Highest_priority_cards_4_-_all_duplicates Flashcards
Q: Three main purposes/goals of zoos vs. public’s perception of these priorities
Goals: Conservation, environmental education, and entertainment.
Public perception of priorities: Entertainment, education, and conservation, in that order.
Q: How do zoos support and promote conservation?
Inspire concern for animals.
Preserve endangered species (via, e.g., captive breeding programs like SSPs). Prevent species extinction.
Educate public about environment. (Personalize and widen a person’s view of nature. Provide an understanding of interdependence in ecosystems.)
Q: What law dramatically changed the approach zoos took to acquiring animals?
Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Q: What did the Endangered Species Act do?
Prohibited any action that causes a “taking” of any listed species of endangered fish or wildlife.
Dramatically changed the approach zoos took to acquiring animals.
Passed in 1973.
Q: What is the job/mission of a zoo docent?
Educate the general public, and especially the next generation, as to the importance of conservation, and actions they can take to help.
Be a conduit between the animal and the public.
Raise public awareness by communicating the need for conservation of species, preservation of habitat, captive breeding, ongoing research, and the reintroduction of endangered animals to the wild when possible.
Zoos provide an understanding of the interdependence of animals and their habitat.
Q: What is a key goal of the SF Zoo staff in taking care of the animals?
Promote positive environments for the animals so that they can thrive. Enrichment. (further detail on different flashcard)
Q: What is enrichment and why is it important? (note: specific approaches to enrichment are on a separate flashcard)
Improving or enhancing zoo animal environments and care within the context of their inhabitants’ behavioral biology and natural history.
An enriched captive environment
-is interesting,
-allows animals to perform natural behaviors,
-permits animals to be more active, and
-provides animals with additional choices, which increases the animals’ control over their environment leading to an improvement in the animal’s mental state.
-Reduces stress.
Other key points:
-Like physical health, mental health is important.
-Captive breeding has not removed natural, wild instincts.
-Since everything is provided for them – food, water, shelter, and safety – enrichment provides psychological and physical challenges to keep them active and interested in their surroundings.
(approaches to enrichment are a separate flashcard)
Q: Name a few ways the zoo provides enrichment for the animals
-Varied food choices, often hidden to encourage foraging and problem-solving.
-Toys, e.g., large “boomer balls” that can also be filled with feed pellets that fall out when rolled a certain way.
-Items sprayed with scents from other animals.
-Design of the exhibits to resemble a natural habitat.
Q: Name one strategy that facilitates the administration of medical care for the animals
Animals are trained to perform certain tasks to aid medical care, e.g.,
-a cat presenting its tail for a blood draw,
-an animal lying down on a platform for an ultrasound,
-a bear presenting its rear for an injection or raising its paw for inspection.
These trained tasks that facilitate medical care reduce the stress on the animal by, e.g., reducing the need for anesthesia.
Q: Name some green (eco-friendly) practices/projects at the Zoo
Recycling (paper, plastic, cardboard, scrap metal, glass)
Sending surplus food to communities in need (via Replate, separate flashcard for details)
Composting (both visitor waste, animal waste, and organics from the horticulture dept.)
Water refilling stations
EV charging stations
Conservation education (details on separate card)
Q: Name some examples of the zoo’s conservation education
-Conservation messaging in exhibit design and graphics. (examples on separate card)
-Greenie’s Conservation Corner (details on separate card)
-Hosts “Wild Places, Wild Things” lecture series. (details on separate card)
-Exhibits presented by docents and biofact interpreters (e.g., biofact carts).
Q: Examples of conservation signage at the SF Zoo
The palm oil crisis at the orangutan exhibit.
Near extinction of the Mexican gray wolf.
Q: How does the zoo reduce food waste?
Partnership with Replate, a technology-based social enterprise that connects and delivers surplus food from businesses to communities of need.
Currently donating the following to Replate: unsold daily prepared foods, leftover catered foods, and frozen and packaged food items.
(resulting in zero waste)
Q: On which green projects is the zoo working with the SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)?
Several water and energy conservation projects:
-5 EV charging stations in parking lot.
-Water-bottle charging station.
Q: How does the Wild Places, Wild Things lecture series further conservation efforts?
Brings world-renowned conservation experts to share stories and photographs about important conservation projects and discoveries.
Science lecture series.
Free to Zoo guests, staff, and volunteers.
