Every once in a while, pop culture combines with real life to produce a meme of truly epic proportions. The internet was made for #JurassicZoo, wherein animal wranglers take on their charges just like Chris Pratt in Jurassic World.
In Jurassic World, Pratt’s character Owen Grady demonstrates a raptor-soothing move, legs spread, arms outstretched. I’m not going to spoil why Grady has raptor rapport, but all you need to know is that zookeepers around the world have taken the scene and run with it, emulating Grady’s stance across social media. The contrast between the action star warding off legendary killer beasties and professionals keeping dangerously ferocious penguins at bay has been the source of unending hilarity.
At first it was only zookeepers, but #jurassiczoo has grown so big all kinds of animal handlers and twists on the meme theme are getting in on the fun. Venture with me into the wilderness of Jurassic Zoo.
I could gleefully hunt down Jurassic Zoo pics forever, because this meme is pure joy. You can find more pics under the hashtags #jurassiczookeeper, #prattkeeping and #raptorsquad. Beyond the silly fun, it’s also an awesome opportunity to spotlight the people and institutions who work with animals every day. Without question, creature squads and their creative keepers won the internet this week.