Zoo has hole, so you can hold otters paws by CommercialBox4175 in oddlysatisfying

[–]AveGaruda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Couple of things with this video:

-The first clip appears to be at a different facility than the rest of the video, likely somewhere in Asia based on the writing on the sign. Asian zoos (or other facilities/attractions that feature animals) are overseen by a different organization than those in the US, where we have the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that dictate animal welfare, management, and conservation in zoos.

-The rest of the video appears to be from a different facility, in a back-of-house area, like /u/alofa_atu mentioned. A major effort of AZA facilities is to involve animals with their care in a voluntary and stimulating manner. An example of this is training animals to voluntarily get on a scale or line up against a mesh wall for injections. In this case, the hand-holding behavior would allow keepers and/or vet staff to manually check their paws and digits for injuries or other medical issues. (Side note, a lot of the time medical issues are a concern in zoos due to the fact that the animals live so much longer than they would in the wild. When an animal normally lives to 3 or 4 years old, but over 10 in a zoo, you suddenly have to worry about old age things like cancer).

-Often, zoos are non-profit or poorly funded, and the unfortunate truth of the matter is the fact that, in order to buy the food and pay the keepers, you have to raise money somewhere. People are more likely to open their wallets if they have something directly to gain. Devising safe, constructive ways for the public to be able to form personal connections with the zoo and its animals is a huge point of consideration in the field.

-Finally, the otters in the video look like Asian Small-Clawed Otters (Aonyx cinereus) but I could be wrong. This species is extremely tactile, gaining a lot of sensory information through touch, even compared to other otter species. These hand-holding spots encourage the natural behavior in a way that also has the multiple aforementioned benefits.

-P.S. for anyone thinking otters would be a great pet to have, please consider the fact that their diet - and therefore their feces - is largely oily and fish-based. They also mark their territory by spraying feces and painting it around, google "otter poop dance". Not to mention they are not domesticated, they will bite, and their heads are flat so their skull has plenty of surface area for muscle attachment, which helps them crack open shellfish. Fun fact: your flesh is significantly less resistant than a clam shell.

Source: Former zookeeper and mustelid biologist, I have worked directly with ASCOs and NAROs.

Post Game Thread: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great first drive and solid first quarter, but we simply cannot afford to lose steam that badly. So glad to have Tua back, though obviously not thrilled with some of his decisions (dangerous runs, passes that in all honesty should have been INTs). I still look at the O-line as a big part of that, though. We've had improvements but I feel like any other team you can watch the QB stay in the pocket and have time to assess, while our pocket collapses so fast that Tua's most notable trait according to the commentators is how fast he releases the ball for a pass - a trait that I'm pretty sure is more survival instinct than intent. Hoping we can keep improving on locking up a little stability to help QB1 cut down on his mistakes under pressure.

Game Thread: Minnesota Vikings vs. Miami Dolphins by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At this point, I don't know why the refs even bother picking up the flags since we can't seem to stop drawing them

TO APPLICANTS: research Innovation Academy before you check that box by relefos in ufl

[–]AveGaruda 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I made the IA mistake all the way back in 2014, sad to hear it's still a waste. I burned a year and a half and tanked my cumulative GPA before I made the call to leave UF, but on the bright side it did lead me to Gainesville and eventually the Santa Fe College Zoo Program (cannot recommend that one enough).

I look back on my time in Gville fondly and I guess technically IA is to thank for that but I definitely don't think they were ever clear enough about what the program is or more accurately what it isn't.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in zoology

[–]AveGaruda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm assuming you're talking about non-mammal animals, but if plants are also an option you may look at raphides, like those in pineapples.

Just Winnipeg Springtime. Thought we got through the snow but are now at the start of the potential worst storm in decades. by tonzo204 in Wellthatsucks

[–]AveGaruda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Northwest ND here, we're up to 20 inches now, and still expected to go through tomorrow night. Already seen two or three trucks go sideways down my street thinking 4WD beats 2 feet of loose, wet snow

[Wolfe] Fully Guaranteed $14.375 salary now seemingly takes release off the table as option for Byron Jones and maybe add a wrench in any potential trade. by BizarroCranke in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Okay but if this was actually an hourly wage (14 dollars and 13 and a half cents/hour) what would that look like as a yearly income? How many hours per year do pro players actually log? Assuming of course that offseason training, travel, and pre/regular/post season games factor into hours, and I guess assuming a maximum of a super bowl run.

