CPSG 101 Excursion Report
May 7, 2024 National Zoo, Washington, D.C.
For my excursion for CPSG 101, I chose to go to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. I visited many exhibits and got to see animals such as a cheetah and elephant. Unfortunately, due to the poor weather, many of the outdoor enclosures didn’t feature animals, but I still got to see the more fascinating ones. Overall, I recommend this excursion to any future SGC students if they want an interesting excursion.
An exhibit I visited on my own was the reptile discovery center. It featured many species of reptile, but also had some amphibians as well, such as poisonous frogs. An animal that really stood out to me as creepy was the Indian Gharial, which has a long narrow snout. It was sleeping under water so its eyes were covered by the protective lids they have. Funnily enough, a Terrapin was housed in the same enclosure and they seem to share the space without any issue. While on the subject of turtles, I was also able to see a giant tortoise. The last species worth noting that I saw was a Komodo dragon, which I think was probably the most interesting reptile to see in the enclosure. In terms of education, many staff are around enclosures to answer questions from tourists. Detailed diagrams were also included to visually depict reptile anatomy. For example, there was a side by side human anatomy and lizard anatomy diagram which showed that reptiles share many of the same internal organs as humans. I also saw an area where there was painting, which would leave me to believe that the exhibit was aimed at a younger audience. I was also able to take note of a few non-SGC visitors reading the plaques on the enclosures. As far as information went, it was primarily a brief description of the species, and what distinguishes it from others, as well as their locations.
The exhibit which I was given a tour for was the Amazonia. Dr.Merck provided a tour that covered the intricacies of the Amazon Rainforest. One species that he spoke about was the Arapaima, a massive carnivorous fish with two sets of jaws. He also talked about rays, which surprised me as I was unaware the rays lived in the rivers of the Amazon. I also got to see an electric eel and of course piranhas. In the Amazonia, there was an entire rainforest environment that allowed visitors to walk through and experience a fairly close representation of the Amazon environment. I also saw an interesting wall display which showed an assortment of beetles in the rainforest pinned in the shape of a giant beetle. There had to have been over a hundred different species of beetles used in creating that display. Though the beetle display wasn’t very informative, I found it to be interesting. Dr.Mercks vast knowledge on the different species in the Amazon greatly contributed to my understanding of the species and was much better than reading off of a plaque. Unfortunately on our tour, I did not see many non-SGC visitors in the Amazonia, so I was not able to tell if they were reading the information or not. I think this hall was also aimed at a younger audience, as there were things like buttons on enclosures for kids to press. Much like the other exhibit, the information included a brief description of the species, and its location.
All in all, information wise, the zoo does a good job at educating the public. They use knowledgeable staff and accurate recreations of the environment to help illustrate how these animals live. For example, there was an enclosure in the small mammal exhibit that was dark and only illuminated by a red light. It was explained that this was to simulate the night as the animal in the enclosure was nocturnal, so it was active as if it really was night. Visual diagrams were also included where they could be to help younger audiences learn at least something while at the zoo.
In terms of animal mental health, the National Zoo takes the topic very seriously. They do their best to recreate the environment for the animals to live in and many times, like I saw in the ape house, let the animals interact. They include toys for animals, such as a tire for elephants to play with and put on a peg. There were swing sets that allowed the monkeys to swing around if they wanted to as well. The zoo understands the intellectual levels of different species and makes adjustments accordingly. One thing I would also like to note is that there are plenty of spaces for animals to hide away from spectators if they are overwhelmed or in cases of poor weather like we had on the day of the excursion. For example, I saw an ostrich using the roof of a small building in its enclosure to stay out of the rain. So while physical health is maintained for the animals, their mental health is also a priority.
Overall, I believe the National Zoo is a great place to learn or just go see animals casually. I believe that even if you don’t go seeking information for an assignment, you will still leave having learned something new. There is something for everyone from kids to adults and I would consider going again on my own time. I would say the only thing to be wary of is the smell of animal poop as it could be strong, especially on a rainy day.