Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat: THE ARK KEEPERS – On Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat

THE ARK KEEPERS – On Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat

ENGAGE. EXPLORE. ENTERTAIN. EDUCATE. ENTHUSE.

During a visit to Denver Zoo hearing two zookeepers experiences, their conversation stayed with us all the way home, and inspired us to change the name of The Keyboard to The Ark Keepers – on Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat. We won’t use their names because not realizing then how their words impacted us we did not ask for permission but as this is being written we would like to quote just a segment of what Ark Keepers do by quoting T regarding how profound the caretaking of animals is, “Sometimes we become their parents.”


    Majestic. Beautiful. Strong. Enduring.

Our National Mammal

A SIMPLE YET PROFOUND WORD, FOOD

Given hardships please know there are organizations to help people feed their animals. We want offering suggestions where to look for help if needed and ways you can help.

Small business related to animals

We hear it all the time, support small businesses, but let’s say it differently. Small businesses hire nearly 50% of the US work force and when these businesses close permanently is a breaking of bones of our economy. So, we urge you to please consider supporting small business related to animals.

Where to turn if you need help feeding your animals

There are several paths to find organizations if you need help in feeding your animals and though the following are suggestions check resources in your local area for specifics. Ask animals shelters if they have resources, they can direct you to, consider looking for pet pantries, nonprofits, charities and pet food banks. There are also Meals On Wheels pet programs who also assist senior citizens.

Donate

Check with the local animal shelters in your area even if you are not sure what you can do. Just contact them, they have answers. The same organizations that offer help are also the same organizations in which one could donate. Don’t forget zoos and other animal organizations that can have massive needs just based on the diversity of animals and their specific needs and to highlight that the following is a video from DENVER ZOO and what it takes to feed their animals.

Moving forward, for forward advances on the power of hope nearly everyone can easily support such worthy causes be it an organization and/or small business by tattooing them on your social media.

FROM MASON'S PHOTOGRAPHY ESSAY -

IF LIFE ITSELF HAD A HEARTBEAT IT WOULD BE THE SOUND OF WATER

THE OCEAN CLEANUP

THE OCEAN CLEANUP mission statement: Our aim is to remove 90% of floating ocean plastic, which requires global initiative. With the help and support of individuals, corporations and governments all over the world, we aim to realize the mission and work towards a future where plastic no longer pollutes our oceans. https://theoceancleanup.com/

Beautiful Words

With a certificate of appreciation, Connie, Matt, and Rachel also worked in a fluid team spirit to create a very thoughtful resource book of the Denver Zoo that is very much appreciated. The copyrighted covers are a footprint of a lion, and an elephant trunk. "Thank you" is just the threshold of our gratitude.

                    The Cincinnati Zoo, Harambe

The Cincinnati Zoo made the right and yet hellish decision. In the emotional firestorm of Harambe's death we at Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat want to extend to the Cincinnati Zoo our respects in your time of grief and great loss. Endangered. Beautiful. Magnificent. Family. Harambe. His death is a collective loss of all, and though different, to the zoo itself a loss of family.

"As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child, and if anyone knows me, I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen, but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today."
                                                                The mother of the toddler

The irony is stunning. That day, one of the 'right people' was not in the 'right place' and that person is this parent being at the zoo with the attitude 'accidents happen.'

But the following words are not about her when many people feel the same way. This is about the tragedy within this tragedy--a societal mindset (some believe) that visitors can 'accidentally' enter a zoo animal's habit. We do not believe in the mindset under these circumstances 'accidents happen.' That kind of thinking is the breeding ground to disavow common sense behavior at a zoo, subconsciously marginalize the importance of zoo rules, and weakly alibis a lack of attentive behavior. If anything, such a mindset is absolutely dangerous as we have learned by the hardest way possible.

At this point one of the worst things that can happen is to accept a societal belief a visitor can accidentally get into an animal's habit. To believe that is to prematurely accept that it will happen again. Yet if rules are followed, tempered by common sense, and attentive behavior it would not nor could not occur.

Zoo policies and rules are posted on their websites. Many zoos have notices posted throughout the grounds as reminders. Zoo staff members are also a resource to ask.

All zoos are different and their rules apply specific--in some cases--to their unique attributes, so check if you are unsure about anything. Before visiting a zoo talk about what is expected in behavior, and for the little ones who do not understand, use the zoo visit as a teaching tool. If rules were respected and adhered to that day Harabme would be alive.

