Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Trip Date: May 5, 2024
Small Animal House
Me and my friends as lemurs
In the Small Animal House, each species has the animal's scientific name and common name, location where it's from, the habitat, and diet. Each poster also lists if it is endangered and why they are at risk. Some species that were on display were the Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin, Prevost's Squirrel, Brush-Tailed Bettong, and the Naked Mole-rat. One display that went beyond simply identifying text on a panel was radiographs of animals. These were informative because not only did they give the radiograph, but they also labeled what areas were bone and soft tissues, to help people understand how to read a radiograph. Non-SGCers were not paying attention to the information plaques or interactive displays. People were mostly interested in the animals themselves. I think the small mammal house informative panals are aimed at higher levels of elementary to middle schoolers because it gives information about how climate change affecting animals, and radiographs would be difficult for small children to understad. Overall, all ages can enjoy it because it's interesting to watch how the animals behave.
Amazonia
Naked Mole Rat
On Dr.Merck's tour, he gave a run through on animals in the Amazonia and how it related back to what we learned in class. The information listed for each species was the common name, scientific name, a cartoon image of the species, and a quick discription of the species and it's habitat. Some speices that I saw were Amazonian Rays, Aquatic Caecilian, Guinea Pigs, and Arapima. There weren't much informative interactive elements, but there was an area in the Amazonia where the birds could freely roam around us. This made it feel like I was actually in the Amazon. This hall is aimed at middle schoolers because the information goes into depth about ecosystems and interesting details. For example,there's information about how female guinea pigs can have a gestation period to about two weeks. I doubt elementary school kids know what a gestation period is. Again, not many people in the Amazonia were paying attention to the informative panels. People were looking at the animals instead.
Education and Animal Welfare
Turtle
When we went to the Reptile Discovery Center, there were booths with reptilian experts asking trivia questions. Whether if you got the information right, they would give you a prize. This helpes with public understanding because kids love stickers and other prizes, which make them engaged to learn about what the experts are saying. For example, my friend and I learned about a nictitating membrane of amphibians. Another way the zoo aids public understandings of animals is having interactive informations. For example, there was a plastic panel which you could open like a door called "What's Inside." It showed how humans and reptiles are similar when comparing organ placement.
Many of the displays, especially larger mammals, it was sad to see them enclosed. But, some ways that made the animals live in a more interesting or comfortable place was giving them toys. In the small mammal house, many of the animals had colorful balls to play with. Another way to aid animal welfare is making their physical setting more interesting. The zoo did this by adding a lot of greenary, and making their physical setting look like an actual ecosytem where the animal would live.