Nature Journal: The Faces of Conservation
“Look mom! Penguins are REAL!” I volunteer at The Living Planet Aquarium and I hear a lot of things. Some correct things, usually wrong things, but definitely a lot of funny things. But that one’s got to top it off. And as entertaining as I find it to be, I also find it fascinatingly enlightening. Here is some little boy convinced that the penguins he saw on TV couldn’t be real, but here at a small aquarium in Sandy, Utah he had seen eleven living, breathing, swimming penguins that in fact were real. This is why zoos and aquariums deserve funding, why their existence is so vital to us. They start as a sort of ratification that the beautiful world we see on the Discovery Channel really does exist. But then they do something more. They make us fall in love with it and realize it needs protection.
The word zoo itself is an abbreviation of zoological garden that first came into fashion by the London Zoological Gardens. The psychology behind gardens takes interesting turns as animals are added into the mix. The botanical beauty of the world is designed not only to bring aesthetic pleasure and a sort of creationistic control to the human viewer, but with the addition of animals they serves as a kind of natural frame intended to give us a glimpse of how these creatures really live. But of course that’s not really how these animals live at all. But is there really a problem with that?
Critics of zoos tend to appeal to our very human notion of freedom and use words like prisons, liberation, and wild to create strong guilt about the housing of God’s creations. But here we need to stop for a minute and think about what it is that they are doing. In our personification of other organisms we always bring certain human traits to the foreground of our arguments while leaving other key aspects of our own humanity in the shadows. Don’t get me wrong here. I love nature. I love God’s creations and there is nothing like seeing them interacting on their own out in the wilderness oblivious to our existence. But let’s not forget that those same notions of liberty and freedom that we use to describe ourselves and try to use on them are in fact very human words. These creatures do not live in a world where food and shelter are provided. They are in a struggle for survival. And I’m not just talking about endangered species here.
Our romanticized notions of the natural world, while beautiful and inspiring are only one side of the story. “Nature red in tooth and claw,” as Tennyson put it, is the darker side. The animals and plants of this world are engaged in very real contests where predator/prey and parasite/host relationships can be more than just straining; they can be deadly. Ecological balances are rather wobbly at best and when outside pressures are added to these systems they seem ready to collapse. I count it as one of the Lord’s tender mercies that some are still going at all. My objective here is not to depress, but rather to educate. The natural world can be a deadly place. Zoological institutions then take these creatures out of such circumstances and guarantee them food, shelter, protection from poaching and medical care – much more than they could have hoped for in the wilds of the world. Exhibits are improving and our knowledge of exotic animal medicine and care is expanding rapidly. They may not be at home, but they’re definitely in good hands.
But these institutions are more than nice hotels. Zoos are part of the connections we seek because of our estrangement from the natural world. Pent up in cities and suburbs, we find ourselves seeking experiences with the natural organic wilds left in the world. Political orientations, environmental awareness level, and social standing all become irrelevant. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about people by volunteering at the Hogle Zoo and the Living Planet Aquarium, it’s that we all need these experiences. People from all walks of life come to these institutions looking for something. And every one of them find it. Even the most cynical of people – and you can tell who they are – can’t help be awed by the beauty of nature and the connection we feel with these creatures. We need zoos and aquariums because they provide that very connection.
But we also need zoological establishments because they are geared toward saving these creatures and spreading a message of conservation. Many of the animals we hold dear are in danger of being lost. Zoos provide responsible breeding programs and coordinated efforts to restore these creatures or at the very least keep them from leaving us forever. Zoos and aquariums are the faces of conservation. People come, pay for admission, make donations, and contribute to conservation efforts. But those people also leave with an education, a smile, and a greater appreciation for the natural world. And I think at those moments everyone has at least one thought of what their role in these conservation efforts are. Regardless of whether they go on to act on those thoughts, we’ve got them thinking. Find yourself a weekend and go to a Zoo or an Aquarium and just have a good time – because these institutions are more than just educational – they’re also a whole lot of fun!
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