Harabme in Swahili means pull together. Harabme is a word used in rallying cries in Kenya. The orange sunset photograph taken by S. Mason is symbolic that Harabme's days ended too soon.


                           Museums Are Virtual Libraries

Museums are virtual libraries. There isn't another place where so many things that truly are beyond the scope of expectations of ever witnessing in a lifetime exist. Museums are also virtual because it is not about 'looking' but rather experiencing. When the current Denver Museum of Nature and Science (located in City Park) was built it was structured around the prior museum before it. Thus inside the museum today is the intact older DMNS museum. The above picture was taken inside the entrance of the museum, and what is now a wall was once the exterior building of the original museum. Of the many windows, the glass was removed and replaced with art. We also appreciate that the museum has an energy, a vibe of its own, and a sense of humor. There are elves and gnomes hidden throughout the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for you to find.

                                              Marius
  The Copenhagen Zoo Is A Premature Graveyard
No two zoos are the same. But all zoos have the common thread to embrace the quality of life for animals, to protect them, and become the ambassadors of awareness and educate people of their importance. A zoo is nothing short of a testimony of our humanity. For the brutal senseless killing of Marius the giraffe at the Copenhagen Zoo, this place does not deserve the title of being called a zoo. It is a monstrosity for it is a premature graveyard. To mourn Marius is to mourn all the animals in this abomination.

                               WHAT IS THIS ANIMAL?

There is an animal that we have heard call, a panda, a baby elephant, a pig, and something that has been engineered. It is none of those fore mentioned but it is endangered. How can it be saved when some do not know what it is?

   The Secret Life of Strawberry
Long ago we stopped being surprised to open our front door to see unfamiliar cats sitting on the porch. They were all groomed and often collared. When we came to the door they all meowed a ‘hello’. Even our cats look at them odd, as if to say, they were not supposed to do that. They were strangers yet company. We gave them names. They answered to them. These cats have never shown any interest in ours. But Yoshi, our cat, goes to the door when Strawberry visits and looks into our home. Otherwise, these cats only spoke to the humans of the household.

One time, a cat we named Jafar use to come into our home without solicitation. He liked to sit on laps while in a rocking chair and look at television. It was a little peculiar but people who love cats accept their idiosyncrasies as charm. The other day a new cat was sitting on our porch. Stepping outside to pet him (we assume male) he meowed and purred as though he had been waiting for the door to open. He spent a part of the morning visiting on our porch. He was given the name Strawberry. Why they come and who are their guardians, we have no idea. And surely their guardians have no idea what their cats are doing. We simply accept that, if only for one morning, we are the secrets in cats' secret lives. A couple of weeks later… South. Early this morning when we opened the door we saw Strawberry come into our yard and for the first time we discovered he walked from the south of our neighborhood. He walked on to the porch, and when we opened the door to pet him, Strawberry walked inside.

Dill and Butter stood there, just shocked. Dill, who was in mid-step, when Strawberry entered and peeked into the living room, remained that way even when Strawberry went back outside and settled on the porch. Strawberry is in my videos, B&W.  We asked ourselves, "Should we tie a little note on Strawberry's collar and tell his guardians about Strawberry secret life?" Time answered the question for us. Months later Strawberry does not come around as often, and we miss him and hope he is okay. As Strawberry sometimes peeked in our windows, we now peek out to see if he is there.

Cecil

A Memory Is Another Form Of A Heartbeat

Even now in Cecil’s death he is more than the sum of Walter Palmer’s existence when the lion transcended into becoming a symbol of global hope and his killer is rebuked worldwide. In a slow kill, slaughtered, his body mutilated, Walter Palmer claims he did not know Cecil was famous as if to say his actions would have been acceptable if it had been another lion. There are clinical terms for that kind of personality demeanor. And even now in his regret statement Palmer spoke of his ‘love’ of killing animals. Walter Palmer knew what he was doing.

But all that Cecil stood for still breaths, and West Palmer’s quality of life is dead. Some of his patients are protesters. Who would want the murderous hands of this dentist touching them? Who would allow this doctor to continue earning his living through them that supports his killings? The legal cost alone, incurred by Walter Palmer, will bleed him out finically. As the governmental powers of Zimbabwe must quickly and transparently bring those associated with this heinous act to court the country itself needs to reexamine their own whoring cohort complicity when they allow any animal to be hunted--and while you are at it ban the bastard Walter Palmer from your country. Cecil--what is a memory if not another form of a heartbeat.

