Being a zoophile in a culture where such behavior is considered taboo is difficult at the least. Coming to terms with being a zoo is perhaps one of the most difficult steps a person will ever make, the social pressure to be "normal" can be overwhelming. I hope this helps get things going smoothly.

        I am a zoo, I've gone through the feelings of self-loathing. Feeling that there is something terribly wrong with oneself seems to be a trait many zoos feel until they begin to understand themselves. Being a zoo does not imply being "defective", zoophilia is a sexual orientation; nothing less. To feel attraction to another species(s) may not be exactly normal, but what really is "normal".

        Social isolation seems to be another common characteristic. With no obvious support from others, one often has feelings of being alone in the world. Dealing with this is difficult, sometimes it is difficult to gauge how a person will react. For this the internet is very handy, you can search for other like-minded people and nobody knows what you look like. A word of caution here, be very careful about giving out your personal information (name, address, etc). If nothing else, know that you are not alone.

        When contacting other zoos through email use caution. Not everyone out there has good intentions, use one of the free email services such as Juno or Iname to send email to people you don't know (note: DO NOT use your real name for these accounts the idea is to gain a little anonymity). If you end up contacting someone who ends up being unfriendly then they've gained no real information about you. If necessary you can just remove the account and start over with a new one. If the free services aren't your bag, get familiar with the use of remailers. I can't stress the need for anonymity enough, it might save you some serious hassle.

        Whether your getting to know somebody over the internet or in real life, take it slow. Given the legality of zoophilia in some areas and the general attitude of society many zoos prefer to "get to know you" before they begin to open up. A bit of time spent getting familiar with each other can make the difference between being a friend or being a nuisance (I managed to annoy a few people before I figured this one out).

        When a zoo first realizes that they are not alone the temptation to tell the world their secret can be a strong desire, but it needs to be resisted. Before telling people weigh the options, if there is no reason for them to know - don't tell them. I might seem a bit paranoid here but what you do can and often will come back to haunt you. As far as family goes, there isn't much to be said. Living in secrecy can be miserable, but by telling them you can risk losing them. Think long and hard before opening up to family.

        Last but not least, don't trust everyone who claims to be a zoo. It seems absurd for someone to lie about being a zoo, but there are people who do. What they get out of it I don't know, but they do indeed exist.

by Tache