By Hannah Citron / Full360 Correspondent

In a time where temperatures are rising and pollution is growing, wild animal populations are rapidly declining.

People are working to reduce this trend by using methods like using paper straws and canvas shopping bags. Zoos are also doing their part to reverse the trend. Zoos all around the country and the world cooperate together to specially work toward fighting against wildlife extinction. This battle is fought in the form of breeding programs that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums call “Species Survival Plans,” but what many may not realize is that wildlife education is critical for conservation efforts, according to Professor Reg Hoyt.

Zoos have been institutions of education for many years, but that isn’t what they were originally founded for. The first menageries were created with the sole goal of entertaining the public, but entertainment is not the main focus anymore. Education programs in zoos are more prevalent now than ever before, using interactive games and keeper talks to teach all ages about the environment, the animals shown at each zoo, and what people can do to save our planet. 

From Philadelphia Zoo’s interactive “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” game to Lehigh Valley Zoo’s twice-a-day penguin feed chats, education can come in many forms. Professor Reg Hoyt spoke about his time as the Director of Education at his first zoo in East Texas. Hoyt developed a groundbreaking program to teach students under 10 something that was rarely heard of in that area. He touched upon the many misconceptions about native animals and how he decided to develop an interactive puppet show to educate young children to not fear those certain animals. Hoyt shared a story in which, after a puppet show that educated children about the misconception of hognose snakes, he received a phone call from what seemed to be a concerned parent. She shared with Hoyt that her family arrived home to find a hognose in the garage. She asked her husband to kill it, but her 5-year-old daughter spoke up and shared, in exact detail, what Hoyt had taught her in the puppet show. That snake was saved that day by that smart little girl, he said.

Zoo Science student Smith Easton also spoke about the internship opportunities he has experienced during his time at DelVal. He began as a summer camp conservation educator with Brandywine Zoo in Delaware during his freshman year. While he was there, Easton got the amazing opportunity to handle ambassador animals and educate children, all while helping them have a great, fun summer camp experience. Easton also shared his internship experience with Drexel’s Academy of Natural Sciences where he continued his education career with invertebrates and other misunderstood animals. 

“The most genuine zoo experience I had was this past summer at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas,” Easton said. “They had every animal you could imagine, and I was in the ambassador department, which is what I like because you get to learn the husbandry and education of a wide variety of animals.” 

Zoo Science students like Smith get the opportunity to experience internships during their time at DelVal, training to become the next generation of conservation experts.

Zoos are still a vessel for entertainment. They are well known for being able to let the general public see exotic animals in person, which most may just see as a novelty. Unfortunately, many people ignore the education that keepers, volunteers, and docents alike try to provide in and out of the zoo. Many people will also think that seeing a picture or a video of an animal will be sufficient enough to basically know about its existence. There was one thing that Professor Hoyt said that stood out, though, as one of the most impactful things zoos can do.  “…But one thing that a video can’t do for you is if you’re in a zoo, and it doesn’t matter if you’re standing in a crowd of 300 people, if you look into the animal’s eyes and the animal looks back at you, that is a connection that you’ll get in no other way.” 

That connection is what compels millions of people every year to give to conservation efforts around the globe, and that connection is what keeps zoos alive, Hoyt said.