Even now, for the rest of us in our global grief and outrage, there is work to do. And it is amazing how much we could do by churning grief into power thus action. Louder than our loudest cries--ROAR. Support zoos and other organizations that enhance the quality of life for animals. World Lion Day is in August--please check out the link to this important organization on Dill's sidebar.

If we do not do something to prevent it, Africa's animals, and the places in which they live, will be lost to our world, and her children, forever. Before it is too late, we need your help to lay the foundation that will preserve this precious legacy long after we are gone. Nelson Mandela

Kujo and Panther won 1st place at the Denver Dumb Friends League Pet Derby in 1992 representing the famous couple, Beauty and the Beast.

ANIMAL BLOGGING WITH DILL THE CAT

Expressed as if our words were a thousand colors in a black velvet night- Congratulations to Denver Zoo and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo!
THE 14 BEST ZOOS IN THE US IN 2023
The 14 Best Zoos in the U.S. in 2023 | Travellers 🧳 (travellersworldwide.com)

30 Best Zoos in the US to Visit in 2023

https://www.attractionsofamerica.com/thingstodo/zoological-parks.php

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

THE 26 BEST ZOOS IN THE US

The 26 Best Zoos in the U.S. (usnews.com)

There is history between Stella, a jaguar who once resided at Denver Zoo and Mason's photography. Back then Mason simply enjoyed taking pictures of animals and as a lifelong member of Denver Zoo it was, and still is, his perfect harmony. The picture taken of Stella is one of many that encouraged and inspired Mason to become self-taught in photography with animals as his principal subjects that eventually became the path to creating Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat. Thank you for visiting Mason's world.

My New Blog

The Ark Animal Photography by Mason

Currently I am working on it and it may not be downloaded per Goggle Search as this is being written but take the title (on blogspot) and whereas Dill is my home blog as I have grown in my photography my new blog, The Ark, Animal Photography by Mason becomes that extension. I want to thank every viewer who has come to my website and apologized the words "Thank you" cannot express the depth of my gratitude.

WE GREATLY APPRECIATE BUSINESSES THAT ALLOW THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS TO BECOME THE CANVAS FOR BEAUTIFUL ART.

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VINCE

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/07/rhino-shot-dead-by-poachers-at-french-zooPer Wikipedia -- Located in the village of Thoiry, France The Chateau of Thoiry covers 370 acres that includes a castle that was built in the 16th century, botanical gardens, and a zoo where Vince, a rare white rhino, endangered, resided. The news of Vince’s butchery was so horrific the very digestion of such a heinous act had to be taken in small doses of reality for it was so shocking. Poachers are monsters among us that are beyond comprehension of their deranged capabilities. They are a soulless predatory cancer against the world. At Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat in America we join the chorus with the rest of the planet to express to the zoo and France we grieve with you.And to the staff specifically who are the caretakers of the ark, (for all zoos dedicated to animals are truly arks) our prayers and thoughts are with you today and beyond.

How to save money buying parrot fish

This is a picture of one of my three blood parrot fish. I have seen online blood parrot fish costing around thirty dollars and more per fish based on the same size as mine but my three fish in total did not cost over twenty dollars. If you are interested in owning blood parrots here is my tip. Purchase them as babies. They have a grey, white, and black splattered pattern and cost far less than the more mature fish they quickly grow into. They live long. My parrots are over ten years old. They are not aggressive but mine prefer to live without other fish. They have a large cave and when someone enters our home, they all rush inside of it as they do not like other people too.

ANIMAL SHELTERS ARE A DIFFERENT KIND OF DIAMOND STORE

We deeply respect and recognized the agony not only to relinquish your animal family members but to never know what becomes of them. It is a hellish grief because when a person or animal we love leave our lives and we do not know what becomes of them that is very different kind of grief, an unhealed one. One of our goals at Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat is to communicate many animals in shelters reach shore. They find new homes, sometimes not easy but they adjust, and are doing fine, as they become members of new families. Like many homes our animal family members come from animal shelters, a different kind of diamond store.

The Denver Zoo -A Centennial History

Authored by Carolyn & Don Etter, commissioned by the Denver Zoological Foundation, Cover to Cover Designed, designed by Jody Chapel- Roberts Rinehart Publisher

A copy of The Denver Zoo -A Centennial History was
gifted to S. Mason from Rachel, Matt, and Connie from Denver Zoo. As we looked through the pages at the stunning photographs, reading random passages along the way, each passage a gem of accounts, we were also in awe of such a
complete history of the Denver Zoo in one book. The more we read, the past becoming new knowledge, it was like being introduced to the Denver Zoo for the first time. Such irony--from the beginning the Denver Zoo seedlings were from visionaries and we suspect those visionaries would be pleasantly and proudly surprised if they could see the Denver Zoo today. Reading The Denver Zoo-ACentennial History is a rich experience. A beautiful book, a beautiful gifting,
thank you Matt, Connie, and Rachel, three very special people.

