# Zoo Exhibit



## Daleo (Jun 1, 2011)

I was at the local zoo a couple days ago, and I have a membership. I was going with a class (I'm in college... wtf) and I heard there was going to be a hedgehog shown around. I was super excited, especially because I knew so much about them and wanted to show off.  Well, we wanted to see the penguins first, so we went there. It just so happened that they had the hedgehog in the birdhouse. It was kinda like a miniature petting zoo. They had a hedgehog and some kind of lizard. Well, he was a grumpy hedgie to say the least. He was huffing and hissing and clicking and overall NOT happy. I felt bad for him as kid after kid after kid went to touch him. The zookeeper has to speak over his huffing he was so upset. It was obvious he was not socialized often, and the keeper was holding him with a towel. I felt incredibly bad for him and I am sure this must have been stressful for him. Anyone experience a similar situation?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Poor baby...I've never seen any breed of hedgehog in any zoos around me, thankfully. Why they think an animal covered with sharp spines should be in a _petting_ zoo is beyond me. :roll: Doesn't sound like a good living situation for the little guy at all.


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## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

If it were me, I'd contact the zoo and complain about it. That can't be healthy for the poor hedgehog.


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## Sar-uh (Sep 6, 2011)

Oh goodness, that's so upsetting 

It's crazy to see "professionals" mishandling exotic animals. My vet was so rough with Petunia. I kept thinking, "She doesn't huff when you're gentle!" I was so taken aback that I wasn't sure what to say.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

You might be surprised... just because what you see on one visit is different from what we do in our homes doesn't mean that hedgehog isn't well taken care of.

I work at a zoo and we used to have a hedgehog as one of our program animals. When they would bring him out for events or public greets the keepers would handle him with gloves. And there was a good reason for that. In public situations where anything might startle the hedgehog, it's a safety procedure. If you're holding a hog in bare hands and it suddenly balls up you might get hurt and you can't help your own reactions - the animal could get dropped, or hurt in some way. Handling gloves, or a towel in this case, are much safer for all involved. In every day handling situations gloves aren't used. 

Besides the public greets, behind the scenes in their homes the hedgehog is probably well taken care of, assuming your zoo is AZA accredited. Accredited zoos have very strict standards - these are places of conservation staffed by people who are passionate about animals. Quality of care is not taken lightly. You're only seeing it from the perspective of a visitor. It sounds like that hedgehog wasn't particularly enjoying himself, but you have no way to know if that's usual, he may have just been having a bad day. Or he might have been new to the program and not used to being around that many people.

If you're concerned you can contact the zoo - look for a phone number or e-mail address in an education or guest services department. If you contact them just be polite and ask them for a bit of information about their hedgehog - try not to be on the attack. As a zoo person I'm always upset when someone contacts me in an angry or attacking way that implies we don't care deeply about our animals.


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## Daleo (Jun 1, 2011)

Ya they are a really nice zoo so that's why I was surprised. I might email them and just let them know that as a visitor I was concerned about the hedgehog stressing out too much and see what they say.


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

the towel is one thing, but gloves should never be used as the smell of the gloves alone terrifies hedgies. just my personal opinion, but if the person handling the hedgie can't do so safely without the use of gloves including preventing any falls or anything when they ball up, then they shouldn't be the ones handling him/her in the first place. addionally that's teaching those that don't know any better that's how you're suppose to handle them and you're NOT!

i do have to agree though that having a hedgie in a petting zoo is probably not the best idea. for one that's just way too many people not just looking at, but touching the hedgie which could be very dangerous and a liability for the zoo should any customers get bit or hurt from the quills (you have to remember that little kids skin is a lot softer and easier to penetrate with the quills so they could get seriously hurt). not to mention how scary it has to be for the hedgie being in such a loud place with so many people and then being forced to be awake during the day when they should be sleeping can't be good for the hedgie. again only my opinion, but i think for all involved its a much safer, healthier environment if they are in their own cages behind bars or glass where they can be seen, but not touched and have the option to go hide and sleep when they want just like the majority of other animals at zoos. 
i would definitely email them and voice your concerns. nothing wrong with saying hey i didn't feel comfortable with this situation and this is why....


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

shawnwk1 said:


> the towel is one thing, but gloves should never be used as the smell of the gloves alone terrifies hedgies.


I fail to see how the smell of gloves is any different than the smell of blankets or the smell of anything else we use to handle our hedgies. Gloves do not have one singular smell that is like a hedgehog repellent, it's not like "the smell or oranges" or "the smell of smoked salmon." Gloves can take on the scent of whatever they're around.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

Since I can't edit my last post...

Like I said, it's easy from an outsider point of view to find flaws in the way a zoo might handle their program animals, but you have to understand that AZA guidelines for animal handling are very strict. Zoos have to follow procedures and rules that are different from what we do as pet owners. Those rules might seem strange to you because they're different, but they are there for a reason. Yes, as a pet owner we would never handle our hedgehogs with gloves, but this is a very different scenario from that. 

In addition, I think there may be some misunderstanding of what program animals in zoos are for. They are not paraded around at the zookeepers whims and forced into bas situations, they are animal ambassadors used for education. And in a zoo setting these animals are NOT being displayed as pets, so the way they are handled and the information that is presented can be quite different. That said, any knowledgeable zookeeper who works with these animals every day will be aware that hedgehogs can be kept as pets and can explain that to visitors and explain how that can be different from the way the animals are kept at the zoo. 

