Snow is falling outside my window as I write this, but the
coldest of winter seems to have passed.
The day after tomorrow is the last day of February, and then it will be
March. Spring is almost here. And with Spring, the zoo comes to life. Sure, the keepers have been there all winter,
as have the animals, but without the visitors, the place is like a ghost town.
Millions of Americans flock to zoos and aquariums every
year. I assume that they have a good
time, otherwise they probably wouldn’t keep coming back, and most of those that
I talk to see to be enjoying themselves.
That being said, it’s not uncommon to come across cranky visitors, upset
for a number of reasons. And so, in
anticipation of the onset of the busy season, I’ve come up with the following –
Six Tips for Enjoying Your Zoo or Aquarium Visit
Visitors admire a giraffe at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago
1.)
Choose Your Zoo Wisely
You heard it here first: NOT ALL ZOOS ARE
CREATED EQUAL. Some are big – so big
that it would take days to explore them thoroughly, and visitors could get lost
and starve to death in them. Others are
tiny hour-long strolls. Some are very
interactive, with lots of opportunities for petting or feeding, others are “look-don’t-touch.” Most importantly, some take excellent care of
their animals, others… less so.
Think about what kind of day you want to
have at the zoo and pick your zoo accordingly.
If you are one parent bringing six or seven young children, a full day
of trekking around a two-hundred acre zoo with thousands of animals might be
too overwhelming. If you want to pet or
feed animals, choose a zoo that allows that option. Above all, do your homework and support a zoo
that contributes to conservation and education while providing the best animal
care possible.
If you’re in the US, any zoo accredited by the
AZA will be fine on this last point. If
a zoo is non-accredited, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad place or not worth
visiting – I’ve been to some great non-AZA zoos. Just check first.
2.)
Weather or Not
A lot of your enjoyment will come down to
the weather and the time of year. Sounds
easy, just don’t go to the zoo in the dead of winter or when it’s raining,
right? Not so simple… A day with a light
rain, or a cooler, overcast day might be the best possible day to go to the
zoo. Also, come early in the day, or
later in the afternoon. That’s when
animals are often the most active, both in the zoo and the wild.
When is the worst time to go to the zoo? The middle of a hot summer day when the
temperature is in the triple digits and your sweat is boiling off of your skin,
which is ironically when most people decide to go to the zoo. Not only will you get sunburn, sunstroke, and
a massive headache, you probably won’t see much of anything… AND you’ll still
have to face giant crowds also competing to see nothing When I studied abroad in Africa, we never
even bothered looking for wildlife in the midday sun – we just sat around camp,
lazed in the shade (much like the animals did) , and waited for the temperature
to drop.
If a zoo has a lot of indoor exhibits – as many
of the northern zoos do, having to shelter their animals from the long winters –
winter may be the best time to go. The
same with aquariums – sure, the animals there are inside all year anyway, but
there are typically fewer visitors then.
Inside the World of Birds display at the Bronx Zoo, it's always tropical, even in the middle of winter
3.)
Be Prepared
This one is really basic: especially if you
are going to a zoo (and a big one especially), PLAN for it. Wear comfortable shoes, clothes suited to the
weather (layers are best – you can take them off or add them as need be), and a
hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses if the weather so dictates. Make sure your camera is charged; binoculars
might be a good idea also, depending on the zoo.
Most zoos and aquariums sell food. Pack yourself a lunch or snacks, if you’d
rather save some cash; some zoos don’t allow food to brought in from the
outside but have picnic areas outside, and most don’t allow food in animal
buildings. Feeding your personal snacks
to the animals is never okay (no matter how much they beg).
Do some homework before you go to the zoo
or aquarium to help get the most out of your day. Ask yourself and your group what people want
to see the most and plan accordingly. If
you have a group member who just loves seals and sea lions, try to find out if
there is a feeding or training demo, and try to catch it.
Sea Lion training demonstration at the National Zoo
4.)
Speak Up!
If for any reason you are having a problem –
you see something that looks wrong (like an animal that appears to be hurt or
sick) or you have a question that is impacting the quality of your visit – ask someone!
Right now, I take care of several animals
that have “special issues” that we are aware of, and really aren’t that bad,
but can look concerning to visitors. I’d
rather have a hundred visitors a day ask me if one of the monkeys is okay or
not rather than have a single visitor see something wrong and not let me
know. Not only will you feel better
knowing that either a) everything is okay or b) you have done your part to make
it better, you might learn something as well!
Likewise, if there is something else you
need – directions to a favorite animal, help finding bathrooms (you’d be amazed
at how many people I’ve seen peeing in bushes in zoos around the country over
the years) – ask an employee. We
actually do want you to have a good visit!
5.)
Follow the Rules
Seriously, we zoo-keeping folks are nice
guys, really! We just really, really
hate it when people do stupid things, which they seem to do with great
regularity. I’m talking about hopping
fences, banging on glass, poking animals with sticks, and tossing popcorn to
the monkeys.
No one has ever had their zoo or aquarium
visit improved by being yelled at by a zookeeper or other employee and
humiliated in front of everyone else.
Likewise, no one enjoys being thrown out on their ear for failure to
obey the rules. Just don’t do it… That brings me to the last rule, and the one
I consider most important:
6.)
R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
Show some respect to the
animals. If you go to the zoo expecting
to see a lot of pet performers who want nothing more to oblige your every whim,
you will be disappointed. Animals will
sleep when you want them to do something cutesy. Animals will opt to stay in their off-exhibit
housing. Animals will hide from you, or
not sit still for a good picture, or other such things.
That’s because they are animals –
living things with feelings. If you
expect them to be there to do what you want, you’ll get frustrated or upset,
which will lead you to have a bad day, and possibly do something stupid (see #5). If you treat a visit to the zoo as a chance
to spend a day in the presence of exciting, wonderful animals that you
otherwise wouldn’t share your day with, you’ll enjoy it, no matter what.
Just remember: you are a paying (if
it’s not a free zoo) visitor, but you are still just that – a VISITOR. The animals that you encounter at the zoo or
aquarium live there. It is their
home. Treat them with the courtesy that
that entails.
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