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Video: Bronx Zoo Porcupine Gets Laid Off

Seems like just yesterday that the Central Park Zoo polar bears were opening Christmas gifts (video), but 2009 is proving to be a monetarily tough one for not just humans, but animals too. Last week Gov. Paterson's budget proposal was unveiled and included major cutbacks for zoos, aquariums, and even the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. So it shouldn't have come as too much of a shock to the Bronx Zoo porcupine when he was let go:

As of yet, there have been no comments from the porcupine's neighbors at the Zoo: the horned owl, bobcat, wolverine, fisher and black bear. However, before any of them are sent to the unemployment office, you can do something to help. The WCS is asking for New Yorkers to help save the animals during the severe budget cuts, noting that Gov. Paterson's proposal will affect 75 "living museums throughout New York that serve a vital role in our state’s environmental agenda and pump millions of dollars into our economy." They've set up a petition online where you can help take action.

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By Jen Carlson in on January 12, 2009 12:34 PM

Comments [rss]

  • tch

    What they should do is institute a "fierce creatures" policy.

  • Qraymond

    That video is awesome.

  • CR

    I was fully expecting this to turn into "GIRAFFES!!!" midway through.

  • And such a nice guy too.

  • Toby von Meistersinger

    The Wildlife Conservation Society is an independent non-profit, much like the three library systems in the city. They spend around $60 million a year outside of New York in their $170 million budget with the zoos taking in about $40 million a year. Around fifteen years ago they were spending about $5 million outside of New York.



    If they cut spending outside of New York instead of crying poormouth, maybe they can weather the storm by sticking to what they were founded to do.

  • lushintransit

    The Wildlife Conservation Society is just that: a conservation society. They are NOT the NEW YORK CITY ZOO society. Many of their best known projects involve breeding and reproduction projects for extinct-in-the-wild or near-extinct-in-the-wild animals. This is why they spent so much money outside of NY. I'm sorry that cheetah don't live wild in NY state--maybe then we'd be able to keep the money in the city. The NY zoos are only part of what they do--not whole--and most of the zoos money comes from the state. They also do not support or are even affiliated with the 68 other zoos and gardens in NY state that will be affected by these cuts.

  • He was a f*ckin' prick!

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