Zoo
Design Unit
September 30, 2005
TECHNOLOGY LESSON (circle one) Yes No
Title of
lesson: Animal Behavior
Length
of lesson: Two fifty minute classes
Description
of the class:
Name
of course: Biology
Grade
level: 9th
Honors
or regular: Regular
Source of the lesson:
Me
TEKS
addressed:
¤112.43. Biology.
(c) Knowledge and
skills.
(3) Scientific
processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to
make informed decisions. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze, review,
and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to
their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information;
(D) describe
the connection between biology and future careers;
I. Overview
Students will be exposed to several current events in zoos around the world that have become subject to criticism from several sources. The students will then be asked to study these incidents in depth and will be assigned a side of the argument (zoo vs. critic). Then, the students will participate in a debate to argue for or against the zoos in their handling of these situations.
II. Performance or learner outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Recognize issues that zoos must take into account when designing habitats
- Predict new situations that might arise in a zoo habitat
- Effectively outline a strategy to deal with these issues
III. Resources, materials and supplies needed
Each group will need access to the Internet. Art supplies such as poster board, markers, and index cards hould be made available to those students who wish to employ them. Also, the URLs for the articles needed for this lesson are as follows:
á
Escaped gorilla: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4558461/
and
http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2001/2001_pittsburgh_gorilla_escape.html
á Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Zoo: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0830-new_orleans_aquarium.html
á
Smoking Chimpanzees: http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=animals_oddities&id=3506279
and
IV. Supplementary
materials, handouts. (Also
address any safety issues
Concerning
equipment used)
Each group will need
a copy of the handout at the end of this lesson.
V. Safety Considerations. (may be N/A)
Five-E Organization
Teacher Does Probing Questions Student Does
|
Engage: Bring to class several copies of three news articles:
Briefly describe the events to students and explain that zoos go through these types of issues all the time. They draw lots of attention from critics, visitors, and animal protection agencies. The zoo must be prepared for all sorts of instances like these in order to keep their animals and visitors safe. |
What kinds of issues do zoos face? Are zoos regulated at all? By whom? Are there other current events that are pertinent to zoos? |
Animal protection and safety, the protection of guests,
maintenance of the zoos, etc. Yes, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA)
oversees and certifies many of the zoos in the United States. There are also several animal
protection organizations that routinely visit zoos. Students may not have anything to share. However, there are many everyday
things that are related to zoos.
For example, rising gas prices lead to higher heating and
transportation costs, both of which zoos rely upon. Also, any natural disaster is extremely pertinent to zoos. ***It is important to illustrate that zoos are not
simply playgrounds for animals.
There are several issues that need to be addressed when designing a
habitat that many students do not consider. |
|
Explore: Break students into a total of six groups. Each group will be given one of the news articles and will
be a part of either the zoo staff or the critics from one of the aforementioned
agencies. Explain that the zoo
staff will be part of a panel gathered to address major issues in the zoo
industry, most especially those in the articles above. The critics will be asking questions
and presenting their own views to the panel. Encourage the group to not only include the resources you
have provided, but also to seek out other articles, research, or news stories
that support their organization.
The use of graphs or pictorial representations of information should
be encouraged as well. Allow the
students to have the majority of the class time to prepare for the
panel. Each group needs to be
given a worksheet to complete as well.
|
How do the issues in thse articles affect the animals? How might a zoo deal with these situations? Are there ways to prevent these situations from
arising? How? |
Each of thses issues has a profound effect on all
animals involved. Each situation is very different. Ask each group to come up with
several different strategies to deal with each issue. Save the natural disasters, yes. The zoo needs to be able to predict these kinds of situations so that they are able to prepare for and prevent them, if possible. |
|
Explain: Arrange the classroom into a circle with the zoo staff on one side and the critics on the other (name tags might be a good idea so that each student can be identified according to their area of expertise). Try to make the panel as realistic as possible. Ask the critics from one of the articles to begin by addressing the problem and then ask for a response from the zoo staff. Be sure that every single person in the class is given an opportunity to speak, even if you have to call on people. Bring questions for both sides related to the articles, as well as questions from other situations that have arisen in zoos to fuel discussion. Ask the students to form opinions on how effectively a zoo is able to protect their animals. |
What went right in this situation? What went wrong? Did the zoos do everything in their power to prevent the
situation from arising? What
could they have done better? |
Give students a chance to discuss these questions and others. You might have to be a mediator between the two sides to ensure that he students are not getting hot tempered. |
|
Extend / Elaborate: Since the students are each designing a habitat of their own, ask them to explore the implications of each of these instances on their habitats. Also, encourage students to consider other issues that might arise concerning the protection of animals and visitors and how a zoo might effectively handle the situations. |
If this were your
zoo with your animals, what
might you do? What other issues might a zoo face?
