Event name: National Zoo Excursion
Event time and place: 9:45am - 2:00pm 5/3/2026 at the National Zoo
Lion Exhibit
1) Small Mammal: The information listed for each species was there name, general info, range, habitat, and diet. Some example of species in the exhibit are the Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin, La Plata Three-Banded Armadillo, Fennec Fox, and Rock Hyrax. Beyond simple information there were radiographs of mammals, which were very informative about how to read radiographs and bone structure of mammals. The education level of exhibit seemed to be at a middle school level. People mainly just read the names of the animals, nothing deeper than that.
2) Reptile House: The information listed for each species was there name, general info, range, habitat. Some example of species in the exhibit are the Mangrove Snake, Puff Adder, Snouted Cobra, Kimberley Rock Monitor. Beyond simple information there was comparison diagram of human anatomy versus lizard anatomy. It taught me on how we evolved differently, but still had many common attributes. Education level of exhibit seemed to be at a middle school level. People mainly just focused on what kind of reptile they were looking at.
3) Amazonia: The information listed for each species was general info/fun facts and their name. No location was listed because as the exhibit name implies everything was native to the Amazon region. Some example of species in the exhibit are the Knifefish, Freshwater Stingray, Hawk-Headed Parrot, and the Roseate Spoonbill. Beyond simple information there was a few interactive displays, but the real star of the show was lower section of the exhibit as it had lots of detailed information. Both the interactive displays and the lower section gave insight on the ecosystem of the Amazon region. Education level of exhibit seemed to be at a high school level. People commonly ignored the plaques likely because the featured areas contained many animals all together, no single focus.
Education: The Zoo aids in the public understanding of animals and ecosystems other than simple plaques with printed information in a multitude of ways. One method used during my trip was trivia, they hosted a interactive trivia game featuring animal fun facts as question in front of the Reptile House. Another method was having zoo staff hang around enclosures to share more in depth facts about the animals nearby.
Animal Mental/Emotional Welfare: One way objects in animals' environments have been added to provide a more interesting and comforting place for them was seen in the Great Ape House where the apes were given a selection of toys they could entertain themselves with. Another example of this is, the Giant Tortoise enclosure where the tortoises have access to an indoor heated area as well an outside grassy area. This gives the tortoises the freedom to bathe in the natural sunlight or when that isn't sufficient, they can make their way to the artificial warmth.