Frog Blog
Submitted by metroparks muse on May 27, 2008 - 6:10pm.
Jeff - This is my kind of exhibit (actually a road toad)
If you go to the zoo be sure to admire the Yagga Tree in Australia. This pretend tree cost a cool million. And those 'lifelike' animatronic figures: pulled when when bids came too high, but added back in later. It then turned out that a full time repair person was needed for them ... Two vets for all the living zoo animals; one "doctor" for three pretend ones. But the money spent was not make believe.
Your pictures are more magical, in my opinion. As you observed, we rarely have a clear view of the world. If it's not a dirty windshield, it's our distorted perspective. So when the 'experts' offer us a perfect picture - we should be suspicious and check for ourselves. And if we're willing to have our zoo dollars spent on pretend animals instead of live ones .... shame on us.
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Toad ID
We all have to work on our field biology skills*, especially as it pertains to management lapses at the Metroparks. It's hard for me to see through the distortion. I know and deeply respect so many people there, and all the while, often cringe at the decisions made by--dare I insult an amphibian (!?)--the big toads.
*True Toads
TOAD OR FROG - TELL ME HOW TO TELL