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Boo for Tom Arnold

Don't like San Diego Zoo? Try Texas.

The San Diego Zoo of my memories no longer exists.
The San Diego Zoo of my memories no longer exists.

Zoo-ish proposal

I just read Thomas K. Arnold’s article (“Boo for the Zoo,” Cover Stories, December 3). Well, Mr. Arnold, boo for you. The zoo was designed and re-designed for the animals’ self safety and happiness, not for yours.

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You mentioned you missed 36 cages of monkeys. I doubt that the monkeys miss them. I think they much prefer their new habitat. You mentioned being able to throw things – just food? – at the gorilla and how much fun that was. Are you kidding? For whom? And I doubt that everything tossed in their enclosure was healthy for them.

I remember seeing the giraffes at the Cincinnati Zoo and at the San Diego Safari Park and it was fun. But I prefer the separation for the safety of the animals. A lot of separation is probably to avoid lawsuits. Remember the innocent mother whose son climbed over the barricade to the gorillas. The gorillas paid a very high price for her carelessness.

I’m excited about the new Children’s Zoo. It was getting a bit outdated and will be a much improved experience. Yes, the zoo should be educational. Every time I go, which is often, I hear a parent say oh, … No, that’s a giraffe, or look a tiger. Nope, a lion. I’m not exaggerating; these are quotes. The complaints about not seeing the animals – you’re not looking. Some are nocturnal, of course, but others have private spots, and all you have to do is spend a few moments looking. I make it a game with our grandchildren. When they find the animal, they earn money to spend on our way out. The people expect them to just sit in plain sight waiting for a zoo guest. The zoo is about animals, Mr. Arnold; it isn’t all about you. Treasure your memories, but maybe you’d find a roadside zoo in Texas more to your liking.

  • Jane Lewis
  • Laguna Niguel

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The San Diego Zoo of my memories no longer exists.
The San Diego Zoo of my memories no longer exists.

Zoo-ish proposal

I just read Thomas K. Arnold’s article (“Boo for the Zoo,” Cover Stories, December 3). Well, Mr. Arnold, boo for you. The zoo was designed and re-designed for the animals’ self safety and happiness, not for yours.

Sponsored
Sponsored

You mentioned you missed 36 cages of monkeys. I doubt that the monkeys miss them. I think they much prefer their new habitat. You mentioned being able to throw things – just food? – at the gorilla and how much fun that was. Are you kidding? For whom? And I doubt that everything tossed in their enclosure was healthy for them.

I remember seeing the giraffes at the Cincinnati Zoo and at the San Diego Safari Park and it was fun. But I prefer the separation for the safety of the animals. A lot of separation is probably to avoid lawsuits. Remember the innocent mother whose son climbed over the barricade to the gorillas. The gorillas paid a very high price for her carelessness.

I’m excited about the new Children’s Zoo. It was getting a bit outdated and will be a much improved experience. Yes, the zoo should be educational. Every time I go, which is often, I hear a parent say oh, … No, that’s a giraffe, or look a tiger. Nope, a lion. I’m not exaggerating; these are quotes. The complaints about not seeing the animals – you’re not looking. Some are nocturnal, of course, but others have private spots, and all you have to do is spend a few moments looking. I make it a game with our grandchildren. When they find the animal, they earn money to spend on our way out. The people expect them to just sit in plain sight waiting for a zoo guest. The zoo is about animals, Mr. Arnold; it isn’t all about you. Treasure your memories, but maybe you’d find a roadside zoo in Texas more to your liking.

  • Jane Lewis
  • Laguna Niguel
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