What It REALLY Takes To Be a Wildlife Educator»
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It’s like standing there naked, when the entire audience is fully clothed. That’s the best way to describe how it feels to be standing there holding an animal in front of an audience of anywhere of 20 to 300 sets of eyes. People don’t want to be judgmental, but let’s be honest, it’s human nature to make an instant decision as to whether you like someone standing up there. Are they credible? Do they know what they’re talking about? Do you just plain "like them?"
At Zooniversity, we get at least one e-mail each week from a college student who idyllically aspires to be a wildlife educator. They spent years admiring those larger-than-life TV guys working with animals and have hopeful visions of becoming the next wildlife conservation idol. Besides asking for a job, they almost always ask, "What do I need to do to become a wildlife educator?"
The answer is not a simple one. The necessary skill sets are an odd mix of cognitive scientific knowledge, acute audience management skills, and that mysterious "Q factor" that it takes to make an audience like you. Here’s the cold, hard fact that most of these college kids don’t want to hear…ANYONE can display these animals (as long as they religiously follow the federal, state, county and city wildlife laws), but not ANYONE can be good at this.
The delivery of animal information is actually the easy part. Learning the textbook facts about each species, learning their adaptive and wild behaviors, reciting the Latin Genus species names…all that is the really easy part of the job. The tough part cannot be taught, cannot be memorized. Three additional skills need to be mastered: (1) the ability to control the behavior of a collection of program animals, with unique personalities, under incredibly stressful conditions, with little to no risk of a problem, (2) the ability to politely, yet diplomatically manage an audience’s behavior (including the ever-challenging, young audiences) with little to no risk of a problem, and (3) the intangible, indescribable skill of getting an audience to "like you."
So, what is our sage advise for those eager college students? What do we suggest they do to prep them for their dream job?
"What do I need to do to become a wildlife educator?"
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Work With Real Animals: Get as much hands-on experience with animals as possible. Volunteer at the shelter, the veterinary clinic, the horse ranch, the zoo, the exotic sanctuary, the local wildlife rehabilitator, your local chapter of the Audubon Society, Master Naturalists, or herpetological society. Take a no-pay internship at a sanctuary or respected wildlife company. Do anything to get some real hands-on skills. Rake the cages, scoop the poop, haul the garbage, design enrichment, build trust, learn their signals, bond, train, love, share the moment. Each animal you work with, each scratch, each bite, each lick or cuddle, will teach you with lessons that can only be learned from the real teachers — the animals.
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Work With Real People (Especially Kids): A critical skill is NOT taught in school — how to manage a crowd’s behavior to limit the risk of a problem. Whew, this is tough. Crowds of kids are especially tough. Crowds of kids with their parents are even tougher. It’s a VERY fine line between diplomatically directing a crowd for their safety and enjoyment — and ordering them around like the Gestapo. The only way to learn how to tight-rope walk that fine line is through experience. Work as a camp counselor or a day care teacher. Work customer relations at a theme park, fair or festival, or zoo. You’ll quickly learn what works and what offends. We still learn every day how fine his line can become if you get overly demanding. The sting of each lesson learned lasts a long time — learn how to walk the line before you try wildlife education.
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Stand Up There Naked: Okay, it’s a just a metaphor, but you need to experience the vulnerability of being a presenter and you need to feel both the admiration or the distain of a human audience…again, and again, and again. Find every opportunity to do public speaking. The subject matter doesn’t matter. Join the debate team, the Toastmasters or Salesmanship Club, speak on behalf of your club, fraternal organization or political party. Sing a solo in the choir, get cast as a lead in your theater, preach at your church or temple. Do whatever it takes to stand in front of an audience, and another audience, and another audience. You’ll have to conquer the stage fright, exude total confidence, work the crowd, and develop a tough skin. You need to learn to sense the energy of the audience — both positive and negative — and find those intangible ways to turn it around. Then, there is the toughest part of the job — that indefinable "Q Factor." Audiences quickly decide if they "like you." This is magical, indefinable, nearly impossible to teach, and totally unpredictable. It varies with the time of day, waning of the moon, your attitude and mood – and it only takes a nano-second or an ill chosen word to turn audience admiration into distain. Only years of stand-up experience will teach you how to do your best. If they don’t "like you," anything you try to teach about the animals will fall on deaf ears.
Now, don’t assume that this blog entry is intended to dissuade our young, eager wanna-be wildlife educators from entering the field. On the contrary, we welcome the next generation with their fresh energy to continue our lifetime of effort. We just want them to be fully prepared for what it REALLY takes to be a wildlife educator — a GOOD wildlife educator.
