As Zoos Cautiously Reopen, Humans Are Excited, Big Cats Seem Ambivalent
"The pandas in D.C., the grizzlies in Oakland, the gorillas in the Bronx are all getting
reacquainted with human visitors. As of a month and a half ago, the pandemic had forced 90% of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' members to close. Today, the AZA reports, about 80% of them have reopened."
"The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., opens its gates to the public for the first time in 19 weeks on Friday — and this week, I was one of the lucky few humans allowed in for a preview."
"It was barely 8 a.m., and the lemurs were very chatty. Luke the lion was chuffing and pacing at the edge of his moat, while Damai, a Sumatran tiger, bellowed."
"'That bellow we usually hear when the female tiger is cycling, when she's in estrus,' says Craig Saffoe, curator of the National Zoo's Great Cats exhibit and Kids' Farm. 'She's quite literally sending out a calling card to a male, letting him know where she is and that she's ready.'"
"Saffoe is both excited and anxious about reopening."
"'One of the things that I've missed most is interacting with people,' he says. 'A big part of our job is education and getting to chat to visitors and explain to them that this neat tiger that you just heard bellowing is critically endangered — and we're taking steps to try to help mitigate the potential for her extinction or her species' extinction.'"
"In July 2017, Damai gave birth to a cub."