# In the event of an emergency, the first animals Wellington Zoo will shoot are... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 6, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923 "2011-05-06T03:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/21 "2011-05-06T16:03:02Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > A gorilla escaped his enclosure at the Dallas zoo several years ago, and they shot him dead. > > [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4558461/ns/us\_news/t/gorillas-escape-violent-rampage-stun-zoo-officials/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4558461/ns/us_news/t/gorillas-escape-violent-rampage-stun-zoo-officials/) See, our gorillas have good Southern manners and don’t need shooting. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/22 "2011-05-06T16:16:23Z")
What I’d like to know is: If they have an ordered list of which animals are to be shot… Which one is **last** on the list? Turtle? The Pygmy Shrew? Meerkat? Baby deer? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/23 "2011-05-06T16:20:29Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > What I’d like to know is: > > If they have an ordered list of which animals are to be shot… > > Which one is **last** on the list? > > Turtle? > The Pygmy Shrew? > Meerkat? > Baby deer? The sloth. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/24 "2011-05-06T16:30:23Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > I say arm the chimps—the balance of power is maintained that way. No, for a situation like this you want gorilla warfare. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/25 "2011-05-06T16:50:34Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The sloth. Or whatever’s in that exhibit where you can never see any animals. Ninja deer, one supposes. ETA - or the fish. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/26 "2011-05-06T16:54:09Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > ETA - or the fish. Nah, for aquatic stuff you obviously want SEALs. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/27 "2011-05-06T16:55:07Z")
Shoot the chimps, but spare the bonobos! They can teach our culture something positive… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/28 "2011-05-06T17:28:11Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > A gorilla escaped his enclosure at the Dallas zoo several years ago, and they shot him dead. > > [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4558461/ns/us\_news/t/gorillas-escape-violent-rampage-stun-zoo-officials/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4558461/ns/us_news/t/gorillas-escape-violent-rampage-stun-zoo-officials/) And my wife rolls her eyes at me when I carry a .45 to the zoo. I’m not rounding a corner to come face to face with a tiger or gorilla with just a 7 dollar panda-shaped ice cream bar in my hand! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/29 "2011-05-06T17:47:26Z")
Nah, I’m good. I’m slow, but I can outrun the pregnant ladies with the strollers. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/30 "2011-05-06T18:35:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Have we learned nothing from Stephen Colbert? > > Shoot the bears. No no no, _arm_ the b- Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/31 "2011-05-06T18:52:21Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > My own preference is to proceed in alphabetical order, any thoughts on that?" I don’t care for this one bit. > [@tdn](#): > > Your hidden agenda is shining through loud and clear, given your user name. " Whatchu talkin’ bout, tdn? These words. They hurt. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/32 "2011-05-06T19:02:19Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Shoot the chimps, but spare the bonobos! > > They can teach our culture something positive… > 😉 24/7 boom-chick-wa-wa music. One would think they would be ranked in order of tastiness. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/33 "2011-05-06T19:50:13Z")
In a related story, school kid was [mauled by a leopard](http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/06/1838692/child-mauled-by-leopard-at-zoo.html) at Wichita Zoo. Kid climbed over 4 ft railing and approached the exhibit. WTF, a 4 ft railing separates a big wild cat exhibit and the public? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/34 "2011-05-06T21:47:15Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > In a related story, school kid was [mauled by a leopard](http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/06/1838692/child-mauled-by-leopard-at-zoo.html) at Wichita Zoo. > > Kid climbed over 4 ft railing and approached the exhibit. WTF, a 4 ft railing separates a big wild cat exhibit and the public? Fortunately, the article said: \*While the animal was sequestered following the attack, zoo officials said there are no plans to euthanize the animal. “It was a leopard being a leopard.”\* From what I read, the railing was there to keep the kids from getting near the bars of the cage. So, 4’ railing plus distance to the bars plus bars. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/35 "2011-05-06T23:34:43Z")
My parents run a small zoo, which recently got their first leopard, their most potentially dangerous animal (a mate is arriving in a few months once he’s settled in, they’re not just planning on keeping one) and the local council insisted, rather bizzarely, that they had to get a gun to keep on site at all times (not the weird bit), but until the licence arrived and they could get legally armed, they had to sleep on site. I’d love to know what the thought process was here, ‘until you have the capability to shoot it in an emergency, you can have it, but we want to make sure you’re the first person it eats.’ ‘We’re hoping it’ll get so fat and lazy after eating you, that in the morning, one of the staff can just whack it with a spade.’ Seems a bit odd that they’d want to publish that list really, and I’m curious as to why they state tranquilising is unethical- not 100% effective, yep; not as safe as it seems, yep; potentially too slow to prevent an attack, yep; but they surely tranquilise animals for vet visits if they get ill or injured. Odd. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/36 "2011-05-07T00:38:07Z")
I am just having a hard time imagining what could possibly happen that all _the animals in the zoo_ would be running around willy-nilly… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/37 "2011-05-07T00:58:23Z")
Well, you could certainly imagine a scenario where some of the restraints were broken - an earthquake, obviously, might liberate more than just one animal. ETA - it is thought that Hurricane Andrew liberated a breeding pair of lionfish from an aquarium which have since multiplied to be very bad news for a lot of sealife. So, not exactly the same thing, but, you know. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/38 "2011-05-07T01:24:15Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Well, you could certainly imagine a scenario where some of the restraints were broken - an earthquake, obviously, might liberate more than just one animal. Wellington is right on top of a fault line, and has small-to-medium tremors constantly. That’s probably exactly the scenario they’re preparing for. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/39 "2011-05-07T01:34:56Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Is this standard practice at most zoos? I thought it was standard practice to issue cyanide capsules in the event of an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923/40 "2011-05-07T01:39:34Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Wow! I don’t know, but I’ll have to ask - today I went in for orientation at our local zoo to volunteer in animal care, and if my TB test comes back negative I think I’m all set to work in small mammals, lemurs, and gorillas. (I thought I wanted cat/bear, but there’s nothing in that section that you can be in the exhibit with at the same time because of the danger level.) You evidently have to work your way up to the gorilla exhibit, and then they try you out with the gorillas and if they don’t like you then it’s just too bad and you can’t work with them! 🙂 You volunteer at your local zoo?! Between that and the librarian thing, I really want your life. That sounds like so much fun. I’m a little worried about what “they don’t like you” means for the gorillas. Like…do they snub you when they don’t like you or gnaw your face off? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-event-of-an-emergency-the-first-animals-wellington-zoo-will-shoot-are/580923.md?page=3)