posted by a zookeeper friend on facebook

speciesofleastconcern:

As someone in the zoo/aquarium field, I want to say something to everyone who is not…

It is not appropriate or respectful for you to publicly question the death of any animal under the care of zoo professionals. It is also not appropriate to say things that suggest you are more heartbroken than the people who cared for that animal. In case you weren’t aware, all living things must die. Sometimes it’s unexpected, sometimes it’s tragic, and sometimes it’s peaceful and planned for in a humane way.

When a human dies, the health care professionals who took care of that person are not typically questioned or accused of wrong doing. The same should be true for animal care professionals. I can assure you, with all my heart, that no one is more upset about the death than the people who personally knew that animal.

Wild animals die, captive animals die, and human beings die. It’s the natural order of things. I promise you, zoo animals have teams of caring, educated people looking after their well being from day 1 until the very end (and beyond, since every zoo animal gets a full post-mortem examination).

So please, next time you read a press release about the death of a zoo animal, think twice before you assume the worst and make any comments that imply something could have been done to avoid the situation. Zoos don’t intend to cover up the truth. But sometimes it takes weeks or even months to learn the whole story. Feel free to express your condolences and support. Send flowers or cards to the staff if you’d like. But please be patient and respectful. If the health care staff can figure out the cause of death, have faith that they will tell the public… But also understand that sometimes there are questions that may never be answered, due to the great amounts of unknown when caring for wild animals.

Thanks for listening.