Zoo New England and (hopefully) Massachusetts stand up for our disappearing giants

Zoos have a unique role in society: for most people it is the only place they will ever see an exotic animal. The hope is that zoo guests will be energized by the experience to want to protect the animals that they have come to love. Elephants and rhinos are on the fast track to extinction, mainly because certain humans will pay a high price for some of the hard pointy stuff that grows out of their heads.

Zoo New England is spearheading an effort to make the sale of elephant ivory and rhino horn illegal in Massachusetts. That's right, it's not currently illegal by state law. We will join New York and New Jersey who already have a law on the books, and a host of other states also working on it.

If you live in the Bay State, please contact your local lawmaker this weekend to get them to cosponsor the bill and ensure it's passage go here for convenient links.

Urban snow tracking

These are hop marks made by a rat moving quickly through very deep snow. Note the marks made by the tail keeping balance as the animal propels itself using mainly its back feet.

3:00 snapshot #1884: Thursday

The tropical forest building.


Right near by, the hyena exhibit.