I just discovered that the baby howler monkey at the National Zoo died on Sunday—this following the death, a few weeks earlier, of the baby panda.
Unlike the panda baby, who lived less than a week, Loki the little howler monkey was seven months old and, for those who had actually seen her at the zoo, already seemed like a healthy and permanent resident.
We could talk about this in the context of zoo conditions, the artificiality of these habitats, how they mess with animals’ behaviors and physiologies and so on, and I’m sure those can play a role. On the other hand, survivorship of wild animals is not particularly high, either.
Mainly I’m just sad that a fellow creature I had gotten to like, however superficially, died before she could even finish her first year.
On the happy side, a good friend just sent me the link to this New York Times article--news that will be especially exciting to people living in NYC and that comes with maybe the best photo ever:
It's something guaranteed to cheer almost anyone up. And we all need that.
{A note: I do write all text and take all pictures. Please do not reproduce either without my permission.}
2 comments:
1. Thank you for posting no details about the passage of said furry creature. I rarely read ANY posts that talk about such things. A little sensitive...
2. Upon viewing the baby mustachioed creature in the KIDDY POOL, I will now inform my husband of what we want next for a pet.
OH MY GAWD, that is ADORABLE!! Wanna fling a mackerel at it!
1. I don't like the details of that sort of thing either, so no thanks are necessary.
2. YES. I have wanted a walrus for a while, and that image only made me long for one more...
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