Thursday, April 21, 2022

San Diego Surpasses 30k COVID Hospitalizations Since Pandemic Start | Justice Department To Appeal Heinous Judge Ruling | Poisonous Plants For Pets | San Diego Zoo Readies More Changes |

 

Maza the Greater One Horned Rhino (Taken 4.13.22)

I'm only doing a post today because Wednesday is when the County updates all their COVID-19 info. Even the State has cut back and is only updating on Tuesdays and Fridays, so I'm not feeling so bad about my infrequent updates. Nothing you don't already know...cases are rising in the County, testing is declining, as I said yesterday, follow the poop and do what you have to for your own safety and that of your family. My big gripe of the day is how every news story talking about the judge's ruling striking down the mask mandate on transit seems to only focus on planes...a mode of travel which is really still for the more privileged amongst us. While it is true that "2,900,000 passengers fly every day in and out of u.s. airports" according to the FAA, a more striking statistic is that "34 million times each weekday, people board public transportation," according to American Public Transportation Association's 2019 data. These 34 million are often the most vulnerable amongst us: seniors, people with disabilities, low-income, people of color, many of whom may not even have basic health care coverage or adequate information and resources about the pandemic. Buses, trains, subways, light rail and other modes of transit are not known for their ventilation in the first place, and dropping mask mandates in these spaces is absolutely appalling. We'll see where the Justice Department's appeal goes, but I don't have great confidence in the courts doing the right thing, so ideally the individual transit agencies will implement their own requirements to continue following CDC guidance. 

Update: Just found this article from Time: Should You Still Wear a Mask on Planes, Trains, and Buses? Here’s What the Science Says. - Time (4.20.22)

But what I really wanted to talk about was the hot goss that I got at the San Diego Zoo today. I was lingering by the giraffes and Maza, who I've been calling Henry for over a year,  the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros at the end of the day and came across a trainer and asked why Henry's crate was out. The conversation was kinda funny but in case he was sharing not-for-public information, I'll just summarize and say that the story for the moment is that Henry is moving to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. When he leaves, there will be some upgrades made to his current San Diego Zoo habitat. Once that is done, Funani and Amahle, the hippos, will be relocated there for 6-7 months while their "Hippo Beach" habitat is upgraded and remodeled. From that you can imagine all kinds of possibilities, like maybe Amahle will be like Fiona in Cincinnati and be introduced to a young male partner after she's 3 next February? It will be a long process for visitors because the pool on the mesa is far inferior to the current hippo habitat, but if it's all for an upgrade, it will be worth it. I'll still be there as much as possible regardless of what happens. 

Stay safe out there. 


Posted by Rosemary Bystrak at Thursday, April 21, 2022
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