THE LAST WINTER

WHY BROWN & BLACK BEARS CAN’T ALWAYS BE DEFINED BY THEIR COLORS

It may seem reasonable by their names, a brown bear, a black bear one could tell them apart but not when one considers black bears can be dark brown, cinnamon, and even white; just as brown bears (commonly called grizzlies because they can have lighter colored tips on their fur) can be different shades of brown, blond, and even black. And if that is not confusing enough at the same time some black and brown bears can have a mixture of both colors. So how does one tell them apart?

Black bears tend to be smaller than brown bears. Brown bears have a hump on their shoulders where black bears do not, and black bears have bigger ears that sit straight up. But perhaps the easiest way to tell these bears apart is their claws. Black bears claws are short enough not to be visible and a brown bear claws are long enough you most likely will never forget seeing them.

Free to come and go but they stay

Sometimes by design or a location that is natural to animals that already exist where there are zoos, within them, are free roaming animals. These animals can come and go but they stay and live at zoos but not within a habitat. Not only are there free roaming animals but there can be several kinds at one zoo. At the Denver Zoo, as of this writing, there are peacocks, chipmunks, and rabbits. The Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska has wild roaming turkeys, and the Phoenix Zoo have lizards. Years ago at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs they had free roaming deer. In the Indianapolis Zoo they have free roaming raccoons. Some people were surprised and thought the raccoons escaped their habitats. I took this photograph right before this raccoon ran back into the bushes.

Emeralds. Pearls. Rubies. Or any jewel. Any corvette, any color or a ghost Rolls Royce. A harp, grand piano, a cello or any music instrument. Velvet. Lace. Silk. Crystal. A bar of gold. Or a red rose. Anything looks better if placed next to a black cat. Universally beautiful and individually unique there could be thirty black cats in a room and a guardian of one could easily find theirs. Although NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY is one day, Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat feels it is important enough to remind people 365 days a year. (the black cat image comes from online)

NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY

Panther. He was the most intelligent cat we ever had. He would step on the keypad and look at the computer screen. When we would turn on the wall light switch he would look upward to the light fixture hanging from the ceiling. He got it. When doors were closed he would stand on his hind legs and with his front paws try to turn the doorknob. In the US and UK there is a NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY. On Animal Blogging With Dill The Cat we will show our support by bringing awareness to this very important day-365 days of the year.

MEMBERSHIP

There are organizations whose mission include to ensure, enhance, the quality of life for animals. It can be a zoo, an aquarium, or even an organization specific to a particular animal. They all have one thing in common. These organizations offer membership to those who share their passion and beliefs. Consider a membership that is supportive of animals today. The next time you visit a facility where membership is offered, considered the money spent on a ticket for one visit can go towards a year long membership instead!
　

BEAUTIFUL WORDS

Some words are so beautiful they give us a reason to pause, reflect, and exhale. Such words speak to the stories of our lives. For us there are four special words that are beautiful together when driving miles of snow covered tree-lined blocks, and the title of my photography--On Our Way Home. From Jill, the beautiful word--Content. From the Denver Zoo we were inspired to include two words--support and dedication. Here are some more beautiful words that speak to the stories of our lives. Benign. Shelter. Guardian. Eventually. Retrospect. Passion. Forward. Different. Books. Serenity. Laughter. Animals. Believe. Dreams. Us. Balance. Found. A Raft. Change. Home. Recovery. Roar. Heroes. What words are beautiful to you?

IN MEMORY OF YOSHI

One of the best things about recommending books is the ability to share the experience with others. Reading and recommending Robert Smith's books from his series Petectives, based on his family two cats, Yoshi and Gatsby, have been a joy. We were sadden to read of Yoshi's passing. Little Free Libraries are boxes shaped like libraries, placed on posts, and filled with books in communities all over the globe. There, children can take a book to read then return it so it can be read by others. On Dill's Blue Page is more information about Little Free Library. We purchased a paper copy of Petectives to donate to a Little Free Library so others can know the joy of reading about Yoshi and Gatsby.