Zoo's Unique Program Gives Youth Hands-on Experience

By Judith Kahn

The San Francisco Children's Zoo is the second largest zoo in the United States. Its mission is "to connect people with wildlife, inspire care for nature and advance conservation."

One of the ways it accomplishes this goal is to create the Nature Trail Youth Program every summer. As groups walk along the trail, they come across birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians at 15 different stations. Some of them can be touched.

Each of the animals have whimsical names, such as the leopard tortoise, which is called Bump the Run. The original owner who donated the leopard tortoise to the zoo was a loyal fan of the Oakland Raiders. In the hey day of the Raiders, they were known for their defensive football strategy of bump and run.

There is also a rat named "Harry," because it has a lightning bolt shape on its head similar to Harry Potter.

One toad's name is "Moss" since that is the color of its skin. Then there is a chinchilla named Saki and a hedgehog named Peggy Sue. And that Red Eared Pond Turtle is named Cher.

For each animal, volunteers suggest a name and the staff makes the final decision.

At one of the trail's stations the public will study teeth in the skulls of herbivores and carnivores. The guide on the Nature Trail will use the skulls to explain the different eating strategy of each animal. The guide will also discuss the history of the animal, conservation issues and answer any questions the public might have.

The last stop on the trail is the Owl Station, which features four stately owls perched on a stand. One of the owls is named Fancy Pants, a Western Screech Owl. Another one, Queen Richard, is a Great Horned Owl which is 45 years old. This is old for an owl.

Queen Richard was taken from her nest as a fledgling by someone who thought an owl would make a good pet. They fed her a diet of processed meats, such as ham and turkey, not the proper diet for an owl, leading her to become very sick. The owl was confiscated from the owner and brought to a rehabilitation center. Because she never learned how to fly or hunt, she was unreleaseable to the wild.

When the owl first came to the zoo, she was thought to be a male so they called her King Richard. One day, she was taken to a school for display and when Queen Richard returned to the zoo, there was a surprise. When the case was opened, an egg was discovered. So, the zoo changed her name from King Richard to Queen Richard.

At the time the owl came to the zoo the only way to determine if it was a female or male was to surgically open it up. Today, the sex of the bird can be determined through a blood test.

Behind the owl station stands the The Koret Animal Resource Center (ARC). This 6,000-square-foot building houses the animals used in the zoo's educational outreach program, and those used in the Nature Trail Youth Program. The animals seen on the trail are damaged, such as birds of prey that were shot in the wild.

In some cases, the animals have been illegally owned. Once reported, the zoo confiscates them. At least 40 percent of the animals on the trail were former pets that were donated to the zoo.

Volunteers in the program are aged 12 - 15. Many of them are the owners of several pets and all have future aspirations of working with animals in some capacity - possibly as a zoologist, ecologist, zoo keeper or veterinarian. In order to be accepted into the program they must attend an orientation, fill out an application form, get a letter of recommendation, and attend a small group interview. They also must attend a two-day, eight-hour training session where they learn about safety, animal handling and the basics of public speaking.

After the initial training session, they begin volunteering two days a week during the summer months and are teamed up with a first-year volunteer. They are placed at three different stations.

Some of the personnel at the San Francisco Zoo were once volunteers in the program. One of the volunteers now working at the zoo explained that her experience as a volunteer helped her overcome her shyness and, most importantly, helped her clarify how she wanted to work with animals.

About 25 of the 150 or so volunteers who began on the Nature Trail now are employees at the zoo. Their jobs range from animal curator to zoo keeper to visitor services.

As they go through the program, volunteers have different levels they can reach. Once they have been in the Nature Trail program for two summers, they are eligible to apply for a promotion to the Junior Zoologist Program, where they work year-round, with a two-day commitment per month during the school year.

In the zoologist program they learn animal husbandry techniques and advanced interpretive skills. The junior zoologists assist with daily animal husbandry of the 102 animals living at ARC - cleaning enclosures, preparing diets, assisting with medical treatments and participating in animal training. Most students stay with the program through high school. The last tier in the volunteer ladder is internships, of which five are available.

The idea is that the overall program provides ongoing training to assist the volunteers in acquiring animal or education-related jobs in the future by providing hands-on experience. Starting at a young age helps the volunteers become zoo keepers, veterinarians, doctors, scientists, teachers and community leaders.

To find out more about the volunteer program, contact Jessie Bushell at (415) 753-8120 or e-mail jessieb@sfzoo.org.

The Nature Trail is open daily, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.