On Wednesday, June 19, I drove to the Staten Island Zoo with
fellow Binghamton Zoo keeper Ashley to acquire animals for our new farmyard
exhibit. The farmyard at the Binghamton Zoo is getting a face-lift, and we are getting a plethora of animals from around the
country to stock this new exhibit. Although the Binghamton Zoo is in upstate
New York, surrounded by farm country, Ashley and I drove to Staten Island to
pick up three sheep.
You might wonder why in the world we needed to drive three hours
to New York City to pick up animals that we can see two minutes down the road?
Well, AZA accredited zoos have detailed animal transfer procedures. Like
Craig’s List, zoos “surplus” animals they no longer want on a website and
advertise for animals they would like from fellow zoos. Zoos are not allowed to
receive or donate animals to private institutions or citizens without special
circumstantial permits.
Therefore, Ashley and I navigated a rented U-Haul (practically a
tractor-trailer!) through the congested, maze-like streets of Staten Island to
pick up three sheep for our zoo’s collection. Apparently the Staten Island
zookeepers are “Batman” fans, because sheep Bane, Joker, and Robin are now
settling into the Binghamton Zoo’s farmyard nicely
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