gavinhudson

Action for Animals: A Day at the Zoo

By Gavin Hudson • July 3, 2007

Rabbit CareEditor's note: We're pleased to welcome Gavin Hudson to our blogging team. Gavin lives in Seattle, and has worked for the Jane Goodall Institute, particularly its "Roots and Shoots" program. He'll be covering activism topics for us, particularly those that you can implement in your quest to "green the good life."

Do you dream of working with animals? Find out how you can volunteer at your local zoo or wildlife rehabilitation center and gain the experience of a lifetime. It’s easy to become involved and easier still to fall in love with this rewarding volunteer activity.

Now you may be asking why anyone in his or her right mind would give up a relaxing Sunday at home to shovel poop, and it’s a fair question. But just imagine yourself bottle-feeding baby sea otters, teaching visitors about habitat conservation, or helping a wounded eagle to learn how to fly. If you admire animals and wish to contribute to their welfare, this is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Volunteering at your nearest zoo is easy, and most zoos offer many ways to get involved. Visit your zoo’s website and follow the links to learn about volunteer programs, or you can contact the zoo directly and ask what opportunities are available. Volunteer duties can range from visitor outreach to animal care giving.

You can also learn about the important role that zoos play in conservation. For example, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle works collaboratively with villages and researchers in Tanzania to reduce conflict between humans and African elephants. In Ohio, the Columbus Zoo plays a key role in repopulating a local, endangered species of mussel. Some zoos may even offer qualified volunteers the chance to become directly involved in exciting conservation programs such as these.

Wildlife rehabilitation centers are another excellent place to get hands-on experience helping animals. Rehabilitation centers focus on treating sick or wounded animals and returning them to the wild. Many centers also offer outreach and education opportunities. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider volunteering with the Marine Mammal Center of Sausalito, where you can work directly with baby seals, sea lions, otters, and other local marine mammals. To find a wildlife rehabilitation center in your area, you can search for “wildlife rehabilitation center” and your city at Goodsearch.com, or visit AnimalHelp.com and search for a rehabilitator. To learn more about wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, visit The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory.

Amazing hands-on work with animals is a reward in itself, but there are other benefits of taking action to help animals. Each October, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) presents its Animal Action Award to recognize individuals of all ages for contributions to animal welfare. Begin volunteering today with a zoo or wildlife rehabilitation center and by October you may qualify—or you may know somebody who qualifies—for this award.

The Woodland Park Zoo, Elephant Conservation

The Columbus Zoo, Mussel Conservation

The Marine Mammal Center of Sausalito, Volunteer Opportunities

Goodsearch

Animal Help, Rehabilitator Search

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory

IFAW, Animal Action Award Nomination

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojo79/534619156/

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Tags: Activism, animal, Biology and Biodiversity, Community, Conservation, Education, Environment, Outdoors, Recreation, rehabilitation, rescue, Science and Tech, volunteer, zoo

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5 Responses to “Action for Animals: A Day at the Zoo”

1. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Says:
   July 3rd, 2007 at 5:36 pm

   Hi Gavin, While I very much appreciate your intention to provide hands-on care to animals who need it, I do think there is a big difference between "zoos" and "sanctuaries." Places like the Marine Mammal Center (marine mammals), Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary http://www.peacefulprairie.org (farmed animals), Performing Animals Welfare Society http://www.pawsweb.org/ (wild animals) all provide sanctuary and/or rehabilitation to animals who've been victims of human interference or exploitation and exist solely to protect and nurture individuals. These are very different places than traditional "zoos," whose sole purpose is for the entertainment of humans. The new "conservation" excuse is just that, and zoos just perpetuate the speciesist idea that animals are here for humans' pleasure. Many of the individuals who find refuge at sanctuaries come from zoos (including the many elephants who are transferred to places like The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee), and many zoos are implicit in stealing babies from their natural habitat. So, I just wanted to throw that out there. I've worked hands on with many animals, and there are many opportunities to do so without perpetuating the exploitation of non-human animals. Thanks for mentioning one or two in your article. Respectfully, Colleen Compassionate Cooks - Empowering People and Saving Animals One Meal at a Time - http://www.compassionatecooks.com

2. Gavin Hudson Says:
   July 3rd, 2007 at 8:40 pm

   Hi Colleen,

   Thank you very much for your note.  I appreciate your message and agree whole-heartedly with you that non-human animals should never serve simply to entertainment members of our species.  Also, it's a great pleasure to speak with the founder of such a wonderful organization as Compassionate Cooks.  I have also had some mixed feelings myself about the role of zoos in conservation and education.  Certainly, no zoo is able to offer animals the same experience that they would have in the wild.
   If you would allow me, I would like to share some of my more positive reflections on zoos.  I would like to know your thoughts on these as well, and would greatly appreciate it if you have the time to share some of your ideas on other ways that people can gain hands-on experience and appreciation of the animals with whom we share this planet.  Perhaps in an upcoming article, I can present ideas for promoting respect for non-human animals and a vegetarian lifestyle, both of which are extremely important. 
   I have had the opportunity to work with elephant seals at the Marine Mammal Center who get transfered to the San Francisco Zoo before being released into the wild.  The partnership between the MMC and the SF Zoo enables the MMC to offer its animals the larger pool available at the zoo so that they can get used to swimming in larger bodies of water.  It also allow the MMC to accept more animals at a time for rescue and rehabilitation.  
   I also know that occasionally rehabilitation centers work in partnership with zoos to place animals that are unreleasable either because they are too injured or too acclimated to humans.  While this is far from ideal, these animals sometimes risk being injured or killed in the wild.  Especially for large preditors like sea lions, becoming too comfortable approaching humans means being in danger of frightened beach-goers or protective fishermen.  Therefore, for a handfull of animals, living at the zoo is a way to live out a full and overall healthy life.
   Certainly, it saddens me to see animals like chimpanzees at zoos and also to see large animals in small enclosures.  I think that this is, as I've mentioned, very far indeed from the ideal.  However, I was very happily surprised to visit the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.  If you have the chance yourself, you may have the same positive experience.  Enclosures were very large and expertly arranged with as many features as possible to meet the needs of the animals.  At each enclosure was a person or a plaque to explain in very easy terms what visitors can do to protect that animal's species and/or habitat.  Visitors seemed geniunely touched, and were able to come away excited about conservation and more knowledgeable about the animals they've seen.  It was clear that the animals as well were in good emotional and physical health.  
   I grew up going to Marine World Africa USA before it was very sadly bought by an amusement park.  I haven't been back since its change of ownership, but I feel that my frequent visits to Marine World helped inspire me with great respect and admiration for the dignity and even magesty of non-human animals.  I particularly enjoyed the close contact with some of the smaller animals, like the butterflies and the domesticated animals in the petting zoo.
   Again, I'd love to have your feedback on these thoughts.  Thank you again for your considerate message and thank you also for all of your efforts to promote positive interactions between people and non-human animals.  I have great respect for your work and your opinion.
   Best,
   Gavin
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