More Junior Zoologists Graduate from Zoo School»
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Seventy more Junior Zoologists have graduated from BASIC Zoo School. We are so proud of our students, grades K-5th, who attended a 12-week series of Zoo School BASIC classes during Fall semester 2009. Classes were offered in Aubrey, Flower Mound and Frisco and the students met once a week to study all the major phyla of animals: arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Each week the students learned the common characteristics of each phyla, the body parts, survival adaptations and strategies, life cycles and fun facts – they even got to have a hands-on encounter with live animals each week! The students concluded the semester by becoming the teachers. .jpg)
Each student did an independent research project about their favorite animal and presented all they learned to their fellow students — and what great teachers they were! Students taught the other students all about everything from polar bears, to cave salamanders, to feral hogs, to hummingbirds. Amazing…once they turn 18 years old, they’re hired! Many of these students have moved on to ADVANCED Zoo School for Spring Semester. Congratulations to all our students for their hard efforts. They make our work a true pleasure.
Avoid Those Holiday Pet Hazards»
What’s your pet going to do when the house is filled with the sights, sounds and smells of the holiday and no one is looking? Probably get into trouble. This holiday, safe guard your pet against these common dangers.
MISTLETOE, especially mistletoe berries, can cause gastrointestinal upset and heart arrhythmia.
HOLLY leaves and berries can cause gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting and diarrhea.
EVERGREEN BOUGHS such as fir, balsam and pine, although not toxic, also cause minor irritation.
POINTSETTIA, despite its deadly reputation, will at worst cause irritation of the mouth, excess salivation and perhaps vomiting, but still should be avoided.
RED MAPLE LEAVES kill horses! As little as one pound of dried maple leaves blowing into your horse’s pasture can be toxic. When ingested, these leaves result in a severe hemolytic anemia – it causes red blood cells to rupture, causing weakness, pale gums, an elevated heart rate and shock.
LILY FLOWERS such as the Asiatic, Tiger, Day and Stargazer lily (often found in holiday arrangements) can cause kidney failure in cats after eating just one petal or leaf.
HIBISCUS can cause vomiting and bloody diarrhea.
TINSEL can cause gastrointestinal blockages that can be life-threatening.
BUBBLE LIGHTS contain methylene chloride, a moderately toxic solvent.
LIQUID POTPOURRI is toxic to cats — even a few licks can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing and tremors.
TREE PRESERVATIVES, although not toxic, is sugar-based and can nourish grow bacteria that may sicken a thirsty cat or dog.
FIRE SALTS highlight the beauty of the fireplace colors on a cold winter’s evening, but can cause gastrointestinal irritation with vomiting and even convulsions.
IMPORTED SNOWGLOBES contain deadly antifreeze and its sugar-sweet taste is particularly tempting. As little as one tablespoon of ethylene glycol antifreeze can kill a cat and a couple of ounces can kill a dog.
CHOCOLATE contains high levels of caffeine and theobromine, which can cause heart arrhythmia and death.
GRAPES, RAISINS & CURRENTS (and foods with them like fruit cake) can cause kidney failure in dogs.
SUGARLESS GUMS AND CANDIES that contain xylitol, a sweetener, is toxic to dogs — it causes a life-threatening drop in blood sugar and liver failure.
BONES are dangerous! Hide those leftovers as bones will shatter and splinter and cause pain, intestinal puctures, and death.
HIGH-FAT LEFTOVERS, like gravy and turkey skin, can give your dog acute pancreatitis.
ALCOHOL in tiny amounts won’t cause a problem for pets, but three ounces of liquor in a 10-15 pound animal can depress its nervous system and stop its breathing.
BATTERIES if chewed will give acid burns in the mouth and physical damage from shards of metal.
ROCK SALT can cause irritation of animals’ paws or in their mouths and stomachs if they eat it — pet first aid for rock salt ingestion is simple: feed them a small meal with water or milk.
What do you do if think your pet has eaten something toxic? Contact the Pet Poison Helpline ($35 fee) or your local emergency veterinary clinic for immediate guidance.
Thank You for Naming Us “Best in the Metroplex”»
Wow…how can we thank you enough for taking the time to vote for us in The Best of the Metroplex Family Choice Awards 2009. Drum roll, please…you named Zooniversity:
"BEST PARTY ENTERTAINER"
And, your verified votes also earned us nominations for:
"BEST ANIMAL ENCOUNTER"
"BEST THEMED PARTY"
Our most sincere thanks to the parents, teachers, librarians, friends and supporters who voted. It’s only with your support and referrals that we can continue to offer you the finest in wildlife education services, and we can continue to offer our rescued animal ambassadors a better life. Help us to keep setting the standard in wildlife education!
Complete List of Award Winners
It’s Time to Register for Spring Zoo School!»
It’s that time again! Registration for our Spring 2010 Zoo Schools is now open. BASIC and ADVANCED Zoo Schools are being offered in Frisco, Lewisville and Rockwall. All the details and downloadable registration forms are now available online. Register early, as class size is limited and classes fill-up quickly — so don’t delay! Feel free to forward this announcement to your friends and other interested parents or to post it on your community’s newletters and websites. We need a minimum of 20 students for each class to be a "go" — help us to spread the word!
Want to bring Zoo School to your school, homeschool or afterschool community? Go here to learn how to become a Zoo School site coordinator. Questions about Zoo School? Contact us and we’ll be happy to assist you with more information.
