Please Do Not Annoy, torment, pester, plague, molest, worry,
badger, harry, persecute, irk, bullyrag, vex, disquiet, grate,
beset, bother, tease, nettle, tantalize or ruffle the Animals. --
sign at zoo
Since the early days of traveling menageries and staged
attractions that included animal acts, balloon ascents, and
pyrotechnic displays, zoos have come a long way. The M?nagerie du
Jardin des Plantes in Paris, founded in 1793, didn't offer its
great apes lessons in parenting or perform dental surgery on
leopards. Certainly the introduction of veterinary care in the
nineteenth century -- and its gradual integration into the
twentieth -- has had much to do with this. Today, we expect more of
zoos as animal welfare concerns have escalated along with steady
advances in science, medicine, and technology. "Life at the Zoo" is
an eminent zoo veterinarian's personal account of the challenges
presented by the evolution of zoos and the expectations of their
visitors. Based on fifteen years of work at the world-famous San
Diego Zoo, this charming book reveals the hazards and rewards of
running a modern zoo.
Zoos exist outside of the "natural" order in which the worlds of
humans and myriad exotic animals would rarely, if ever, collide.
But this unlikely encounter is precisely why today's zoos remain
the sites of much humor, confusion, and, occasionally, danger. This
book abounds with insights on wildlife (foulmouthed parrots,
gum-chewing chimps, stinky flamingoes), human behavior (the fierce
competition for zookeeper jobs, the well-worn shtick of tour
guides), and the casualties -- both animal and human -- of
ignorance and carelessness. Phillip Robinson shows how animal
exhibits are developed and how illnesses are detected and describes
the perils of working around dangerous creatures. From escaping the
affections of a leopard that thought he was a lap cat to training a
gorilla to hold her newborn baby gently (instead of scrubbing the
floor with it) and from operating on an anesthetized elephant ("I
had the insecure sensation of working under a large dump truck with
a wobbly support jack") to figuring out why a zoo's polar bears
were turning green in color, "Life at the Zoo" tells irresistible
stories about zoo animals and zoo people.
General
Imprint: |
Columbia University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2007 |
First published: |
April 2007 |
Authors: |
Phillip T. Robinson
|
Dimensions: |
216 x 178 x 14mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
320 |
Edition: |
New Ed |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-231-13249-7 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-231-13249-2 |
Barcode: |
9780231132497 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!