It's getting into the busiest time of the year right now at our zoo. The last of the school groups are mingling with the first of the summer tourists. Every day around noon, I look out at our parking lot and remind myself just how happy I am that I have a reserved parking spot. Lots of people are pouring through our gates every day, and we're not alone. Zoo-going is one of the most popular past times in America, and has been for decades.
One of my favorite posts so far has been "Six Tips For Enjoying Your Zoo Visit"; featured among that was the cautionary note that "not all zoos are created equal." Some are better than others, while good zoos can be great in different ways. Yesterday, I featured an article from a travel writer ranking the best zoo (in her opinion) in every state, not many of which I agreed with. For me, the most enjoyable part of the article was the comments, seeing how the readers debated and critiqued the article by agreeing with some rankings, contesting others. What was at the center of the entire discussion was, "What makes a good zoo?"
Ask ten different people that question, you'll get ten answers. Some folks may be interested in a single animal, and might say it's no real zoo without elephants, or lions, or whatever. A parent of small children may favor a zoo that is child-friendly or interactive, maybe small enough to easily do in a few hours. Some people like shows and demonstrations. Others prefer bigger zoos with lots of variety and different animals. A PETA member might say whichever one is about to close its gates.
Different people have different values for a zoo. Having worked in zoos (in some capacity - volunteer, intern, keeper, manager) for most of my life, what I like in a zoo is a lot different from a layperson. There are some points, however, which I feel are essential for defining a good zoo. And here they are...
1.) Animals First
"Zoo" is short for "Zoological Park" (or Gardens), and "Zoological" means "pertaining to animals." The animals are right there in the name then - they are what defines the zoo, what makes people come, and what gives it its purpose. Without them, it is not a zoo. Therefore, their needs and care should come first. There are compromises and considerations that have to be made sometimes, but animal care is paramount. That means a healthy diet, a suitable enclosure and social group, proper medical care, and a staff trained in the appropriate care. If you can't offer these to your animals, you have to ask yourself why you have them.
This isn't to say that every animal you see will be perfect. Animals will get sick or injured, even in the zoo, just as children will get sick or injured, no matter how dotting the parent. The point isn't that you'll see no animals with problems of any sort. It's that if you do see animals with problems, someone is aware of them and doing whatever can be done to alleviate them - if there is something to be done. I've had visitors at my facility complain about some of our geriatric animals and ask why we aren't taking better care of them. My reply (which has always satisfied the complainer) is that if we weren't taking good care of them, they wouldn't have lived so long to become geriatric.
2.) Learn a Little Something
The zoo should provide opportunities for visitor/community engagement and education. That can mean proper signage, school programs, guided tours, keeper talks, etc. Education isn't just about presenting facts, however - it's about shaping attitudes and how visitors feel about animals.
A great example came to me when I visited St. Augustine Alligator Farm recently. Some visitors were disappointed to learn that there weren't gator wrestling demonstrations (that and way too many references to Swamp People are my main guest takeaways from that facility. I'm sure they could make a lot of money by charging folks to watch gator wrestling demos. The SAAF staff don't not do gator wrestling because they're scared of alligators - I've seen them do animal captures, and they have croc wrangling down to an art - but because it's stressful for the animals, unnecessarily risky for the staff, and sends the wrong message to the public - that alligators are dangerous playthings for us to man-handle as we see fit.
3.) Safety First
Well, I did already say "Animals First", but they can both go first. A facility should be safe for both people (visitors and staff) and animals. The zoo should not allow situations with unreasonable potential for injury, disease transmission, or other negative interactions between the two. Animals should be separated from people by appropriate barriers. If visitors are allowed to interact with people, it should be under the supervision of trained staff.
When visiting one (non-accredited) zoo in the south, I was able to pet a cassowary. I may have mentioned elsewhere, but the cassowary is a velociraptor-ninja-of-death kind of bird, not one that you should be able to touch easily. I was able to do this, however, because a) there was no one there to stop me and b) there was no guardrail and the exhibit fencing was so widely space that I could easily reach through and tap him on the casque. I probably could have repeated this experiment with the Asian black bears down the path, but I wasn't willing to be that big of an idiot in my quest to prove a point about visitor safety.
4.) Do Some Good
Over a century ago, the primary goal of a zoo or aquarium was recreation - a place to come to have some fun. They still do that, but then education became touted as an increasingly important goal of a facility. These days, conservation is considered the primary function. Ideally, the three would go together.
In any case, a zoo should be a force for conservation. That can take many forms, from actively sponsoring research and conservation in the field, like the Bronx Zoo and St. Louis Zoos do, to working with endangered local species, to recreating habitat, to participating in managed breeding programs for endangered species. Fundraising for field conservation is always nice. One thing I don't consider enough is just saying that visiting the facility "raises awareness", and then calling it a day. Talk is cheap. Do something.
At the very least, practice what you preach and go green in the running of your own facility
5.) Last But Not Least...
It should be a pleasant place to visit. Friendly staff. Clean campus. Easy to find your way around. It doesn't matter how much conservation work you do, how healthy and happy your animals are, or how much your education programs rock. If people don't like your facility and don't want to visit it, you're in a lot of trouble (unless you are like Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (lucky bums) and are closed to the public... then go ahead).
Too often, zoo and aquarium staff view the public as "the enemy" - the glass-banging, stupid-comment-making, trash-dropping, animal-feeding hordes that besiege us every day. That attitude needs to go away. They aren't the enemy. They are potential allies in working towards a future for wildlife, and they need to be treated as such... and with a smile and some courtesy. You can't share your message if no one is there to hear it.
No zoos are going to be identical, and I like plenty of facilities (while acknowledging that none is perfect) that are dramatically different from each other. Every zoo or aquarium that I really enjoy, however, follows these five rules, and I feel that makes them worthy of my support.
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