Is it acceptable for monkeys to eat out of plastic ketchup bottles? I saw it happening at a zoo today and wondered if it’s normal?

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Hi, i'm writing my bachelors thesis in biology and am in need of good quality images of carnivores with the sclera/conjuctiva visible. If anyone has any pictures or perhaps links to where I can view your photography to search through it would be greatly appreciated! I might also expand it to include hoofed animals (ungulates - Cetartiodactyla/Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla) if the time allows, same requirement.

There are a bunch of videos on youtube showing dancing ostriches. They don't look like the video has been manipulated (eg sped up/slowed down to match music).

What is really going on? What peculiarity of ostrich behavior is being used?

(asked in CaptiveWildlife because all ostriches shown "dancing" were in zoos or farms)

So I'm 22 and have been contemplating what to do with my life. I've thought about being a Zoologist when I was in high school but didn't want to go to college. Especially when everyone was getting sick shiver. But after all thought I've thought about going back to that. So currently I've been thinking about going back to school and going for the Zoology major. But the thing is, I want to study carnivores. Specifically wolves, bears, and big cats (maybe seals lol). But in general I don't mind working with a variety of animals but I want my main thing to be the Carnivora group. But I don't know where to start.

I've looked through the FAQ and left me asking more questions (to myself mostly). I want to work with animals but I don't want to mess with their space. My first thought was the zoo, and I still might do it but I also thought about asking the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in Montana to see if they have any ideas. I'm not the type of guy to work in a lab with chemicals. I'm more of look at the animal, understand them, and learn more about them. But it would be cool to be in more conservation but I don't know much about that. This is all fairly recent thoughts and I didn't who to ask so I wanted to ask the experts.

Maybe someone has similar thoughts and also has went or is going through the same thing. Maybe it's a unique experience to me I don't know.

Edit: Also I'm from the Midwest so if there's anything around there that could help

Wasn’t sure how to phrase the title. I have zoo and exotic experience but only with smaller and easy to handle animals like birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. AKA nothing that could eat or crush me. I do see a decent number of job postings but they all require working with larger animals like hoofstock at least a little bit. I’m really nervous about that because I know nothing about them. Could anyone with experience explain some of the differences in the work involved, physical demands, etc.? I appreciate it. Thanks!

I know it's a stretch but I am working on an assignment on why not to exploit animals for human entertainment and I need a statistic for the amount of people who have died due to captive animals. I've searched everywhere for even a rough statistic on this topic, but all that comes up is how many animals have died in captivity, if anyone could give me just a rough answer that would be so appreciated, many thanks x

I have a herring gull amputee I nursed back to health but since he can’t fly he needs human care for the rest of his life. He adapted well even acting somewhat tame, having no trouble flapping around and exploring his aviary(and waking up my neighbors at 5am lol). As gulls are surprisingly intelligent I’m sure he needs something more than just a bowl of food and a swimming pond. I think of smart toys for dogs/cats to make him look for his food(he adores eggs and worms). Are there any toys beak-proof enough to put them safely in the aviary without risk of swallowing small elements? Or should I look for something different?

Inb4 - as a private citizen I have a governmental permit for keeping him. The best solution would be to get him another non-flying friend but it’s very difficult in my country(it doesn’t mean I gave up searching, I just can’t do that right now)

If yes, how many vegans per week would they need?

I’ve seen posts about keepers with criminally low pay but also openings with reasonable pay. Is there a consistent average in the us or does it just greatly depend on the institution, location, and experience?

Let's say an engineer catches a couple of opossums and moves with them to a country where they are not legally protected in any way (for instance somewhere in Europe).

How likely is it that the said layman can give them a life equal or better to what they would have as wild animals in America?

Assumptions:

1. I am not trying to give them an ideal life, just one as good as outside (for instance, lack of veterinary care is not a big deal, I heard wild opossums sometimes skip vet visits too)
2. Assume the layman is an intelligent person and willing to educate himself, but not a wildlife professional
3. The answer needs to be specific to opossums not the generic blurb "wildlife needs to be wild"

I’m going to college soon and have been wanting to study zoology and work with animals since I was a little girl. Unfortunately, I have a heart condition (POTS) and I’m physically very weak. I know it wouldn’t necessarily be easy for me to work there, but is it going to be extremely hard? I can get stronger but not significantly. Please be brutally honest, even though it’s my dream I don’t want to waste time and money for something I can’t realistically do. Thank you!

Edit: Thank you all for the responses, it’s pretty much what I thought but I figured I should ask people with experience. I’ll be sure to take everyone’s advice and look into internships and other animal related jobs. Thank you again, I appreciate the perspective!! <3

1. In reputable zoos, are there robust procedures to keep animals and people safe or can one person's error have serious consequences?

2. Is experience (such as volunteering) more important than education when trying to become a keeper in the US?

Let's say I make it my life calling to pet animals.

So I go to the appropriate schools, and then I join the zoo as a caretaker and I work there for decades.

What animals will I ever be able to pet? Not a tiger, maybe a wild bunny? Or a capybara?

Hey Reddit community!

I've got an exciting opportunity for a volunteer position at a local zoo, and I'm gearing up for my first-ever interview. I'm reaching out to this awesome community to see if anyone would be willing to help me practice some potential interview questions. If you've got experience with zoo interviews or just love a good mock interview session, I'd really appreciate your insights and advice.

Feel free to drop any questions you think might come up or share your own experiences in the comments. Your support means the world to me as I embark on this new adventure. Thanks in advance! 🦁🌿