National Zoological Garden, Washington D.C.
Sunday, May 5, 2024. 10:45 AM - 2:OO PM.
A little Komodo Dragon in the Reptile House.
Taken during Dr. Holtz's Reptile House tour.
The first building I ended up visiting was the Small Mammal House. Four species that I took note of were the Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine, the Cotton-Top Tamarin, the Fennec Fox, and the Sand Cat. In addition to traditional text panels, the small house contained skeletons and digital X-rays of the various body parts of the small animals. While I think the material is meant to get kids interested in what they are seeing, I found that in practice, it would be the adults observing the information on the plaques while the kids were more focused on the actual animals running around. Interestingly, since there were no direct exhibits associated with the skeletons and X-rays, I saw very few people, both children and adults, even taking a look at them.
The second place I visited was the Reptile House on Dr. Holtz's reptile house tour. I saw Aldabran Tortoises, Alligator Snapping Turtles, King Cobras, and of course, the legendary Komodo Dragon. The Reptile House featured booths from various government agencies such as the USGS and NPS, which were hosting trivia games and other interactive displays to get kids interested in animals. I was able to have a conversation with the NPS table, meeting a ranger from Grand Teton National Park and one from Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico, two places I have had the fortune of visiting and thoroughly enjoyed. Most of the kids seemed interested in these tables rather than the actual animals themselves, which was interesting. However, A lot of non-SGCers were paying attention to plaques.
The zoo does various activities to educate visitors. In general, and especially around the popular exhibits, docents provide information and answer questions kids and adults have about the animals. I asked a docent a question about the outlook of Asian Elephants, and he was able to give a thoughtful answer. Additionally, the zoo holds various shows and feedings, with seals and birds for example, that disseminate important information while getting kids excited about what they are seeing. These are 2 ways the zoo educates its visitors outside of plaques. As for the zoo enclosures, I found them to be involved given the zoo's constraints. It is very clear to me that houses like the small mammal house and the reptile house are old, and the exhibits can look cramped. However, the Cotton Top Tamarin exhibit in the small mammal house was full of trees and logs that forced the monkeys to be at the top of the exhibit. This mimics the behavior of these species which lives in the canopy of rainforests. Additionally, the Cuban Crocodile exhibit in the reptile house contained large ponds and lots of space for the Crocodile to bathe and roam. It was a far cry from the cages they used to face. These are 2 specific examples that I saw in the zoo.