"Stories are like spiders, with all their long legs, and stories are like spiderwebs, which man gets himself all tangled up in but which look so pretty when you see them under a leaf in the morning dew, and in the elegant way that they connect to one another, each to each."
- Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys
I like talking to visitors.
It’s a failing, I’ve been told by some coworkers, especially
those of the “We became zookeepers so we didn’t
have to deal with people!” stripe.
Not the kind of talks that involve explaining why they can’t
feed the monkeys, or that there’s a reason we have two rows of fencing
separating them from the bears (and no, it’s not a challenge). And yes, they can say some things that drive me up the wall. But I still like talking
with visitors. I like talking to them
about our animals, both in the zoo and out in the wild. I like building support and enthusiasm for
their local zoo (or, if they are out-of-towners, encouraging them to come
back). But mostly, I like telling
stories.
The stories I like to tell, of course, are about the
animals. Some of them are just funny anecdotes:
animal does something cute and unexpected, or animal gets the better of a
keeper, or animal shows incredible behavior.
(This being the social media age, I make a point of not telling stories
I wouldn’t want to see plastered all over the blogosphere). Stories are a useful tool – they can disarm a
visitor, encourage them to sit and stay a little longer, and sometimes even
help them learn something.
Mostly I tell stories to make a connection. In a sense, this entire blog is a series of
stories, some I admit being more engaging then others.
We’re a storytelling-species. We’ve been swapping yarns since the Bible was
a rough-draft and before anyone knew even how to put pen to paper. In cultures where writing was never
developed, stories were still passed on from generation to generation. Put a bunch of strangers in a room and they’ll
make small talk about movies, TV, music – all stories. Put a bunch of friends together and they’ll
talk about the stories of their daily lives.
Being a storytelling species, we value good storytelling. That’s why Steven Spielberg has billions and
why the absolutely atrocious novel that I’ve tried to write off and on for
years lurks in a folder under the sink, where even I don’t have to look at it.
Above all, stories shape the way that we think and feel
about the world around us, and they can have a big impact on how we interact
with that world. Want a real life
example? No matter how you feel about
the subject of orcas in captivity, there’s no doubt that the movie (I won’t
call it a documentary) Blackfish has
started a lot of people talking about SeaWorld, and not a lot of it in a manner
that SeaWorld has liked.
Actually, it was Blackfish
which got me on this train of thought in the first place. Many of the best stories I know are the ones
from the world of zoos and aquariums. I
often find myself breaking these out at work, either to explain to a dubious
guest why we need zoos, or to given the background to the story of an
animal. We have great stories in our zoo world.
The only downside is we stink at sharing them. Instead, we tend to rattle of facts, thinking
that if we spit enough of them out, like watermelon seeds, one or two of them
will stick somewhere. They seldom
do. We should work on that.
What I would like to see is an inter-zoo (possibly sponsored
by AZA, or EAZA, or some other governing body) documentary team. The purpose of this team would be to produce
films for popular audiences detailing stories from the world of zoos. True stories, which in many ways are the best
kind.
Remember when March of the Penguins came out and EVERYTHING was penguins for months?
I suggested this once before to a group of zookeepers and
they all said that they thought it would just come across as propaganda and
backfire. I’m not proposing we make,
say, a Blackfish rebuttal
documentary, or films bashing PETA, ZooCheck, or other organizations that we
often find ourselves in opposition with.
We wouldn’t even be addressing those folks at all (though I do worry
that we’ve let them set the tone of conversations about zoos too much). Instead, we should be worrying about giving
people a reason to cheer for zoos and aquariums, a reminder of what good things
we do, and what we can continue to do with their support.
Some ideas of documentaries I’d love to see made:
·
American
Phoenix: detailing the fall and rise of the California condor, one of a
handful of species snatched from the edge of extinction by zoos. Similar programs could be made for the
Arabian oryx, black-footed ferret, and other species. Not only will it build PR for zoos and
support for the condor, it’s also a (reasonably) happy-ending story. In these days of conservation doom and gloom,
we want people to see that there have been successes as well as defeats.
·
Saving the
Suarez Seven: detailing how some unlikely allies – the AZA and (*gulp*)
PETA worked together to remove seven abused polar bears from a Mexican circus
and find them homes in American zoos. A
story that shows that even opposing parties can put aside their egos and do
what’s best for animals when the need arises.
·
Last Wave
of the Golden Frog: sort of the other side of the coin as the condor film,
this would focus on the amphibian extinction crisis, using the Panamanian golden frog as a poster child. It would
show that although the frogs are gone in the wild they survive in zoos, and
effort are being made to save other amphibian species from a similar fate
Besides these major productions, small zoos and aquariums
can tell their own stories. It’s easy –
just document what you do! Rehabbing an
injured or orphaned animal, or taking in an unwanted or illegal exotic
pet? Working with a critically
endangered species, maybe even one with reintroduction potential? Have a really locally famous critter in your zoo? Take pictures, take video, post signs, post
stuff on your website!
In other words, tell a story. Everyone wants to hear it.
For any readers not familiar with that story, Zoos Matter wrote a three part editorial on the subject (see August 30, 2013)
ReplyDeleteThis brings up a very important point. I don't think zoos, aquariums, etc, are talking enough and the people who are talking too much are the activists. This needs to change, because the only info people are getting is more often than not, a lie.
ReplyDelete-Sylvie
i want yoo ti seened me a tiger please you dan't me to get mad
ReplyDeletethank you
ReplyDelete