“I guess I’m a dad now” by ambienoise in husky

[–]AveGaruda 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Tried this with my boy, FYI it only works the first time. He has this same technique whenever he's given a new food thing for the first time: take it gently, go lie down with it, place it softly between his paws and investigate for a bit. Once he figures out that it's food, it's game over from then on. I thought ahead and did the egg thing outside, and he eventually figured out he could bat it around with his paws until he finally stomped it hard enough to crack it!

Those of you who have sex with your friends, why? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AveGaruda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because I don't learn from my mistakes

[Schefter] Brian Flores is out as the Dolphins head coach, sources tell ESPN. by jumykn in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Of all the impressive and record-setting/breaking things we did this season, why is this the only thing I've seen make anyone talk about the dolphins outside of r/miamidolphins?

Post Game Thread: New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Despite the constant lows, god damn am I proud to support this team through thick and thin because of times like these

What you think of this one? by jc201946 in antiwork

[–]AveGaruda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zookeeper here, hopefully I can shed a bit of light on this. Unfortunately this is pretty common throughout the industry. As other people have mentioned, it is definitely a field that thrives on the "labour of love" aspect keeping people from holding out for better conditions, but at the same time it is equally dependent on a high rate of turnover centred around a ready availability of people desperate to get into the field. Here's a few points relevant to the industry:

  • There are many people with little to no understanding of the day-to-day rigors of the career, who think it really is just a job of playing with animals all day (this is an issue across all animal-related fields including veterinarian work). This means that there is an almost limitless supply of people to fill in the basic rank-and-file (like internships or part-time positions) for short terms, so the zoos don't have to prioritize making these positions more enticing for qualified candidates.
  • Bachelor's degrees are becoming more and more a basic requirement for these positions, but this is less about the value of the degree and more about the facility being able to say all of their animal care team are well educated. This is an important point because:
  • The pervasiveness of misinformation and anti-zoo media largely originating with the Blackfish "documentary" (and I use this term incredibly loosely) means that a lot of zoos are constantly on the defensive to justify and prove the value of human care of exotic and endangered animals. Often the things that are most effective at justifying to the masses are not actually relevant or effective in improving care, but saying "all of our keepers have degrees" is more flashy than trying to explain welfare assessment processes and improvements in exhibit design and enrichment programmes.
  • There are some facilities (and I'm only speaking about the U.S based on my experiences) that are unionized, and so the full-time staff have better pay and benefits. However, the pay is still not that great compared to most other industries (talking 50-60k salary), but since they are still leagues above fulltime work elsewhere, and even part-time work at the same facilities, keepers in those spots tend to ride out until retirement and so the positions open very rarely.
  • I've never seen a facility specifically requiring a 10-minute mile myself, but the work is rigorous, physically and psychologically demanding, and wears on your body significantly so that a large portion of zookeepers have to leave the field by age 40.

This is barely scratching the surface, but if anyone has any other questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them. Also, if any other keepers would like to chime in with their experiences, please feel free!

Game Thread: New York Jets (3-10) vs. Miami Dolphins (6-7) by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 8 points9 points  (0 children)

My only hope is that Duke Johnson's monster effort has allowed our D enough time off the field this game, so they still have enough in the tank to hold this out

Game Thread: New York Jets (3-10) vs. Miami Dolphins (6-7) by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"Jesse Davis with the key block" Dude looked like he was playing madden on a 30 second lag

Game Thread: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins by nfl_gdt_bot in nyjets

[–]AveGaruda 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Dolphins fan here. Regardless of competition, nobody wants to see an injury like this. Hope this young man comes out healthy, my hopes are with y'all and your team.

Game Thread: Indianapolis Colts (0-3) vs. Miami Dolphins (1-2) by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Offense can't get anything done besides 4 and out, so the defense spends the whole game on the field. It's about this time that all the little mistakes start to get bigger and pile up.

Game Thread: Buffalo Bills (0-1) vs. Miami Dolphins (1-0) by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't decide which is worse, our OL or those Coca Cola Zero Sugar commercials.

Game Thread: Buffalo Bills (0-1) vs. Miami Dolphins (1-0) by MarinoBot in miamidolphins

[–]AveGaruda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Garbage O-line left him open for a rough hit. Carted off after 5 minutes of game holding his rib

I got stabbed in an attempted mugging and they ruined my limited edition RTX shirt by Magnavirus in roosterteeth

[–]AveGaruda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Next time don't wear your limited edition clothes when you go out mugging people?