Fake Owls

[dalesys]

...couldn't tell you what a goat actually is. *sigh*

^-.-^

Get downwind of a billygoat and you'll never forget... and you nose will forgive you a long long time after that.

[LillFilly]

Well, as for people not knowing what common farm animals are, where I used to live several farmers a season would lose dairy cows to city hunters who thought they were shooting a 'deer.' We also hosted some youths from the Big City for a few years, and it was sad, yet funny, when we showed them cows at a farm and said "That's where milk comes from."

And they would tell us, very seriously; "Where we live, milk comes in cartons." Aaaand then vowed to never drink milk again when we explained where it was BEFORE it was in the carton.

[TheSnakeLady]

I was at an aquarium when I came across a girl and her boyfriend at the jellyfish exhibit. The boyfriend had his camera out and was about to take a picture of the moon jellies. The girl yelled, "No! Stop! You'll make them pop!"

[Seshat]

And they would tell us, very seriously; "Where we live, milk comes in cartons." Aaaand then vowed to never drink milk again when we explained where it was BEFORE it was in the carton.

My parents made sure I knew 'basics' like that.

I've drunk unpasteurised milk straight from the - well, the milking machine, not the pail, but still.

I've chewed on a hunk of sugar cane straight from the field. (YUM!)

I've grown my own veggies and fruits.

I've never killed or butchered anything, though. But I have made soft cheese, and eaten eggs from home-raised chickens.

[RealUnimportant]

I have seen a man dangle his toddler over the tiger pit.

I keep misreading that; UK members will probably know what word I'm seeing instead... Barely a snack for the tiger, I'm sure.

[CaroPhoenix]

Honestly, other than a couple of nursery tales and discussions like these, nobody really talks about goats any more. Hell, I bet half the people who eat goat cheese couldn't tell you what a goat actually is. *sigh*

^-.-^

When we visit the In-Laws, they live in "farm country". There used to be a buffalo farm on the main road they live off of, but that burned down.

On the road, closer to the where the in-laws live are cows and one house has about 5-10 goats. I make sure I point them out to Child Rum every time we pass. She knows what a cow and a goat look like.

One the road my in-laws actually live on, there are two houses that own horses.

And at least once a summer, we take her to the National Zoo in DC. (It's free to get in, but now you pay $20 to park, so we normally take the metro). She knows her animals.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

After a steady diet of Garth Ennis books, I know what word you keep seeing!

Actually, I think in this particular case, the guys "toddler" was sticking out of the collar of his shirt and had a hat on it.

[mikoyan29]

You know, I can forgive someone for maybe not knowing what a capybara is, or how to pronounce the word, but a rhino? What five year old doesn't know what a rhino is?

More exotic animals I can get, but your standard preschool animals like rhinos, hippos...COWS AND GOATS for frick's sake, I would think someone old enough to get their learner's permit should at least have heard of.

Shoulda told her the capy was a giant rat and watched her freak out.

Rhinos are nature's fire marshalls...

[hotelslave]

I love going to zoos went yesterday. My nephew who is 4 knew what a rhino is and all kinds of animals (I guess Diego cartoon is a good thing)

[Ben_Who]

...Well, that explains it.

I must have been about fourteen or so, visiting the national zoo. I happened to be on my own at the time, for no reason apart from the Boy Scout troop had split up and agreed to meet back at some mutual location in a certain amount of time. (The scoutmasters weren't too interested in being scoutmasters and the troop ran feral most of the time.)

I remember some guy in a coverall and a nametag was appalled...APPALLED...that someone of my minimal years would be roaming the zoo without some form of management. He harangued me for about ten minutes, demanded to know where my parents were, and was quite graphic in his description of potential accidents, most of which would have required my either parachuting into one of the enclosures or the simultaneous failure of a dozen different security devices.

It took me a while to even source his outrage, since it sprang so unbidden. I don't remember whether I bothered to try to convince the guy that I was a reasonably competent human being, not given over to "hold my beer and watch this" behavior. I was fourteen, and that was both my crime and my punishment. Nor did he grab me by the wrist and drag me off to the zoo offices, chaining me to a chair to await someone in authority. Something shiny must have distracted him, and he wandered off, secure in the belief that his come-to-Jesus moment had scared me straight.

[Shalom]

Rhinos are nature's fire marshalls...

"She didn't believe me about the bloody rhinoceros..."

"What bloody rhinoceros?"

[bainsidhe]

Working at that park for over 2 years, I recall seeing the crocs move exactly 3 times. Most of the time they could have been statues.

I'm so glad you posted this, I got quite a laugh. Last week I visited my family a few states away and we took my 5 year old niece to the zoo. They featured a dwarf croc that stood on a small pebbly area, sunning itself. One foot was up on a rock and it's mouth gaped wide open. Everyone watching was convinced it was a statue, myself included. It was just such a perfect pose and the croc was as still as stone. And then it blinked and elicited a few squeals from the crowd.

Because Mr. Croc didn't move, some jerk kids kept throwing sticks & pebbles, trying to get a reaction. So I yelled at a teen to knock it off. My 5-yr old niece was much better behaved. She also happily held a hissing cockroach at another exihibit. *shudder*

[Seshat]

Because Mr. Croc didn't move, some jerk kids kept throwing sticks & pebbles, trying to get a reaction. So I yelled at a teen to knock it off. My 5-yr old niece was much better behaved. She also happily held a hissing cockroach at another exihibit. *shudder*

The Melbourne Zoo had to put most of its male gorillas behind bamboo screening, leaving only small windows for people to see them through.

Why?

Because some people threw rocks at them. And one of the gorillas got sick of it, and picked up one of the weapons that had been so helpfully thrown at him (a rock) and threw it back.

Adult male silverbacks are strong. And have good aim. If it weren't for willing witnesses who reported the provocation, the gorilla would have had to be put down.

Instead, he now lives contentedly behind a bamboo screen. As do the other bachelor males.

[fireheart]

I've seen people looking around wondering if someone's being murdered everytime I go to the zoo. Why? Because of the siamangs. They are pretty much Howler monkeys. And they are LOUD.

[Teskeria]

couldn't tell you what a goat actually is. *sigh*

^-.-^

They are fun toys. When I was about 6 or 7, a nice billy goat and I had a head butting contest. the poor attendant was worried he'd get yelled at by my mom, but she just told him 'That girl has a hard head.' That was true. I won the contest.
And she yelled at me 'Teskeria, leave the poor goat alone!' He followed me all around the enclosure. We both had a great time (the goat and I).