- 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
March 2008
As I ascended the stairs from the underground parking garage, I found myself walking beneath the architectural wonder that is the National Cathedral. I took a deep breath, and tried not to take for granted that one of the perks of my job is that I get to attend lectures and events at some really amazing venues.
On this night, I was attending a public lecture that was sponsored, in part, by Friends of the National Zoo. The speaker, Richard Louv, was the author of a book called Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. He would be presenting some of the ideas included in his book to an audience primarily made up of parents and educators.
As I worked my way through the will-call line and entered the cathedral, I found that many of my colleagues from the Zoo had taken time out of their evening to attend the talk, too. This was not altogether surprising, since I work for an institution for which a primary focus is connecting people to nature. But seeing so many people from the Zoo at this event was a nice reminder that I am part of a professional community that is so genuinely interested in the mission of our workplace that we seek new learning opportunities to help us support that mission even after the normal workday ends.
So why were all of these Zoo personnel, parents, and educators so interested in hearing from Richard Louv? What is nature-deficit disorder, and why do we need to save our children from it?
Nature-deficit disorder is not the latest in diagnosable psychiatric disorders—your physician isn’t going to be testing you or your children for this disease at your next exam. The term is used to describe the consequences associated with the fact that children in modern societies are more removed from the natural world now than they ever have been before.
In his talk, Louv presented compelling arguments about how a lack of experience and connection with the natural world can have major repercussions for individuals and for society. It’s an interesting (and potentially chilling) idea. After all, what proportion of this generation’s childhood activities takes place indoors rather than outside? How many of the natural places we explored as children still exist today for our children to explore? How many parents these days feel comfortable allowing their children to run off to play outdoors unsupervised? These sorts of cultural and environmental changes can have major implications on how today’s youth as well as future generations experience and understand the world.
As we reflect on these sorts of questions, most of us probably experience a sense of sadness and loss. We recognize that there is a current trend toward the destruction of what we’ve always thought of as our own habitat. We are likely to be inclined to focus on the negative: What are we losing? What have we already lost? But in his lecture, and in his book, Louv leads us in a more positive direction. He describes the findings of scientific studies that have shown that children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be calmed simply by spending time outdoors. He tells us about other research that indicates children play more creatively on natural substrates than they do on artificial substrates.
To counter the modern trend that seems to be separating us from the natural world, he urges us to become part of a grassroots movement that is aptly named (you’re going to love this): “Leave No Child Inside.” I found his words and ideas inspiring, and I left the talk reflecting on what role zoos can play in this movement and how I can contribute to the movement as a neo-zoo professional.
Connecting People With Nature
So how do zoos work to bring the wonder of nature to people who live most of their lives largely removed from natural environs. Well, at the most basic level, we provide an opportunity for people to get outside. If we identify that as our goal, we can count a success each time a visitor walks through our gates.
But of course we don’t stop there—we take it a step further by applying naturalistic design to our exhibits, educating our visitors about the ecology and landscape of the areas from which our animals originate. We design micro-environments that immerse people in as natural a setting as we can while ensuring that they and the animals they observe remain safe. The effect can be especially striking in zoos that are completely surrounded by an urban setting, as the National Zoo is.
Because zoos tend to be located in well-populated areas, lots of people have relatively easy access to experiencing nature in this way. But zoos aren’t open to visitors 24 hours a day, and children aren’t typically allowed to get into the exhibits and get dirty. While zoos can provide a certain level of connection to the natural world, is it really the same as children getting out and living in it? How can we provide a more intimate connection to nature?
One way to facilitate such a connection is to teach visitors more about the world that they have access to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Here, we have a “Zoo in Your Backyard” exhibit, which educates visitors on how they can attract wildlife to their own backyards.
Along walkways throughout the Zoo, you can find graphics that provide information about the plants and wildlife in the local environment. These displays reveal details about our world that can be observed outside the Zoo gates. Visitors can learn about how different communities of animals are supported throughout the degradation process of a rotten log, how invasive plant species can affect our local ecology, and which species of butterfly they are likely to find in their own backyards.
Currently, our exhibit team is working to develop a new pond exhibit to explain how visitors can create and conserve appropriate local habitat for frogs and other amphibians. This is a great way to get people involved and passionate about such habitats, especially in the midst of the current crisis of amphibian decline. 
Find out about Year of the Frog.
For a more directed experience, we have some amazing educational programs to help people gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world around them. We even have a program specifically designed to teach participants about the animals and plants which share our urban habitat with us.
Zoological parks are uniquely situated to teach the public about ecological systems thousands of miles away, but we also have an opportunity to teach the public about the ecological systems right outside their door. These sorts of initiatives are just a small sampling of how zoos can be a part of the “Leave No Child Inside” movement.
As a future zoo leader, I will be thinking about the greater impact that zoos can have on individuals and on society throughout my career, and hopefully I will contribute to this important movement in significant ways.
