The London Zoo has the best signs
Like this one, that isn’t so much warning you against specific action as just informing you of certain risks you take by being alive.
Sign
All posts by Josh More
Rowleys Palm Viper
This viper was told that children were watching and was asked to model better behavior.
Accordingly, this viper has been up all night provisioning AWS GPU instances and creating scenarios for the initial machine learning algorithms.
Dwarf Mongoose
Dwarf mongoose fights can be so vicious that they can tunnel through concrete.
Butterfly
Even though they’re pretty much just butterflies that are lacking the scales that make them special, I still get excited when I get to see a clearwing.
Black Naped Fruit Dove
Dove that’s hoping the chef realizes he’s not a blackbird well before the top crust is placed.
Snowdon Aviary
One interesting thing about going to historical zoos is how seldom the buildings, built to house animals, gave any consideration to the animals at all.
Decimus Burton, the first architect of the zoo is on record as being quite upset that his brilliant designs, made so people can appreciate the animals, were being thrown away because, as it turned out, they were also killing the animals that lived there.
While not as bad as that, this aviary has also reached the end of its useful life and there were signs up about how the zoo planned to replace it soon.
The more we learn, the more we realize just how wrong we were when we thought we knew what we were doing. I think this is true in all fields, but more apparent in the world of zoos.
Frog
Frogs don’t have to get up in the morning, and they don’t mind rubbing your face in it.
Asiatic Lion
The Asiatic lion used to roam throughout India, Turkey, Iran and the Mesopotamian area. Today, it is restricted to just the Gir Forest in India. In December of last year, 31 of these lions died unexpectedly of – it is believed – disease and parasites. When a population gets too small, it becomes more vulnerable. It is likely that the wild population will die out in my lifetime, so I’m glad I got to see these when I did.
Sign
I seldom post other people’s photos, much less photos of other people’s photos.
However, I have to mention that a little over 100 years ago, the largest lizard – with a massively infectious, poisonous, *and* venomous bite (to the point that a bite is often a death sentence, even with modern medical technology, with people dying of infection even years after the bite) came to the London Zoo … and small children got to pet it.
Giraffe House
Giraffes don’t really understand the Monty Hall problem.
Golden Silk Orb Weaver
These spiders have gathered together on the 265th* anniversary of the Weenen Massacre to discuss the complexities of colonization and how seldom those in power personally feel the impact of their decisions.
* in base 8, of course.
Sokoke Cat
While normally dappled to provide camouflage in the forest undergrowth, sokoke cats lick themselves blonde before venturing out into the desert.
While Tailed Mongoose
No big deal. Just eatin’ the rich.
Serval
This serval refuses to share articles from well-known satire sites like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Fox News.
Life is a farce.
Black Oystercatcher
I suspect the name “black oystereater” might be slightly more accurate.
Cheetah
Now we know where the fissures in logs come from.
Flamingo
This young flamingo wishes the publishers would leave classic books alone.
He was just trying to read “Wikipedia Brown”, and it was the story was changing as it went along.
Leopard
I think he missed a spot.
African Crowned Crane
Ever notice how you never look at a bird and think “Wow, that critter sure is heveled.”
Sokoke Cat
You come to this cat, on the day his daughter is to be married, and you ask for a favor. Someday, he may call upon you to do a service in return. On that day, you will have a choice – to say “yes” or “no.”
Either answer is acceptable, for this cat understands the difference between friendship and debt.