Philadelphia Zoo White Lioness on a Sunny Day

[sinclaircats]

What a wonderful age and oh gosh she is so beautiful but you know it still breaks my heart they are in such an enclosed space . HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT I have to admit she must be happy or she wouldn't have lived for so long

[ZooVisitorMM]

@sinclaircats Yes, the fact that most zoo animals live longer than they would in the wild is one indication that they are living good lives. Of course, there are always individual cases in which animals die earlier than expected, both in zoos and in the wild.

I also look for things like how well the animal eats, how active it is, and how alert and responsive it is to its environment and to its keepers.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@sinclaircats Also ...

Even with reptiles, visitors can observe behavior when the keepers are in the back approaching the reptiles area. Visitors can also observe reptiles feeding and how much of the available space the reptiles use over a period of a week or so.