National Zoo:
May 4th, 2025
National Zoological Garden, Washington, DC:
The first zoo building that I went into was the guided tour with Dr. Merck at Amazonia. Some of the information listed for the species was slightly different, but most of them had the scientific name, the common name, and the habitat. Most of them had a couple of fun facts about the species, which were interesting, although if you're on a tour, it gets a little difficult to try to stop and read them. Some species on display were freshwater stingrays, roseate spoonbills, Panamanian golden frogs, and a guinea pig. Even though the electric eel wasn't there, its display was still interactive with a statue of the eel and showing which ends were negatively and positively charged. Even though I didn't know most of the stuff I was being introduced to, the education level is still being aimed at elementary to middle school. Although I think higher-level education can still enjoy it a lot, just by being able to look at the species itself, you can see a lot of things that people are still researching. Being in Dr. Merck's tour really showed that to me; seeing their behavior and overall structure was a lot of fun and insightful. Still, with the pictures and designs, the exhibit still caters to children, which I see as a positive aspect. Since it's really important to get children involved with animals and our world educationally. I saw a lot of non-scholar members looking at the displays and plaques, and a lot of them seemed really interested and excited to learn things. Mainly children pointing out to their parents a cool thing they read, but that was something I was really happy to see.
The second building I went into was a small mammal house. This building was very similar to the Amazonia, with their plaque's having the scientific name, the common name, and the habitat, although some did include diets. Some species I saw were prehensile-tailed porcupine, Fennec fox, dwarf mongoose, and meerkat. This one had a lot more displays compared to the Amazonia, a lot of them showing videos of bone structure. Displaying the mammal's insides of their tails, how their skeletons are swimming, and the insides of their hands. I also saw a lot younger kids in this exhibit compared to the Amazonia, which made me think it's for a younger audience. So elementary school and younger, which might be why they heavily relied on interactive displays more than the previous exhibit. I saw a lot of people paying attention to these displays again, a lot with children, but some are also adults. These displays in general just looked really interesting, especially to me. I thought it looked really cool to see the bone structure. So overall there were many people paying attention to these interactive displays in the small mammal house.
The main reason for zoos aside from conservation is education. That's why I really did enjoy seeing children and younger people enjoying the displays and plaques. Although aside from the plaques, the zoo had other ways of education, even if it's not direct. One thing I saw was a mascot walking around the zoo. That woman was talking about efforts the zoo is making to preserve the rainforest and its inhabitants. That was an indirect way of educating people about the zoo's cause to preserve habitats but also explaining a habitat and showing an animal who lives in that habitat. There's a lot of subconscious education that goes on, especially with the mascot that makes people pay attention to it. Even though I'm an adult and I automatically knew that was the intention, I still had to stop and take a picture of the mascot. The second example is the interactive activities and arts that were all over the zoo. The one that captured my attention was the squirt zone, which had replicas of barnacles and mussels, educating and introducing sea life. I also believe the Bee mural and Wyland mural both have that same benefit of introducing different species and animals to children in a way that's fun and creative. These both use art and engagement in a way that educates, but it's all so generally just fun, which is a great method of education.
Lastly, one of the most controversial issues with zoos is the mental health of some animals, even when I sent photos to my family. One member of my family commented on how sad one of the animals looked for being locked up. Although I do think they're making a lot of steps towards the animals' welfare. One thing I noticed in the panda path while I was making my way to the giant panda or the enormous patches of habitats. They are so big to the point where I would see a plaque that would tell me which animal should be there, and it took three people just to find where that animal was. That specifically happened when looking for the leopard, and very similarly with the birds in the Amazonia letting fly freely. The second thing I noticed was the elephant exhibit, specifically the previous one that, compared to the one they have now, is astonishing. That's definitely better for the elephants to have more room to roam, especially given how big they are.