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Looks like April the giraffe is going to have her baby on April Fools day (if not tonight) . How appropriate for all the mugs like me who have been keeping a hopeful eye out for the birth , for the last three weeks !!!

Am I the only one who feels very uncomfortable about seeing Giraffes kept in zoos in countries with cold winters , where the giraffes have to be kept in their indoor enclosures for the whole winter months (or any months below 50deg. )

I understand April the female is happy and safe in her box, but her mate Oliver in the other box can do nothing but walk round and round and round , day and night in tight circles apart from a lie down now and then. Imagine that for months, 24/7 . Millions of people watching and commenting, how cute they all are , and how well fed etc, but Im seriously concerned imagining his boredom and frustration. Seems no life to me.
Perhaps zoos who cant provide natural type conditions year round, shouldnt be allowed to keep those species ?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClnQCgFa9lCBL-KXZMOoO9Q/live

Yes, Venice. You couldn't have put it better. I have looked in on them most days for a brief time. Only to see poor Oliver , shuffling back and forth. Your thoughts on this are exactly the same as my thoughts.
I know they had bad snow last week , and I have seen his door open on couple of occasions, but really this is not a suitable life for such animals. And now another to be born into captivity, with a lifespan of 20-25 yrs in confined enclosures. Not what I consider kindness. The same could be said for any zoos, and the plain fact that these animals miss their natural environment was evident when those lions were first released into their bush enclosures in South Africa. They had never seen a tree, and their first instinct the minute they were released into them, was to scratch up against the trees.

This Animal Adventure Park isn't so big either, when you see it on Google Map. Over 200,000 were viewing the other night at one time with all the stupid comments. Really quite ridiculous. They've certainly made a fortune out of this. I think they will receive about £60 for every 8 or 9 thousand views due to returns for advertisements.

It also seems a lot longer than 3 weeks.

Isn't this how they should be ? Northern Serengeti, taken by my cousin.

Wonderful granny.

This elephant could do with some support too

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/takeaction/841/626/994/

Indeed and Signed.

Such heart breaking stories of these beautiful animals.

Just come across this. It makes you want to vomit.

for just £2,350 ......

http://huntinginafricasafaris.com/a...-africa/hunting-giraffe-in-south-africa/

Not a big fan of Zoo's, they say its to help endangered animals etc but never hear of the aniamls they are trying to save being bred and then released, they catch them and lock them up, and hey we'll saved it

Very sick people in my opinion .Wayyyy beyond my understanding.

As long as it's a good Zoo, which I think Chester is I don't have a problem. Ive been there with my little grandson alot he loves it. They do alot for conservation and whilst it would be nice to think of all animals living wild they are being hunted and killed nearly to extinction, as that stomach churning promotion for Giraffe hunting above which Granny drew our attention to. If we don't have Zoos I think alot of animals who we see now will end up like the Dodo , only in books.I have seen some bad so called Zoos which upset me as living conditions are appalling.

I'm not over keen on zoos really, although I think most now adhere to all the necessary guidelines and rules. Conservation seemed to be well on the agenda last time I went to Chester.( a coupe of years ago). Saying that, and most animals here are born in captivity now, it does not provide anything like in relation to their natural environment . Giraffes can run up to 60 mph in the wild, they don't even get a chance to run in captivity. eventually they will breed creatures that can't run at all.(my opinion only) Same applies to many of the other descendants of wild animals that are born in captivity. Then there are the babies stolen from the wild for USA and others zoos. That is the cruellest. Killing the mothers or whole families to obtain a baby. The human race should be ashamed of itself.

Well what about this Animal Park , Cools with the giraffes we're watching , would you say its good or bad the way it keeps its giraffes in that space all Winter? Warm, dry, company , fed . Is it enough?

Picking up on another point of Cools, and how many of these animals are now of the 'critical ' list of endangered species. At the same time vultures are dying off at an alarming rate in India and Africa. Not enough carcases for them . That in itself is also a worrying factor, as vultures have a digestive system which destroys bacteria on dead meat that no other animal can digest . Bacteria such as anthrax, botulism, and cholera . So finely tuned is nature, that if they also end up on the critical list or become extinct, disease will spread at a far greater rate through India ,Africa and indeed the world.

It doesn't look good Venice I admit, had to look it up it's in New York yes. Gets really cold there so there is a argument for what you say. In an ideal world think we would all like to see every animal in their natural environment with sweeping plains etc. Even if all Zoos were banished you would get the private collectors wanting to have tigers and other animals in their possession. As I say if it's a good Zoo or safari park and the animals are treated well and kept in good conditions I think and especially if they are born in captivity,don't like to think of animals being taken from the wild to end up in Zoos, it's the next best thing.At least they must tend to adapt as they don't know anything different. Not saying it's right,just trying to see the upside. Now bad zoos I hate , went to Drayton Manor last year , theme park Thomas the Tank land, obviously with grandson. They have a small zoo, I say that very loosely, stuck at the back dark and gloomy , enclosures that hold animals with nothing to say good about. My heart went out to a very sad looking Tiger lying there looking so depressed and sad. Now that kind of place should be closed down , the difference to Chester and that . It's very controversial isn't it, Zoos or no Zoos...Didn't know that about the vultures Granny , I would have thought they'd have plenty to feast on with droughts and things that kill off the animals.

This is getting a wee bit off track whilst we wait for April to give birth. It passes the time.

Talking about Vultures. There are some very interesting facts on here about them. Becoming quite fond of the blighters for their characteristics pertaining to their lifestyle. Fascinating as you go further down the 16 points.

http://annamiticus.com/2012/08/27/16-things-you-might-not-know-about-vultures/