Katje Sabin
@klsabin
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I just wanted to let you know that I got a great reply from the zoo already (regarding a comment I left on their public guest book). In part, it states: “On behalf of the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, I want to let you know that this was an isolated incident and we have immediately addressed it with our entire staff that all zoo employees understand and support a mothers right to breastfeed at Brookfield Zoo. Our CEO has been in contact with the family and has apologized on behalf of the zoo for the unfortunate situation in which the mother was asked to cover herself up or move to another location while nursing her child.
Brookfield Zoo works hard to accommodate families and defends a mothers right to breastfeed in public. As a matter of fact, in 2008, the zoo was the site of the Quintessence Breastfeeding Challenge that celebrates breastfeeding, promotes and educates about the benefits of breastfeeding, and provides support for breastfeeding women and their families. Again, we are sorry for what this family experienced at the zoo, and assure you that we will continue to strive to make Brookfield Zoo the most family-friendly zoo.”
Posted to Shock Over Brookfield Zoo’s Policy - Naperville
Wow, chelen, you honestly don’t see the different between nursing in public and urinating in public? Let me see if I can explain it to you, then. There are very clear health and sanitation reasons to not pee everywhere. There is no negative effect of breastfeeding on anyone else in the immediate proximity. In fact, I would go so far as to say there’s a clear public benefit when a baby is quieted and nurtured in a natural and loving way, and a terrible public loss when artificial milk feeding is encouraged and those who breastfeed are treated as pariahs and freaks.
If a discreetly breastfeeding couple offends you, I’ve got a really simple solution: don’t look at it. If you don’t want to see young mammals acting like mammals, then may I suggest that you stay the heck away from a zoo.
I am going to contact Brookfield tomorrow. If they do not have a nursing-friendly policy in place at that time, I am cancelling my membership and encouraging my friends to do the same. We’ll see who they would rather cater to: those who are offended at mothers taking excellent care of their children, or those who are offended by ham-handed supervisors who don’t know the law and try to force their own twisted values on other people.
Posted to Shock Over Brookfield Zoo’s Policy - Naperville