san diego: dialed in: Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Animal Shelters Need Your Help | Panda Fever | Rescued Baby Dolphin At Sea World | Coastal Commission NIMBYs?

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Animal Shelters Need Your Help | Panda Fever | Rescued Baby Dolphin At Sea World | Coastal Commission NIMBYs? | Where Did Your Stolen Bike Go?

The Fools & Fables Crew at Casbah (6.20.24)

I don't have a ton of links this week because the news has been a lot of the same as usual stuff as always...campaign bullshit and NIMBY nonsense and a whole lot of bloviating by old white guys in Washington who get nothing done but slowly suck away our rights, so I'm just going to go ahead and publish what I do have so we have a clean slate going into the next week.

I will say it was a pretty good week, albeit with full on summer heat. Besides my daily zoo trips, my sister and a couple friends and I went to the Fools & Fables show at the Casbah on Thursday night and afterwards I caught up with my pal, Tim Fears. Keep an eye out, because he's gonna be shooting a lot of shows and sharing his photos right here on sddialedin.com. On Saturday, Toby's rock camp played a concert at Music Box in the daytime. You can watch Toby's band's performance here. That night I worked for Dead Man's Party, also at Music Box, so it was a fun double-header.

The C is going back around with new variants, so stay safe out there.

SAN DIEGO LOCALS:

Heat Advisory Today through Tomorrow and Excessive Heat Warning Today through Thursday for San Diego County Valleys, Mountains, and Deserts - County of San Diego (6.22.24)
Give a Shelter Pet a Snuggly Summer - County News Center (6.18.24)
North County Report: SANDAG’s Train Tunnel Options Ruffle Some Feathers. Elected officials and residents disagree on SANDAG’s narrowed- down list of route options for the underground train tunnel. - Voice of San Diego (6.20.24)
San Diego County is unprepared for climate disasters - Axios San Diego (6.18.24)

ZOO GOSS:

ICYMI: Pandas headed to San Diego Zoo quarantined in China, may being readied for travel - NBC San Diego (6.15.24)

So obviously things are buzzing around the San Diego Zoo as rumors and gossip swirl about just how long it will be before the pandas arrive. I've heard an arrival date, so let's just say it is imminent.
This week it really seems that they've put the pedal to the metal to get things ready. Sod was laid down in the long-term habitats while metalwork and fencing continues in the back areas of those habitats. Meanwhile, the side habitats, where it is presumed they will be quarantined, have gotten new shade sails over any kennel type areas, a giant secondary fence has been installed around the original 8' or so fence already there, and in a somewhat shocking move, the entire Bashor Bridge, part of the elevator tower, and part of the treehouse dining sections have all been outfitted with green windscreens around all the railing sections, like the kind you'd see on a tennis court. Additionally, they've added a green plastic barrier the entire length of the bridge and onto the elevator plaza about 3 feet from the railing to make sure nobody takes a peek over the bridge railing. It's a little upsetting, to be honest, because there are rumors that the opportunity to see the pandas will have some sort of upcharge or timed and ticketed element. I think if that does happen, Zoo members-- particularly the Mommy Militia-- are going to revolt quite swiftly. All of this is just buzz one hears, but widespread rumors are what happen when your last public update on the pandas was April 28th. Here's a little update on NBC San Diego.

In the meantime, I've been doing my usual. The baby Baird's Tapir is adorable, though mom is keeping a close eye since the waterfall has been turned back on in their habitat. The baby Francois Langur, Yezi, is growing and healthy and curious and requires all the aunties' help as she grows. All the little baby primates born in the fall and winter are super fun to visit as they explore their worlds, so every visit to the zoo is a new adventure.

SEA WORLD GOSS:

I swore that I wasn't going to renew my membership, but I have to say that after a weekend visit, I had a pretty magical experience. I did all my favorite animal habitats and just kinda explored the 60th Anniversary pop-up museum and at the very end of the night, went back to Wild Arctic and had a magical experience with the belugas. I've definitely had moments with them in the past, but this time it was true cognitive connection and it was pretty intense engaging with them. I'm still on the fence about renewal, but I guess I'm not going to write it off entirely. And, on top of all that, today I learned that a young dolphin that was rescued off the coast has had some surgeries and has been rehabilitated, but because of its age, it has been determined by NOAA that it cannot be returned to the wild and will remain in human care at Sea World. It's name is Cardiff and apparently has joined the pod at Dolphin Stadium. I can't wait to spot them. If you've ever thought about an annual pass, in my experience, the current 4th of July pricing or the "Blue Friday" pricing after Thanksgiving are typically the lowest prices of the year.