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Dad and kids, circa 1989

April 9th marked one year since my dad died. As I've shared before, he was very sick for a very long time, so it certainly wasn't unexpected, but in retrospect, it was definitely his style to go out on Easter 2023. I miss him dearly and I wish I had better organized old photos and videos because I miss his voice the most, even though I carry him with me. We went to a mass on Sunday...I guess called a "mass intention" for my dad and my sister-in-law, which was pretty much a normal mass with an extra shout out from the priest, but it meant a lot to my mom, so off course we went and had a nice family dinner afterward. 

I woke up pretty early today and got some house and yard stuff done with Darren. We found a baby opossum and hoped that putting her back under the house would reunite her with her mama, but Darren saw her again later on by herself, so I'm just hoping that she is old enough to survive separation. Last year, I was with Denny when I got the call that my dad had died, and he was extra cute on Monday when I had some rare late afternoon alone time with him before my friends showed up and he got silly and playful for everyone. Today was a different story, but I'll get to that in the zoo goss. I came home to find everyone already asleep, so I cleaned some more, made a fat dinner, and have been keeping an eye out for my little opossums, but nothing yet. I have to start listings since I'll be working tomorrow night at Quartyard, but hopefully can still work a schedule off some normal sleep. 

Stay safe out there. I love you.   

• Zoo Goss
• Mazza is back!! The greater one-horned rhino was sent to Safari Park when the hippos had to move into his space while their pool was renovated. That ended up taking 22 months!! Holy shit! In that time, I thought he was meant to breed with the ladies, but I think with Anandi, not her mom Alta, so I don't know if the new little baby rhino up there is his or if there was another male on site. You can see videos of that baby here, here, and here. Unfortunately, he came back without a horn. A security guard told me it was shaved because he was getting into mischief, but looking at some photos I took, it looks like maybe it had a deep crack in it that maybe meant it had to go. You can see him at Urban Jungle at the San Diego Zoo, though right now it seems he has access to his room, so he can choose to hide until he's back in the swing of things. 

• Today was a hard day to be a gorilla lover. Mandazzi had a doctor's appointment, presumably to check him out before he's sent away. We all heard months ago that he was going to be sent in April to Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas, where there are two females waiting for him to start his own troop. Since the time some guests were told that information, it has been walked back or treated like somehow it's top secret or whatever. But there's a crate in their bedroom and the others, particularly Ekuba, have all been off-kilter since the crate arrived. With Mandazzi gone all day, Denny followed Ekuba around all day, there were no fights, but just a general anxiety and no real chill or restful moments. When it was time to go into their rooms, Ekuba refused and ended up staying out on habitat alone all day, even though he had numerous opportunities to go back inside (which he normally loves). Mandazzi was safely returned to the rooms around 3pm, which we knew because a giant tractor pulled down Treetops with the crate on it, and also because some volunteer tried to tell several people that we needed to "lock down" in Parker Aviary until the gorilla move was over, which everyone freaked out about so she let us all out the entrance after all. Ekuba did finally return to his room at the very end of the day, but I suspect that means a different schedule on Wednesday since Paul Donn and Jessica never got outside time. Remains to be seen. 
• SDZWA shared in an "Insider Alert" that a baby okapi was born at Safari Park on February 18 to mother Mahameli. Meanwhile, female okapi Subira has been moved back to the Zoo, adjacent to the hippos.  
• Not much else to share...spring break is over so it has been far less crowded this week than the past three, but it also means the parks now close at 6pm instead of 7pm. The flamingos have been constructing their mud mounds for nests, which is always a treat to see, and all the babies are growing up fast, so go visit while you can! You can also sneak a peak over the Bashor Bridge to see just how expansive and fast renovation is happening on the panda habitat in anticipation of their return.  
• UPDATE 4.11.24: Remember yesterday when I wrote, "all the babies are growing up fast, so go visit while you can!"? Well, the rest of what I wanted to say was especially the Andean bears, who may be getting to the age where they'll be separated from their mom and from each other. I noticed several weeks back that Ransisku was mounting his sister, Suyana, and I started making a point to spend time with them because separation was inevitable, but today a zoo regular confirmed that they have officially been separated from their mom, Alba. I don't know if the siblings are still together for the time being, but I imagine they'll be separated and sent to SSP zoos where they're needed. I'm crushed that I didn't get to say goodbye, but at the same time, I always did, because I kinda knew. 
• San Diego Politics:
• Behind The Glittery Facade of the San Diego Padres’ Gallagher Square Renovation. Billed by the MLB team as “family friendly,” this public park has been transformed into a cash-cow concert space - The San Diego Sun (3.27.24)
• Port commissioners declare Tijuana River Valley emergency - City News Service (4.4.24)
• Fletcher accuses ex-MTS employee of defamation over sexual abuse allegations - kpbs (3.29.24)
• Civitas Unveils Updated Design of Ocean Beach Pier - Civitas (4.8.24)
• National Politics:
• As Elections Loom, Congressional Maps Challenged as Discriminatory Will Remain in Place. With control of the House of Representatives hanging in the balance, the time-consuming appeals process means elections in multiple districts will take place using maps that have been challenged as discriminatory to voters of color. - ProPublica (4.4.24)
• News:
• Biden tells Israel’s Netanyahu future US support for war depends on new steps to protect civilians - AP News (4.4.24)
• A humanitarian catastrophe - Popular.info (4.3.24)
• Transgender Catholics say new Vatican document shows no understanding of their lives - AP News (4.8.24)
• Other Reading: 
• Inside the squatting hysteria - Popular.info (3.26.24)
• Squatters' Rights by State - Statista (4.2.24)
• The radical transformation of the avocado - The Hustle (4.8.24)
• “That the avocado, an exalted member of the laurel family, should be called an alligator pear is beyond all understanding,” wrote the California Avocado Growers’ Exchange trade group in 1927.
  They decided on a smoother name: avocado, derived from the Aztec word “ahuacacacuahatl” (or “testicle tree,” in more direct translation).
• Are voters sick of paying for stadiums? Days are numbered for the classic billionaire tactic of getting their sports stadiums financed by taxpayers. - The Hustle (4.5.24)
• COVID-19/HEALTH/HPAI:
• Four Years After Shelter-in-Place, Covid-19 Misinformation Persists - KFF/Politifact (4.1.24)
• Tests confirm avian flu on New Mexico dairy farm; probe finds cats positive - CIDRAP (4.2.24)
• Health agencies brief Congress on avian flu. The call comes a day after the CDC confirmed a dairy worker in Texas tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza. - Politico (4.2.24)
• Federal Court Enters Consent Decree Against Philips Respironics Following Recall of Certain Sleep Therapy Machines - FDA (4.9.24)
• After CPAP Recall, Philips Must Institute New Safeguards in Agreement With U.S. Justice Department. The settlement comes nearly three years after the company acknowledged that an industrial foam fitted inside its machines could degrade and release toxic substances into the masks worn by patients. - Propublica (4.9.24)
• US COVID-19 Stats 
• CDC Data Tracker: New Weekly Updates on Fall and Winter Virus Season