- Zoos: A Historical Perspective from Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The National Zoological Park is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
AZA
From Erika Bauer, the Zoo’s first Fujifilm Curatorial Resident in Animal Care
April 2008
When visitors come to spend time at the zoo, they come with certain expectations. Above all else, they probably expect to see—what else?—animals! It’s a plus if they are able to see the animals when they are awake and active—even better if they get to observe something that teaches them about the animals’ natural behavior. They’ll probably get a lot more out of the experience if they read the text on the exhibit graphics or have an opportunity to chat with an interpreter or docent. And they are extra lucky if they run into one of the zookeepers, since they are the experts about animals at the zoo.
One experience that tops all the rest is having the chance to observe an animal demonstration led by a keeper. Great demos combine animal action with keeper expertise—you couldn’t ask for more!
What’s in a Demo?
When entertainment-hungry visitors come to the zoo, their first stop is likely to be the visitor center. There, they will find a schedule of demonstrations for the day, which can be used to decide which demos they most want to attend. Their route through the zoo will then be timed to correspond with what they think will be the most interesting demos. Other visitors might not be so directed in their actions—they may just happen upon a demo while they are walking along the zoo path. Even though they didn’t plan it, that happenstance demo is probably going to be one of the most memorable experiences of their day. So what’s all the hype? What’s in a demo?
Demos are exciting and engaging. They focus on animals that are unusual and interesting. They offer a reminder of how much diversity there is in the world. Who wouldn’t enjoy watching a cheetah run at top speed as he chases a lure around a course? What’s not awesome about watching a camouflaged cuttlefish dart out from cover to capture a piece of food that’s just been offered? And it’s pretty cool to see a pair of sea lions performing a "porpoise swim" isn’t it? Demos are—I’ll just come out and say it—fun! If you come to the zoo to be wowed, check out a keeper demonstration, and you won’t be disappointed.
What’s Not in a Demo?
If you happen to bump into a keeper and ask him or her to give an impromptu demo, or make an animal do something so that you can take a cool photo, your request is likely to be denied. This isn’t because we don’t want you to have a fun experience or that we’re trying to prevent you from seeing amazing things during your zoo visit. The truth is, there are good reasons for why we organize our demos the way we do, and we abide by certain guidelines about when and how we interact with our animals.
The animals that participate in our demonstrations are accustomed to certain routines. Most demos require special supplies. And keepers must be trained specifically on demonstration protocols before they can present a demo. An animal/keeper demo is no casual affair.
While clearly entertaining, the demos presented here at the National Zoo are not presented solely for the sake of entertainment. When you attend one of our demos, you aren’t going to see animals doing tricks for the amusement of our visitors. Demos at our zoo are not what you might think of as a typical animal show. What makes our demos different?
Good for Education. Good for Husbandry. Good for the Animal.
Rather than just provide a venue for entertainment, we try to make more out of our demonstrations, for the public and for the animals that participate in the demos. Many of our demonstrations are designed to convey an educational message—we want to teach our visitors about the natural adaptations and behaviors of the animals, provide background on the wild places from which they come, and offer conservation lessons that we hope will inspire action.
Demos often provide an opportunity for keepers to get up close to the animals, and to examine them for injuries or other health issues. Depending on the goals for the demo, it might be a chance to engage in a training session with the animal. In any case, the experience of the demo is likely to add some novelty or variety or engaging experience to the animal’s day, and that’s a good form of enrichment for the animal. Let me provide some examples for you.
The demos that I mentioned earlier with cuttlefish and cheetahs are terrific for teaching visitors about unique adaptations, while providing up-close, real-life experiences with amazing animals—something few people enjoy in their lives.
After all, how many of us will find ourselves underwater to investigate a cuttlefish disappearing into its surroundings like a chameleon? And who among us will have an opportunity in our lifetime to observe first-hand the graceful movements of a cheetah speeding after its prey? Our lure-course is designed to stimulate just that behavior, and it truly wows visitors when they see it. And once we’ve wowed them with the beauty and physique of this great cat, we can tell them about the challenges associated with the conservation of a species with as little genetic diversity as cheetahs have. And hopefully after the demo, our audience will care a little bit more about supporting cheetah conservation efforts than they did when they walked through the Zoo gates earlier that day.
How One Demo Can Bring It All together
I’ve just completed a rotation with the Beaver Valley area of our zoo, which displays several North American species including bald eagles, brown pelicans, river otters, Mexican wolves, North Atlantic gray seals, California sea lions, and—of course—beavers. One of the best demonstrations I’ve seen to date is provided daily by the keepers who work in this area. You should really check out the sea lion training demo if you can.
This particular demo is concurrently an educational program for the public, and a training session for the sea lions. Keepers teach visitors about sea lions, provide enrichment to the animals, use training to prepare the animals for veterinary procedures that might take place down the line, and convey a message of conservation and protection of these beautiful animals as well as many of their marine counterparts. Amazingly, the keepers do all of this in one demonstration that is great fun for the visitors to watch.
Throughout the demo, keepers explain how they use training to help take care of the animals. Visitors get to see keepers examine every inch of the animals’ bodies. The sea lions hold still for mock blood draws, which keepers train every day so that on the day they really need to get a blood sample, they can do it in a way that causes very little stress to the animal. The animals also breathe into a cone-shaped device that simulates an anesthesia mask—practicing this breathing simulation on a daily basis will help if the sea lions ever need to be sedated with a gas for a veterinary procedure. (Without training, the process could take all day—sea lions can hold their breath for ten to 15 minutes at a time.)
In addition, keepers ask the sea lions to perform some of their natural behaviors, like underwater swims and porpoise swims. They also request that the sea lions retrieve items from the pool and bring them back to the keepers. These are not "tricks" that the keepers have trained. Rather, the swimming demonstrations provide an opportunity for visitors to see how these animals behave in the wild. And item retrieval is a great safety precaution to prevent the animals from ingesting any objects they might find floating in their pool.
Visitors are reminded that their actions have an impact on these animals, both at the Zoo and in the wild. A discarded plastic bag that blows into the pool, or a coin tossed by a wishful visitor, could have disastrous health effects on the sea lions in the exhibit. And trash that makes its way out to sea can do the same thing to their wild counterparts. The audience is reminded to place all their trash and recyclable materials in the proper receptacles, and is asked to cut any looped ties in their trash at home to prevent strangulation or other physical harm from coming to wild animals that might come across it.
An educational message. A terrific training experience. Great health benefits. And inspiration for conservation action. Now that is a demonstration worth seeing!
