Why is it that nine times out of ten the visitor that sees you shoveling manure and asks, ‘‘How can you stand to do that?” is pushing a baby in diapers?

• • • • •

Why is it that apparently rational adults will stand for ten minutes or more and watch a stream of water and manure going down a drain?

• • • • •

Why is it that visitors can look at a keeper scraping feces off a cage floor and say, “Look, she’s feeding them!”

• • • • •

Why is it that visitors standing in front of an exhibit of a very rare or endangered species are more interested in the ground squirrel at their feet?

• • • • •

Why do people whistle at all the animals to get their attention?

• • • • •

Why is it that when people ask you for directions they rarely go the way you indicated?

• • • • •

Why do kids always howl like wolves when they walk into a nocturnal building?

• • • • •

Why is it that whenever you’re having problems with an animal—particularly a dangerous one—the public always roots for the animal?

• • • • •

Why do people always assume that keepers don’t know what they’re doing? (Look out, it’s going to get you!)

• • • • •

Why do photographers feel that they are allowed to climb over fences and disregard signs in order to get a picture?

• • • • •

Why is it that a visitor can look at an animal with huge horns, such as an ibex or a Dall’s sheep, and ask, “Don’t they bite?”

• • • • •

Why do some visitors assume that all zoo animals are tame?

• • • • •

What can people be thinking when they wear a fur coat to the zoo?