Friday, April 18, 2014

Zoo Safety Rules & Rehearsals

    When on holiday, especially family holidays with children, a zoo, bird park or safari is a  popular outing. But how safe are zoos. You always wonder. A BBC article explains the safety measures including those taken by Colchester zoo after wolves escaped.
    Why are wolves classed as danger category one out of three? Not only are animals unpredictable, so are human members of the public. (Plus other animals: pets, livestock, wildlife.)
   Even an escaped 'pet' can be a problem. Such as the rhea on the loose in England. We were told it has such long claws it can kill a human with one slash.
   Ah - but not adults, only babies? Mothers with babies going to zoos, or having a picnic in the local park, do not want to hear that animals on the loose can 'only' kill babies.
   And property. An elephant on the loose can crush or overturn a car. Any animal can cause an accident by colliding with a vehicle or making traffic on motorways swerve.
   Looking at the situation from a financial point of view, you don't want to frighten away the zoo visitors, put up your insurance, or fight law suits.
   I was interested to see that restaurants and information centres are designed as places of refuge for members of the public.
   Now you know. But it's time for a zoo safety certificate with stars, like the ones on restaurants.

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