Lastly, as I said before, who knows, maybe this hedgehog was just having a bad day, maybe this particular hedgehog isn't used to those situations yet, but in general program animals at zoos are raised so they become accustomed to being around people. Maybe this hedgehog was new to the program and was out for a little while to start getting accustomed to it. It's important for visitors to be able to see these animals up close, not just through glass. Ambassador animals let visitors really connect with their experience so they can understand how important conservation efforts are and they can learn more about animals.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I agree with NoDivision. Often pet owners criticize what zoos pet stores etc do because they are viewing it from a pet standpoint. 

Gloves are perfectly acceptable in certain situations as NoDivision has said. In a home situation, a towel is by far the best choice but gloves do serve a purpose in public to ensure hedgie doesn't get dropped. Even the most experienced owner can react to a suddenly quilled hedgehog and for someone who may not be used to handling a hedgehog daily,I would much rather see gloves than a dropped hedgehog.


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

Obviously you have never smelled gloves. They do have a distinctive smell, each different with the kind of gloves. You're entitled to your opinion as am I. We can argue forever on the rights and wrongs of zoos, but I don't argue with ignorance and just got out of the hospital and don't need any drama. Like I said you're entitled to your opinion as am I.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

shawnwk1 said:


> Obviously you have never smelled gloves. They do have a distinctive smell, each different with the kind of gloves. You're entitled to your opinion as am I. We can argue forever on the rights and wrongs of zoos, but I don't argue with ignorance and just got out of the hospital and don't need any drama. Like I said you're entitled to your opinion as am I.


If you don't need drama, it might be a good idea to stay away from touchy topics on here for awhile, just to avoid putting yourself through any stress. No one wants you to endanger your health for arguments, no matter what causes them. 

NoDivision, you make some great points that I didn't consider, and it's nice to get the point of view of someone working at a zoo. Thanks for helping us get the zoo's side of the situation and reminding us that while the circumstances may be different, they're not necessarily bad.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

If you don't want drama you might also want to avoid calling other forum members ignorant. That is extremely rude, as I'm sure it's fairly clear I am not speaking from a place of ignorance on this matter. There was no need to get personal, that was a low blow and extremely uncalled for.


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## Emaline (Sep 29, 2011)

Hey guys, why don't we all think of baby hedgies and get happy.

*poof* no more drama!


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Lilysmommy said:


> NoDivision, you make some great points that I didn't consider, and it's nice to get the point of view of someone working at a zoo. Thanks for helping us get the zoo's side of the situation and reminding us that while the circumstances may be different, they're not necessarily bad.


Seconded! I did a huge report on zoos for my college writing class and it was so interesting to do all the research. It actually made me want to go to school for zoology for a while until I realized that it's obviously science heavy, which has never been my forte. :roll: I've always been really curious about zoos and what goes on behind the scenes.

In any situation where you're questioning the way places are run, you want to approach the people working at said place with respect... without respect, no one will listen to your concerns.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Gloves no more have a distinctive smell than do shirts or pants or jackets. There are leather gloves of all kinds, vinyl gloves, cotton gloves, wool gloves, latex gloves and I could go on and on. There is no way they all smell the same just because they are gloves. 

Hedgehogs do not associate gloves with anything negative unless they have been abused or handled roughly by someone with gloves. The whole reason that gloves are not recommended is because the hedgehog is not able to get the persons scent or feel through gloves. 

shawnwk1 you are the one creating the drama, not anyone else.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

hanhan27 said:


> It actually made me want to go to school for zoology for a while until I realized that it's obviously science heavy, which has never been my forte. :roll:


You're not the only one XD We do some career counseling in my department and it's surprising how many people don't realize that you more than likely need some kind of science degree for a career as a keeper. People think if they just love animals and volunteer at the humane society they'll be a shoo in XD People don't realize how highly competitive the field is - I think the statistic we had earlier this year was that you'd have a better chance, numbers wise, of getting drafted into the NBA than getting a job as a zookeeper.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

NoDivision said:


> hanhan27 said:
> 
> 
> > It actually made me want to go to school for zoology for a while until I realized that it's obviously science heavy, which has never been my forte. :roll:
> ...


Ummm....my house is a zoo. Can I get experiential credit?


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

Rainy said:


> NoDivision said:
> 
> 
> > hanhan27 said:
> ...


XD It certainly doesn't hurt!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

NoDivision said:


> hanhan27 said:
> 
> 
> > It actually made me want to go to school for zoology for a while until I realized that it's obviously science heavy, which has never been my forte. :roll:
> ...


Yeeeah, I had looked into zoology awhile ago, since working closely with tigers and other big cats is more or less my dream job - emphasis on the "dream". I quickly decided to go with something else, since zookeeper jobs are just so limited. I have a family friend who has a master's in zoology and the only job she could find since she graduated was at a tiny zoo out in Minnesota (I think). She had more education than the director of the zoo! :roll: She ended up quitting, but this was three years or more ago and she hasn't found another zoo job since... :? I guess I'll stick with wildlife! Birds of prey are one of my other loves.


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