Zookeepers. What's the low-down, dirty, inside scoop on zoos?

Some people like to bring fruit and stuff to throw into the animal's cages, even though they're not supposed to.

If you're around and someone throws a pineapple into the gorilla or chimpanzee dens, get the freak out.

They will throw that thing full blast at someone. I saw a man get hit full force right in the side of the head and he was lights out.

Pineapple exploded on impact. Paramedics came and everything.

I had to draft the zoo's contingency plan for all sorts of emergencies.

Flood, tornado, extreme heat, war, attacks, you name it.

The plan included a prioritized list of which animals in the collection we'd have to sacrifice to feed the other animals in extreme situations.

I literally created a zoo food chain.

Humans were left off the list entirely.

Rhinos may look super intimidating, and they can hurt you, don't get me wrong, but they really

just act like big dogs. They love being scratched and they'll eat all the fruit out of your

hand. A zoo kind of place I worked at on occasion calls them Winoes because they roll over and

whimper because they want belly rubs with a bristle brush. Late to the party, but I wanted to mention all the older animals.

Sometimes people don't realize there are older critters who have health issues.

A lot of older fish we had were kept in back tanks away from view because people assumed

normal old fish issues were a result of poor husbandry, and they'd get upset if they were on display.

Imagine having your 17-year-old

incontinent dog in a zoo. People would think it looks amaciated and pathetic. Along the same

lines, zoos have improved significantly in terms of animal husbandry over the years. But a lot

of older animals have been in zoos since before these changes occurred. I remember working

with a group of chimps, and one of the old chimps would

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