|
Ask students to consider this question for a bit. This could even be introduced as a
topic for discussion in the panel. Zoo workers getting injured, endangered species dying,
animals threatening each other, poor facilities, etc. There should be more of an emphasis on making their habitats strong and solid. Also, there should be an appropriate distance between visitors and the animals. |
|
Evaluate: Ask each person to turn in a work sheet. Also, make sure that everyone
thoughtfully participates in the panel, contributing to the discussion. The teacher could perhaps provide a
visual indicator of this. For
example, once a student has spoken, he or she can be given an index card to
display on the desk in front of them. |
What can be learned from these instances? How does this affect your zoo? |
The students should thoughtfully prepare the worksheet. Be careful of plagiarism within groups. |
Name:__________________________________
Date:_________________________
What went wrong?
The zoos we have been looking at have encountered some pretty serious situations: from escaping gorillas to smoking chimpanzees to category five storms. Complete this sheet based on your position on the panel and explain how what you have learned will affect your own zoo.
What was the issue?
What was your position? (circle one) Zoo Staff Critic
What did the zoo do right in this situation? Why?
What did the zoo do wrong? Why?
How could the zoo have been better prepared?
Does this affect the design of your habitats? How? Why?
Gorillas:
Pittsburgh zoo denizen makes a break for a taste of
freedom and junk food
Monday, February 05, 2001
By Linda Wilson Fuoco and Don Hopey, Post-Gazette Staff Writers
The 150-pound gorilla went where no gorilla had gone before, crossing a
wide moat and scaling a 14-foot wall to taste nearly an hour of freedom -- as
well as muffins, cherry Danish and soda pop scavenged from trash cans.
About 250 Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium visitors were held captive in
buildings from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. yesterday while the 10-year-old female
gorilla visited the Plaza, which is a large outdoor concession area near the
gorilla exhibit.
No visitors or staff members were threatened or injured during the
gorilla escape, which was briefly a zoological mystery.
"We have no idea how she got out," said Barbara Baker, the zoo
president and CEO, during an afternoon press conference yesterday.
Further investigation by animal keepers revealed that a bamboo stalk had
fallen into the waterless moat that surrounds the gorillas' outdoor exhibit,
Jen Roupe, manager of media and public relations, said she as told later by
general curator Lee Nesler. Apparently the female used the bamboo to climb out,
though none of the other nine gorillas followed her.
No gorillas have ever gotten out of the outdoor exhibit, part of the
Tropical Forest Complex that opened in 1991. Though the moat is inspected daily
in the summer, that is not routinely done in winter because the gorillas stay
indoors on the coldest days. After temperatures climbed into the 40s yesterday
and the decision was made to let them out, the bamboo was not noticed, Roupe
said.
The bamboo will be trimmed back, Roupe said.
When a zoo visitor spotted the gorilla on the wrong side of the monkey
house, zookeepers quickly went to her side.
"She was hand-raised. She is only 31/2 feet high. This is not an
animal we consider to be dangerous to human life," Baker said. "The
keepers stayed with her to keep her calm. At times they were walking her,
holding her hand and feeding her fruit."
They almost walked the gorilla back to her habitat, but she returned to
forage in the concession area.
"She was going through the trash cans, removing food and drinking
from cups that had not been emptied. She seemed to especially like the Orange
Slice" soda, Baker said.
Keepers finally lured her into the women's restroom, where they injected
her with a tranquilizer.
The other gorillas "seemed concerned that she had left the
exhibit," Baker said. "Her baby was crying and calling out to her,
but she continued eating."
The gorilla was in good shape last night, though she may experience some
nausea as a result of the anesthesia and the junk food, which was a drastic
change from her diet of fruit and monkey chow.
The incident was handled by the zoo's Animal Escape Team, which holds
"escaped animal drills" twice a year, Baker said. The plan includes
herding visitors into the closest available buildings and closing all doors and
gates on the 77-acre zoo complex.
The 30 people who were secured in the Pavilion restaurant got a
once-in-a-lifetime gorilla show. Others reported being safe but bored in
buildings including the aquarium, education complex and the
always-tropically-hot Tropical Forest exhibit.
Bob Geiger of Pitcairn had a close encounter of the hairy kind.
