Party Season

I find October to be one of the best months to be at the zoo, either as a staff member or as a visitor, and it's this time of year that I usually try to make an annual trip to see a new zoo.  A word of warning if you do so, however - it's always good to check ahead.  I can't imagine anything more frustrating that planning a zoo or aquarium visit, only to find that a Halloween event is taking over, and you can't get in... or, if you do get in, much of the place is closed off for festivities.

At my own zoo, as with all others, we rely on special events to help raise money for the zoo to support our mission.  Some of those events aren't necessarily to my taste - though none, at least are antithetical to our institutional values.  They bring in audiences that we might not otherwise receive.  Still, on some level, I'm always a little frustrated when we have an event which interferes with animal care in any capacity, or detracts from the serious side of the zoo.  Looking at the increasing amount of real estate on campus that gets swallowed by the event space instead of exhibits or breeding facilities, or at the number of people we add to our event staff instead of keepers, I sometimes grumble that I feel like we're less of a zoo, more an event venue that happens to have penguins.

Events place a demand on keepers, as well.  They have to diligently patrol to make sure that the animals aren't being stressed by the event, whether that takes the form of telling DJs to turn the music down/set up somewhere else or warily tracking super drunk guests at a beer festival to make sure they don't do anything foolish.  There are usually requests to do special enrichment or training demos, or maybe BTS tours for VIPs who are there for the event.  There may be extended hours, so staff have to worry about coverage.  They may get roped into event support, such as doing errands, directing vendors, etc.  And, of course, something always seems to go wrong that day.

Which isn't to say that the events aren't important in supporting the zoo.  Sometimes I think it would help if the direct positive contribution that they make was made a little more obvious to animal care staff: "We raised X amount of money, and this is what we're doing with it to support the zoo/conservation programs/whatever," rather than feeling like we do events solely to cover the costs of the events department.  And as always, there should be a clear understanding that events can't compromise the one central pillar of the zoo - the animals and their wellbeing.

There's lots of places where a party or festival can be held in a given town.  What makes the zoo special and unique are the animals.  They are what define us, and they come first.