Columbus: Home of the most depressing zoo in America...

[CmazzJK]

Went to the Columbus Zoo this weekend for the first time, to try out my new 70-200, and I gotta say it was a bit of a buzz kill... I have never seen such sad animals in my life, it made me want to protest zoo's. After leaving so deflated my wife and I listened to The Cure all the way home to Dayton (Just Kidding)...













Should we have a most pathetic animal contest? My votes for the tortoise...

 

[tirediron]

Did you come at siesta time?

 

[astroNikon]

okay, okay, okay.
So the snow has nearly all melted now and it was 70 yesterday, but it's supposed to snow again tomorrow

 

[lambertpix]

We were enjoying some unseasonably warm temps this weekend, and I'm guessing the animals may have been caught off-guard. IME, they also tend to prefer mornings & evenings more than mid-day. FWIW, some of them do occasionally move:


Playfighting by lambertpix, on Flickr

 

[robbins.photo]

I dunno, the turtle actually looks thrilled to me, I mean he's made it to the fence already. Once he leaps over that it's only a short six to eight month sprint to the exit and freedom.



Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk

 

[Derrel]

Looks like they are all out, sunning themselves...

 

[Overread]

It's often said if you want to see action at a zoo there are several key times:

1) Morning - very early and in summer this period of time is oft long before the doors typically open

2) Evening

3) Feed/keeper interaction times - this is why many zoos operate small "tid bit" feed events through the day; some even time them so that they run one after the other so a person can follow the action around the zoo for a whole day if they want.
Note some animals also have irregular feeding scheduals so might show activity when a feed "might" appear even when one isn't.

4) Breeding seasons

Many animals when given nothing else to do and when well fed will be very lethargic - even in the wild this is true (many big cats can spend 20 hours a day just sleeping and resting).

 

[psran]

Well not trying to depress you further but I have seen much more depressed animals at zoo. These particular shots are of Some very ill-treated animals at a Bangkok zoo.


1. These guys were sitting very quietly, I didn't understand why. Later on while Processing this image I came to notice that their eyes had been removed




2. The Rhino on right had a big wound on its belly.




3. These guys look really sad to me, still dont know why

 

[CmazzJK]

Did you come at siesta time?

Could have, it was afternoon.

 

[CmazzJK]

I dunno, the turtle actually looks thrilled to me, I mean he's made it to the fence already. Once he leaps over that it's only a short six to eight month sprint to the exit and freedom.



Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk

I could tell he was dreaming of freedom from that split rail fence. Thank god he will live another hundred years, it very well may take that long to break free

 

[CmazzJK]

It's often said if you want to see action at a zoo there are several key times:

1) Morning - very early and in summer this period of time is oft long before the doors typically open

2) Evening

3) Feed/keeper interaction times - this is why many zoos operate small "tid bit" feed events through the day; some even time them so that they run one after the other so a person can follow the action around the zoo for a whole day if they want.
Note some animals also have irregular feeding scheduals so might show activity when a feed "might" appear even when one isn't.

4) Breeding seasons

Many animals when given nothing else to do and when well fed will be very lethargic - even in the wild this is true (many big cats can spend 20 hours a day just sleeping and resting).

Yeah I will have to remember that for next time I go to the zoo

 

[robbins.photo]

I dunno, the turtle actually looks thrilled to me, I mean he's made it to the fence already. Once he leaps over that it's only a short six to eight month sprint to the exit and freedom.



Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk

I could tell he was dreaming of freedom from that split rail fence. Thank god he will live another hundred years, it very well may take that long to break free

By then the fence will have rotted away to nothing. Crafty turtle. Saves him the 3 week journey to the other side of the enclosure where he obviously left his pole vault.. lol

 

[bribrius]

they just need some happy pills put in their food.

 

[CmazzJK]

On a more positive note the Nikon 70-200 F4 was very impressive.

 

[Overread]

psran - with the peacocks are you sure that's removed eyes? I can only clearly see one eye in the photo (even when blown up). The milky white effect could be the birds second eyelid closing Nictitating membrane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia