Exploring the Santa Barbara Zoo!

There are many sights to see and noises to hear while walking around the Santa Barbara Zoo. If animals are active, visitors often stay and observe the animals interactions with their habitat and with each other. Visitors often make observations and come up with hypothesis on why the animals are performing certain behaviors. In addition, if a keeper is present in an exhibit, more visitors are often present observing what the animal care staff is doing. If the animals are not active, visitors often stop for seconds, then move on. I observed a handful of visitors reading signs outside of the exhibits, but often times they simple observed the animals and pass on to the next exhibit.

All exhibits at the SantaBarbara Zoo have signage. In addition, many plants have signage as well. For larger animal exhibits, signage included information about the species, what you can do to help the species, a fun fact and two other details such as reproduction, height, habitat, etc. For some animals, specific information such as their name, where they came from, and their future at the zoo is given. 

Visitors can learn a vast amount of information at the zoo. Visitor explore the zoo and make observations about the animal behaviors and habitats, ultimately learning that animals have emotions and make decisions. This leads to visitors developing a respect and interest for the different animal species. 

Through keeper talks and staff interactions, visitors are able to have a more detailed conversation about animals at the zoo. At the Santa Barbara Zoo, keeper talks are given throughout the day with times posted outside the zoo entrance. I attended the Amur Leopard talk given by Jessie, one of the cat keepers. She started her talk by sharing information about the Amur Leopard Wyatt that was out on exhibit. After a basic introduction to Wyatt, she began answering questions about their diet, behavior, and conservation status. I talked with Jessie about the current reintroduction plan for Amur Leopards in Russia. She continued to engage the guests by sharing information on the personality of the leopards currently at the zoo and shared her favorite stories. 

In addition to keeper talks, I also observed and interaction between a couple at the Asian Elephant exhibit and a docent. The docent approached the couple and asked if they had any questions about the elephants. Although they answered no, the docent continued to share information about the animals behavior and their history at the zoo with the couple. At the end of the interaction, the couples seemed pleased and thanked the docent for sharing. 

I also had the opportunity to interact with one of the keepers named Angela feeding the penguins. While feeding, she asked the visitors if anyone had any questions they are welcome to ask. From what I observed, Angela had a large group of penguins surrounding her all wanting food and was feeding out to all of the penguins at the same time. I wanted to know how they monitor if all the penguins are getting fish and how much each one is getting. I was grateful to be able to have this learning opportunity.

I have three favorite exhibits for three different reasons. Wings of Asian is an aviary you walk through to observe different species of birds found in Asia. The reason I enjoy this exhibit is because when you enter you are presented with a sign containing all of the birds in the aviary which gives the visitors the ability to explore the habitat and find all of the different species present in the exhibit. I also enjoy the elephant exhibit because of the fact that you are able to observe the keepers doing training and animal care. It is a unique experience to be able to see the "behind the scenes" of animal care. Lastly, my favorite exhibit in terms of exhibit design is the gibbon exhibit. The gibbons have an entire island with trees, ropes and lots of room to climb and explore!

When visiting the zoo, the majority of information you gain is through observation and exploration. This is very similar to MOXI however while MOXI is a very tactile experience the zoo is very visual. In addition, besides the scheduled keeper talks and docent stations, it is often difficult to find staff, especially in the afternoon. This can be frustrating when a visitor has a question or concern about an animal. Overall, both institutions are quite different in how visitors engage with the exhibits however both are great experiences for informal science learning!

-Angela