• “Animals Reviewed: Starred Ratings of Our Feathered, Finned, and Furry Friends,” by Association of Zoos & Aquariums (Timber Press, 179 pages)
When you want to buy a new refrigerator or dishwasher, it’s always a good idea to review the ratings in Consumer Reports. If you want to find a good hotel or try out a new restaurant, you’ll probably search Yelp or Trip Advisor for customer ratings and reviews. No matter what you’re looking for, there’s going to be a review for it somewhere because this is what humans do: we rank, score, like, badge and star anything and everything.
No wonder then that the Association of Zoos & Aquariums decided to jump on the rating bandwagon as well. After all, having a way to assess a new arrival could be very helpful … or very funny. “Animals Reviewed: Starred Ratings of Our Feathered, Finned, and Furry Friends” is a delightful, tongue-in-cheek collection of species ratings created by AZA and other conservation organizations.
Here’s just a sample of the wittiness. I don’t know if you remember my recently acquired obsession with beavers (here’s another plug for “Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter” by Ben Goldfarb — it’s wonderful!), but I have to share the Oregon Zoo’s five-star rating of the American Beaver: “So Much Fun — Cuts through standing water like butter. Perfect for lakes and ponds. Setup is easy, and it won’t flip. Variable speed. No mount for GoPro.” Another favorite of mine is about an animal I’ve never heard of — a Sichuan takin — but he sounds like a very interesting fellow. From the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y.: “Not As Described — Still not sure what I purchased — resembles a combination of a goat and a moose? The ears appear to be installed upside down. Climbed up on the roof and won’t come down.”
