Friday, January 21, 2022

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Wolf's Monkey Caught In A Big Yawn (Taken 1.20.22)

On Thursday I told you I'd get a second post in, but after 3 hours at the San Diego Zoo, taxiing Nova to and from piano, and then going to the second half of my niece's soccer game, I was pretty beat. I did some of this post but couldn't keep my eyes open, so I went to bed by 10:30 and set an alarm to wake up to work at 2am but blew that off until finally getting up at 7 so I could get the work newsletter out (officially 3 minutes late.) So here's yesterday's news, I guess, and I'll again try for a second post tonight, but I feel like I also have to do listings today, so we'll see how much staring at my laptop my eyeballs can handle today, not to mention how much ass-on-couch time. Ideally I do all of that, and still get in a Zoo trip and a last call (7:45-8:30 is peak) Costco trip later tonight.  

Saba & Mawe (Taken 1.20.22)

It's kinda funny how when I was only posting about music on this site how much hot goss I could catch just going out for a night of shows. And I suppose that is still the case, though I may be a little more out of touch than back in the day. But now it's true at the Zoo, too. Like yesterday, I learned that while Indah, the female orangutan that had a baby boy on January 4th is out in her habitat, the baby is not and is under veterinary care until she is healed enough to be reintroduced and care for him. I haven't heard what complications she had, but it sounds like it got pretty scary. I can't imagine if they lost her so soon after losing Satu just before Christmas. I also learned that the male baby Masai giraffe born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on what would've been Betty White's 100th birthday had to be euthanized as he wasn't meeting the markers - standing up, nursing - required for survival and couldn't be helped with medical interventions.  This was sad news as I heard it while admiring baby giraffe Mawe, born 11.29.21. I think she knows the sound of my camera since I was there the day she was born because she makes the goofiest faces at me. 


I also learned that the maned "wolf" has a partner! I've only ever seen one at a time in the habitat and yesterday there was a pair, so it's possible they're hoping for some puppies if these two can make the magic happen. 

The Zoo is possibly in their dead season right now, which makes it an amazing time to renew your membership and spend some time there. Even for as much as I've been going the past several years, there are always new things to see and discover. Like yesterday the Wolf's Monkeys were "talking" to me and I'd never really spent more than a moment with them, so that was super cute. They sound like those little plastic whistle with a little tiny fan in them when they squeak and it is the cutest thing ever.   

There's a lot of talk about the US peaking or plateauing with the current omicron variant, but just remember that isn't a cliff, and we'll likely continue to see as many cases on the fall as we saw on the rise. Yesterday there were more than 2500 deaths in the US. "Mild" should've never been used, and there's still huge differences in outcomes for vaccinated/boosted vs. unvaccinated people. At the current rate, we'd hit 1M American deaths by March. Even if the rates come down sharply and we can have a relatively normal spring/summer, it's not long for the next variant or waning vaccine immunity, or whatever the next thing is, to knock us back on our knees. So be vigilant in your risk assessment and mask wearing and all the things. 

Stay safe out there. 


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