Nature Journal: The Living Planet Aquarium
At the beginning of the semester I contemplated what sort of meaningful service I could provide. I had secured a volunteer internship at Mountain Horse Medical Center in Park City and thought for a moment that maybe that could count. But then I realized that I was going to do that anyway: I’m a pre-vet student and I desperately need experience. So I got to thinking again. Before my mission I volunteered as a Docent at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. I loved it, but the program had changed and I wouldn’t be doing the same things. So then I visited the Living Planet Aquarium. It was wonderful. This was what I wanted to do and I quickly signed up.
Earlier I wrote about the zoological institutions and their roles in conservation. But today I want to write about something else they do. They complete us. There is something about wildlife documentaries, the Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet that makes us whole. Without a doubt, it has something to do with how removed we are from our own world. We lock ourselves away in our cities and pretend that this world has only to do with business, economics, language, and culture. And we live pretty happy lives. But something isn’t right. We eat food but have no idea where it comes from – except from the store. Sophisticated cityscapes block our views of the simple and whole. We go on living quite happily for some time in this way. Until that certain missing something accumulates with enough of other missing somethings and we feel ready to explode. Something is wrong. We buy paintings or photographs of landscapes. We make it a priority to center one of the world’s most metropolitan areas around 843 acres of hallowed park land. We build zoos, plant botanical gardens, and play in parks to remind us that there is more to life than what we live.
We do it because we realize that anthropocentrism alone is unable to answer for our experiences here on Earth. There is certainly something to our differences with the rest of the world. Language, art, science, and reasoning do separate us from the rest of our fellow beings. We will never be the puppy Dillard patted in her book. Our experiences will often be different. But these differences by themselves are not enough to satisfy us. But because of these differences, biocentrism is also not the answer. Don’t get me wrong – we are as much a part of this world as are the other organisms. They too have inherent value. But we have the ability to see and analyze what is around us. Cause and effect are not unknown to us. Eventually we could see that some of our favorites were leaving this world, that we were the cause, and that we had to take action. So finally we got around to protecting them. Why though? Because we are connected to them. We feel responsible for losing them. It’s in this mixture of biocentrism and anthropocentrism that we find true happiness. Here the wonders of the world are appreciated and cared for by the very differences that made us human in the first place.
Now back to the aquarium. Volunteering there is wonderful because I help people rediscover this feeling. The underwater world is so unknown to most of them. It stimulates a sense of wonder and mystery. For most people it’s something they’ve never seen. Looking into these aquaria reminds them that our world is more fascinating than the busyness of their everyday lives. They wander through Discover Utah and are surprised at all the things that can be found in their backyard. Then it’s into Ocean Explorer where they see octopus, sea turtles, and sea jellies for the first time. They get to touch a sting ray and it reminds them of petting their dogs. They name the rays, give them personalities, and in this interaction they bombard me with questions. From there they go on a Journey to South America where they meet cute Gentoo penguins, caimans, an anaconda, and plenty of fish that make you feel small. I love watching the wonder in their eyes. One of the volunteer posts is greeting the guests at the entrance. Their eyes seem dull, tired of waiting in line, and irritated at the impatience of their children. But something magical happens when they press their noses up to that first tank. That all melts away. Eyes light up, brows soften, and intrigued smiles spread across faces.
I love volunteering at The Living Planet Aquarium and plan to keep on doing so. Each time I get to teach people about some of the most fascinating animals. I get to preach the gospel of conservation to an audience that has had their hearts softened by the fantasies of nature. But most of all I get to bring them back in touch with the environment and bring them back to real life.
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