By: Diane Benjamin
Monday Bloomington officials will break ground at Miller Park Zoo for the flamingo exhibit. They may be stepping in lots of red ink instead of showcasing pink.
It all comes down to wings. Flamingos have them. Flamingos were born to fly. The ones in Miller Park won’t. They will try, but most won’t leave the ground.
Within days of birth their wings are cut. Bone is cut off. Their beautiful wings are shortened because Miller Park Zoo doesn’t want to build an exhibit that would allow flight. It would have to be much bigger and a lot more expensive, so go cheap.
Evidently the Zoo Master Plan made no mention of “pinioning”. Hiding cruelty to animals?
Why not DE-fang the big cats? Maybe cut off a leg so they can’t do what cats do.
This link has more info and pictures: http://www.captiveanimals.org/birds
Need more reason to oppose THIS flamingo exhibit? The two stories below are about foxes breaking into Flamingo exhibits and killing all of them. Since the flamingos can’t fly to escape, they are easy prey.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100409/world/fox-kills-flamingos-in-zoo-break-in.302024
This link is a petition just started by a local resident to stop construction: https://www.change.org/p/city-of-bloomington-city-council-no-mutilation-of-flamingos-at-miller-park-zoo-bloomington-illinois?recruiter=361764600&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink
If you don’t sign, just wait for the people who don’t even want indoor cats de-clawed to show up. It could get a lot more expensive.
Keep in mind, not only will the original flock be mutilated – so will all the babies.
It’s a wonder he could hear us over the bone-breaking flamingo mutilation going on.
And, according to his most Rebuked Dishonor, WE are the nasty people, right?
I can see it now, as of the libtards on the council that voted for this exhibit may one day have to explain to the children why it’s okay to cut (baby) birds wings off. Teaching the kids to accept animal cruelty is F’d up! Please pardon my language but I can’t express my disgust any more clearly.
NEVER have I been a big fan of zoos! Granted, there are SOME nice, well funded ones in the U.S and abroad, i.e.: San Diego comes to mind, but the BEST ones are STILL places like Denali National Park or Glacier National Park. There’s a REASON we have world biospheres! Miller Park is nothing but a torture chamber.
Oh my gosh! Conservatives and liberal animal lovers are finding common ground!!! The exhibit is a waste and so is rendering these awesome animals flightless. I am sincere when I say thanks be to God that we can set aside politics and stand united against government waste and cruelty. I would rather go to the St. Louis zoo to see Flamingos as God intended. Shame on the city for this egregious waste of money and turning this exhibit into a roadside circus.
Actually, flamingos are a pretty unique bird, in that they feed upside down! That is when you look at them they are frowning, but when they feed, they stick their heads in water (so it’s upside down) and “filter out” their food from sediment, etc. See Stephen Jay Goulds essay “The Flamingos Smile” for more on this topic. SO, how they gonna feed them at MPZ?
With bagged bird food
Good information!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
Angelo Capparella, from ISU has spoken on the WJBC website. This is all about education. Hmm, maybe one should check out his student ratings.
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=482609
I think I have the right professor. If not someone please set me straight.
I hate to use the analogy but the Nazi’s probably didn’t find a problem with what they did too.
Here is the ham radio story.
http://www.wjbc.com/2015/08/21/isu-expert-flamingo-wing-clipping-helps-zoo-education/
Yes you read that correct, clipping helps education. I have to disagree!
Flamingos aren’t endangered. What education is being taught? Hey mommy, why don’t they fly?