Iconic animals

One of the benefits of travelling around visiting zoos is that I get to see some beautiful parts of the world. From my home country Australia to parts of Asia the USA and Canada, each country offers its own culture, natural beauty and unique animals. Many regions capitalise on this uniqueness with iconic symbols that are instantly recognisable when projected out into the world. This is especially true for animals.    

When you think of some of the great countries of the world it’s hard not to conjure up images of the animals that call those countries home. Some animals are also used to represent smaller regions and even companies will adopt them to portray patriotism.  Advertisers know the power of a patriotic icon!

Of course you don't need to travel the world to see these animals. Just a quick trip to your local zoo is probably as far as you need to go  to see the animals that reflect everything that is unique about  countries and regions from all corners of the world. It is fun to see animal icons everywhere from your local supermarket to ads on TV too.

When you think of the USA the Bald Eagle is the quintessential animal that stands above all others as American. So there should be no surprise that the national emblem for the USA is the Bald Eagle. Many USA states such as North Dakota, Illinois and Iowa have the Bald Eagle on their flags and the USA coat of arms is dominated by the Eagle as the central figure.   Although the Bald Eagle is the animal of choice some states have featured other animals that are arguably just as recognisable. For example California has the brown bear on its flag and Wyoming has the bison.  

The Bald Eagle - Bronx Zoo

USA Coat of Arms

Missouri state flag - featuring the bear and bald eagle

Being an island continent Australia is blessed with having very unique animals that aren’t found anywhere else in the world. The Kangaroo is by far the most identifiable animal, and its image has been used many times to depict Australia. Qantas, Australia’s national airline is known as the flying kangaroo because of its bold kangaroo symbol on its tail. The kangaroo features on Australia’s national emblem alongside its other national animal the Emu. Interestingly the Kangaroo does not feature on any national or state flag but there have been flag designs made that feature the kangaroo that may perhaps replace the current Australian flag once we inevitably become a republic and cut Monarch ties with the UK.

Kangaroo - Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Qantas Plane - At Brisbane International Airport

Alternative Australian Flag designed be Harold Scruby

Canada has two national animals, the Beaver and the Canadian Horse. The Beaver featured on Canada’s very first postage stamp in 1849 and is the symbol of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Toronto Police Department and many other notable Canadian companies. The Beaver is also featured on many of the Provincial coats of arms. The Canadian Horse depicts the proud agricultural history of Canada. 

The Beaver

Canadian Pacific Railway logo

Here is a list of other countries and their notable national animals: 

China - Giant Panda, Red Crowned Crane and Chinese Dragon

France - The Gallic Rooster 

Germany -  Golden Eagle

India - The Royal Bengal Tiger, The Cobra, Indian Elephant and Peacock
  
Greenland - The Polar Bear

New Zealand - The Kiwi 

The United Kingdom has ten national animals including the Lion, Red Deer and Bulldog

South Korea - The Tiger

Spain - The Bull, and the Spanish Imperial Eagle

 
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Are birds boring?

I admit it – some bird exhibits at zoos don’t excite me at all.  I don’t rush to the bird section of a zoo as soon as I arrive, and I certainly don’t linger around that section once I have come upon it. Don’t get me wrong, I love birds and enjoy the huge variety that visit my home regularly.  But when it comes to zoos, well that’s a different story.
  

Bald Eagle in its aviary at the Bronx Zoo

Zoos have come a long way in the last 50 years. Huge advancements in animal welfare has ensured the improvement of enclosures immeasurably both in size and look, yet when I visit the bird section in some zoos it’s like nothing has changed at all.  I don’t mean that these birds are being mistreated or even housed incorrectly. I mean it’s just boring – after seeing the tenth aviary that looks the same as the last nine.  All ten with their strategically placed dead branches acting as perches, where two or three equally uninterested birds sit motionless staring right back at me. Frankly I’m ready to move on. Why? Because today I expect more from zoos!  

Bird spotter cards at Central Park Zoo's impressive rainforest enclosure

A Scarlet Ibis at the Central Park Zoo

So no, of course birds aren’t boring – but yes in some cases I believe their enclosures are. Birds are social, complex,  smart animals that deserve to be housed in enclosures that bring those traits out, and in turn give us the opportunity to see them. These type of enclosures are also better environments for the birds. I have seen some fantastic examples of enclosures that showcase birds at their best at many zoos, and yet some shocking examples at those same zoos.  The Australian Wetlands enclosure at Perth Zoo in Western Australia, is a great example of both ground dwelling and tree dwelling birds living together in a large netted enclosure representing several environs. Both the Bronx Zoo and Central Park Zoo, in New York, have enclosures that don’t just house birds but also incorporate reptiles and mammals from specific habitats making for a natural enclosure that looks great and also helps in the zoos animal enrichment programs. 
 

A couple of beautiful Long-Tailed Glossy Starlings in the Central Park Zoos rainforest enclosure

 Of course not every bird is suited to these enclosures, especially birds of prey like eagles and owls, but every bird deserves to be housed in a large natural enclosure that represents their own habitat. Birds are not boring so zoos should stop putting them in boring enclosures, both the birds and the people who come to see them deserve better. 

Another impressive enclosure at Central Park Zoo

On a slightly different note, a recent study by the British Trust for Ornithology has suggested that over 100 million birds fly into windows every year in the United Kingdom and a third of these feathered friends die. After you have digested the magnitude of that figure, it’s interesting to note how zoos stop captive birds flying into windows in some of their enclosures. Vertical strips are placed on some windows, but another way to stop birds from flying into windows is smearing soap all over the windows as shown below at the Bronx Zoo. So if you have random birds flying into your windows - soap is a great solution! 
© May 2013-Stuatthezoo.blogspot.com.au