Event name: National Zoo
Event time and place: May 3, 2026 at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC
On May 3, 2026, I went to the Smithsonian National Zoo with the SGC Scholars group. Growing up around Washington DC, I had been to National Zoo quite a bit, but it is always fun to revisit. I started off by seeing the Small Mammal House. The displays focused on the types of conditions these mammals can live in, diets, and where their habitats are often found. Many of the exhibits in the Small Mammal House also included radiographs/X-rays of the small mammals' bone structure, which was very interesting. A few species that stood out to me were the Golden headed Lion Tamarin, the Rock Hyrax, the La Plata Three Banded Armadillo, and the Fennec Fox. During my trip to Kenya and Tanzania over the last summer, I remember seeing Rock Hyraxes. Many of the people that visited the Small Mammal House seemed to be more interested in the animals than the displays, which is understandable since the small mammals seemed far more active than other animals in the zoo. I later toured the Reptile House, one of my personal favorites. The displays there listed the ranges of habitats the species were able to live in, where these habitats were often found, and some interesting information about each unique species. My favorite reptiles to see were the Gila Monster, the Puff Adder, the Mangrove Snake, and the Kimberly Rock Monitor. I learned that the weight loss drug Ozempic was developed from the venom from Gila Monsters. Another interesting exhibit in the Reptile House showed the bone and organ structure of a lizard compared to a human. Apparently, we share a lot with lizards. However, the people seemed to be more interested in finding the reptile in their displays than reading the information. Finally, I toured Amazonia, which is my absolute favorite exhibit because of the insanely wide variety of species you can see there. The displays listed fun facts about each animal in the exhibit since every single one seemed to have something incredible and noteworthy about them. My favorite animals to see were the eels, the Knifefish, the Freshwater Stingrays, and the Roseate Spoonbill. There were a couple of interactive displays, such as the electric eel interactive where you complete a circuit with your own body. Most of the people seemed to be too captivated by all of the animals and interactives to stop and the read the information on the displays.
Overall, most of the people didn't seem to be paying much attention to the informaiton about all of the animals that was listed on the displays. However, I saw many chlidren intently reading the displays. I remembered being a chlid myself at this very same zoo, reading every single fact about every animal I saw while dragging my parents around. These displays allowed me and many other children to learn about the different animals that inhabit the Earth along with us. This is why I believe that all of the halls I visited were aimed towards the elementary to middle school level, except for Amazonia which seemed to be more advanced, probably aimed towards older middle schoolers and high schoolers. Another way the zoo aids the public understanding of animals is through their labs. In many of the houses, you could see some of the laboratories they had that were focused on studying a specific type of animals or organism, such as the coral reef lab. While the animals seemed to be provided with food, shelter, and clean water, I couldn't help but feel bad for the animals kept in captivity. However, the zoo did provide toys and obstacle courses for the primates, and it seemed that they made genuine attempts at replicating the animals' natural habitats while keeping the general public safe from the animals as well as the animals safe from the general public.