A Reddit conversation has seen zookeepers lift the lid on what it's actually like to work with animals, sharing their tales of what goes on behind the scenes.
While the zoo might seem like a good idea for a wholesome day out, it seems that what you see on the surface isn't quite the reality for staff.
A site user asked: "Zookeepers of Reddit, what's the low-down, dirty, inside scoop on zoos?"
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Hundreds of professional animal keepers answered, with some absolutely shocking revelations shared.
One person replied: "I had to draft the zoo's contingency plan for all sorts of emergencies. Flood, tornado, extreme heat, war or attacks, you name it.
"The plan included a prioritised list of which animals in the collection we would have to sacrifice to feed to the other animals in extreme situations.
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"I literally created a zoo food chain. Humans were left off the list entirely."
Another revealed a grim fact about shark tanks, writing: "I volunteer at an aquarium and the people always ask about whether the sharks that are in with the fish ever eat the fish officially, we say, 'We keep them well-fed enough that they don't.'
"But on more than one morning on my initial walk around I have found remains of fish that definitely weren't feed-fish.
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"On a particularly memorable occasion I found the head of a large porgy just sitting on the bottom.
"A diver went in and got it before guests arrived."
A Redditor who works with primates also shared their own tale: "We closed the baboon exhibit because a baboon had a still birth and the troupe was 'grieving'.
"In reality they were throwing parts of the infant corpse around and there was nothing we could do about it."
While another person confirmed what happens to the larger animals in the zoo: "Used to work at a zoo a few years ago.
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"An elephant died while I was there and to transport the body out of its enclosure, they had to chop him up."
Terrifying. Another popular theme proved to be the fibs that staff were told to pass on to the public, with one person posting: "One of our most popular exhibits was this incubator with baby chicks.
"We were told to tell visitors that the older baby chicks would be sent to schools as classroom pets or to the petting zoo.
"In reality, we did send the chicks to the zoo... as live animal feed for the snakes and other carnivores."
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Well, there's one shattered illusion I could've lived without.
To end on a lighter note, another Redditor explained that one species isn't anywhere near as scary as it looks, as they replied: "Rhinos may look super intimidating, and they can hurt you, but really they just act like big dogs.
"They love being scratched and will eat all the fruit out of your hand!"
Finally, some good news from zoos.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Zookeeper, Reddit, Animals