at least a bachelors degree in a science related field. These
people working their asses off are probably smarter than you. Just
sayin'
So, maybe at one point Sea World employees had no idea what
they were getting into. I can imagine any new employee has done their
research and knows the natural history of all the animals they are
working with in and out. Just ask them.
What was most disturbing
to me was the trainers feeling like they had no choice if they wanted to
keep their job. I've been there. Spoken up only to be told to do it or
someone else would (and take my job happily too!). The instance with
Dawn, the trainer that was killed is a good example of this. From
everything that her coworkers said about her, she seemed like an
excellent trainer. She was in tune with her animals and understood
behavior. However, on that day the whale had not been performing well
and she felt pressure to put on a good show. WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE.
Makes you think twice, doesn't it? I cannot even begin to count how many
times I was threatened with being replaced because I voiced my
opinions or wanted to end a training session because the animal was having an off day (aren't we all allowed some of those?). A few times I had to walk away and let someone else do it, or
I am sure I would have been fired. Most of the things I had issues with
were safety issues, and regulated by OSHA.. but how often does OSHA
stop by..? Mostly these things were projects that there was no budget
money to bring in professionals to build or create OR they were rash/
rush decisions by the Director (in my cases, someone who has never met
the animals and only sees them for their exhibit value). Many times
Directors have rushed animal introductions to each other or exhibits,
refused to pay for exhibit repairs, even when direly needed, or forcing
keepers to keep animals on exhibit in less than ideal conditions.
I
wish that somehow keepers could feel more confident to make these
issues known and actually be listened to (instead of being replaced). We might avoid more zoo and
aquarium related injuries if someone took our concerns seriously. And
took the decision making power away from the people only concerned about
the bottom line.
As a parting thought (as my main rant is over), I do think AZA accredited zoos are necessary these days. Without them research would be hindered, some species would be completely extinct (vs. extinct only in the wild- which in itself is no small thing!), and a valuable educational tool would be lost. I wish that humans were good enough to appreciate the ecosystem without ever having to see a few of its pieces in person, but for some reason we leave the believing to Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
