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A kind of Walden Pond situation: Vibe. Think thinky thoughts. Enjoy catered meals.

…zoos have been keeping this species for over a century, and there is a 1907 Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London that references the animal as having been in their menagerie, accompanied by a photograph. ZSL got it from the Zoological Gardens in Calcutta. archive.org/details/proc...

Well, he stumbled into a room on fire. That’s the Hellin’ of Troy, that is.

I know of a croc that did the same. Tbf, electrical noise is awful and makes me want to bite too.

Even in human care, they’re at high risk of infections, trauma, or toxicities because, bless them, their immune systems are brand new, their brains are uncooked, their bodies are smaller and more squishy, and they eat the darndest things.

As for timing, some of these things are crap luck and some is that summer usually has higher mortality, in my experience. Usually that’s due to the higher risk of mortality in young-of-year. Babies are naive, mentally, physically, and immunologically. Mortality rates are extremely high in the wild.

And without knowing anyone on the medical team at Denver (I don’t think), I can be very sure that they all are committed to doing their absolute best to protect their animals’ health, welfare, and conservation. This job is too hard and poorly paid to do if you don’t believe in it deeply.

And while it’s never comfortable, it is important for zoos to self-reflect and take responsibility for risks, errors, and outcomes, even the non-preventable ones.

Having a staff pathologist means they are invested in and committed to a high level of animal care and accountability. Zoo pathologists are for the express purpose of identifying risks to the animals or any evidence that can be used to improve animal care.

I, personally, do not know anything about Denver Zoo or any of their recent losses. I will say, it is generally a good sign when a zoo is honest about disclosing deaths, even when folks have questions. Denver is one of the few zoos in the country that has an on-site staff pathologist.

💯. I also have to cross the street to avoid those sonic “dog/deer repelling” motion-activated electronic noise-makers that are theoretically too high pitched for humans to sense or care about. ADHD.

I did leave a STRONGLY worded comment though.

Thanks for the reminder, Bethany. For everyone who has voting representation in Congress (not us in DC), PLEASE reach out to your reps!

I cackled.

I legit refer to the portable civilian AEDs as “Mattel Speak n Sparks”.

The pink in the corners of the mouth and the smoky blue tinge to the eyes confirms these are just babies. Congratulations on your new neighbors!

Today I was told by my boss* that my method of breaking down a carcass was “weirdly impressive, you folded up the whole thing like you were breaking down a cardboard box.” Y’all, if you ever wanna flatter a pathologist. ⤴️ *a clinician, not a pathologist

Exactly. A dermestid colony can rip through a skeleton pretty quickly and is great if you’re doing this frequently or with big carcasses. An isopod colony is an adorable colonial pet with a bonus feature but not a great plan for frequent skeleton prep.

Takes a lot longer and leaves a bit more ligament, so I have a friend who swears by isopods for things like articulated feet. I think a skull this small could have easily ended up with a lot of damage from dermestids if not checked VERY frequently. Isopods also are easier keepers for me.

Well they start off so teeny.