A Masterpiece for all Time
The Challenge of ge,ng a Conserva0on Message through to visitors in an Informal Zoo Se,ng.
Saint Louis Zoo is a Masterpiece Challenge for the Zoo s Interpreters NAI Tools Example of Effective Interpretation Participation
Free at the Beginning Jerry DiMarcellis Docent from 1993 to 2002 Interpreter since 2002
Free Since the Beginning St. Louis Zoological Society of 1910
From Entertainment to Education George Vierheller 1922-1962 Mutual of Omaha s Wild Kingdom Animal Shows Marlin Perkins 1962-1970
WildCare Institute initiated in 2004 Conservation Outside the Fence Wildlife management Wildlife recovery Conservation science Support of the human populations
Center for Conservation in Forest Park Hellbender Conservation Horned Guan Conservation Avian Health in the Galapagos Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Centers Center for Native Pollinator Conservation Center for American Burying Beetle Saharan Wildlife Recovery Center Center for Conservation In Western Asia Conservation in the Horn of Africa Center for Conservation in Punta San Juan Center for Conservation of large Carnivores in Africa Conservation in Madagascar
Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conserva0on
Numbers in Decline Data from 70 s, 80 s, and 90 s showed average decline 77%
World's First! In 2011, Zoo and the Missouri Department of Conservation bred Hellbenders in captivity To date some 2500 hellbenders have been released into Ozark and Eastern river systems.
Center for the Conservation of the American Burying Beetle Nicrophorus americanus Named for burying its food Chemical receptors in antennae Pick up scent within hour of animals demise
Critically Endangered Only known population in 1989, Rhode Island Critically Endangered Discovered populations in six other states.
Nations First Insect Species to be designated as Endangered Captive breeding population 2012 re-introduced in Wah Kon-Tah Prairie
Hands on Conservation
The Challenge to the Zoo s Interpreters Dana Brown Foundation President and CEO, Dr. Jeffrey Bonner The challenge presented to us interpreters from our CEO and President is to grab people s emotions [so] they will not only want to learn more but will want to do more.
NAI Gives Us the Tools We Need Tilden s Principles Knowing our Audience Maslow s Hierarchy Motivation Learning Styles Evaluating your Audience
More Tools Program Development Social Marketing Interpretive Approach (POETRY) Organization Program Delivery Questioning Strategies
Training Zoo Mission Interpretation ABC s Conservation Information Climate Change Information
Training No Captive Audience! No one comes for a lecture! Make it about them.
Tools Questioning Strategies Start Dialogue with a Question Take the Dialogue along for a Short Ride
Funneling How are you? How come you re not in school? Do you guys know anything about cheetahs? How fast can they run? So what do cheetah s eat? Did you know that you are helping to save cheetahs just by coming to the Zoo? Would you like to hear a story?
I m a rancher with sheep. Do cheetah s eat sheep? Which is easier to catch, a sheep or an impala? (Analogy: If you had to chase your food, hamburgers and hotdogs, and hotdogs were easier to catch would you eat more hotdogs?) Do we want to shoot the cheetahs? How can I keep the cheetahs from eating my sheep?
Did we lose any sheep? Did the cheetah get killed? What protected the sheep? And where did the money come from to buy the dog? And where did the Zoo get the money to buy the dog? So, are you helping to save cheetahs by coming to the Zoo? Thank you for coming to the Zoo today
The End