He shot a photo of the escaped gorilla when he left the Tropical Forest
exhibit in search of a men's room at about 2:45 p.m.
"I just went outside to go to a bathroom and the gorilla was just
standing there about four feet away," said Geiger, talking on a cell phone
from inside the building during the lock-down. "I stood there and took a
picture and the gorilla just walked away. I wasn't fearful, but it wasn't where
it was supposed to be over on the other side of the moat. It was on the people
side of the moat."
Geiger and his wife, Gretchen, and their children, Amber, 6, and Cody,
3, were among the 30 people locked in the monkey house.
No visitors were allowed to enter the zoo during the lock-down.
"They don't think it's dangerous, but they're not letting us
out," said Geiger's wife, Gretchen.
"Everyone's just anxious to get out; it's warm in here," Bob
Geiger said during his time in captivity.
Sam Potter, 11, of Monroeville was locked in a zoo building while his
mother, Maggie, waited outside. Sam and other children were attending an Amazon
program when the gorilla escaped.
Parents had an anxious 30 minutes, but the zoo staff behaved in a very
professional manner, Maggie Potter said.
The gorilla was not
the first primate to go for a walk on the civilized side of the zoo's fences.
Alphie, a footloose Japanese macaque monkey, made his escape from the
Pittsburgh Zoo in 1987 and led his keepers on a chase that lasted for six
months before ending near Bridgeport, Ohio, 60 miles away from the zoo.
Gorilla's
escape,
violent rampage
stun zoo officials
3
people hospitalized after attack in Dallas
Updated: 1:58 p.m. ET March 19, 2004
DALLAS - Dallas Zoo officials said they canÕt
explain how a 300-pound gorilla escaped from his enclosure, injuring four
people before he was shot to death.
Police evacuated an estimated 300 people from the
zoo compound Thursday and killed Jabari, a 13-year-old male western lowland
gorilla, after he charged at officers.
Zoo workers armed with tranquilizer guns had pursued
the animal through the forested jungles of the Wilds of Africa exhibit for
about 40 minutes, but could not gain a clear shot, officials said.
ÒIt tried to charge two of our officers, so we had
to shoot it,Ó Deputy Police Chief Daniel Garcia said. ÒYou can imagine the
pandemonium we had out here when he got loose. We felt terrible we had to put
this animal down.Ó
'He has my son in his mouth'
The
injured included a mother and her toddler son. Rivers Noah, 3, was in fair
condition at ChildrenÕs Medical Center with multiple bites to his head and
chest. His mother, Keisha Heard, 26, who was bitten on the legs, and Cheryl
Reichert, who suffered arm injuries, were treated at hospitals and released.
ÒI was like, ÕThis is not happening, this is so
unreal,Õ cause he just came out of nowhere,Ó Heard said Friday on NBCÕs Today
show. ÒIÕm watching this gorilla. He has my son in his mouth, heÕs attacking
him, and I tried to help him and there wasnÕt really anything that I could do.
... He slings me back across the concrete area where we are. So it was really
scary.Ó
The fourth injured person, a child, was treated at
the scene.
Jabari was in the award-winning
gorilla-conservation area, two acres surrounded by a 16-foot concave wall,
before the attack around 5 p.m. Some youths had reportedly teased Jabari
shortly before.
ÒHe had to have scaled the wall,Ó said zoo director
Rich Buickerood. But Òthis habitat is among the best in the country. This blows
our minds.Ó
He said he did not know why zoo employees, who were
armed with pepper spray, did not use it on the gorilla.
Running for cover
Some
zoo-goers hid inside a restaurant and the monorail surrounding the Wilds of
Africa exhibit.
The gorilla darted in and out of thick bamboo and
trees before officers spotted him on a nature trail. He was holding a pair of
white childrenÕs sandals when he came within 15 feet of two officers who shot
him, police Lt. Anthony Williams said.
The 114-year-old zoo has been in financial straits
and the nonprofit Dallas Zoological Society recently proposed a county
takeover. Buickerood said last month that the zoo staff had been cut and
maintenance postponed because of the fund shortage.
In 1998, a zookeeper was injured by a 340-pound
gorilla after a cage door was left open. The zookeeper suffered more than 30
puncture wounds. That animal was captured with a tranquilizer dart.
Zoo officials said the Wilds of Africa section and
the Monorail Safari were closed Friday, but would reopen Saturday.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
Hurricane Katrina
New Orleans Zoo escape Hurricane
Katrina; Aquarium suffers heavy losses
Rhett Butler, mongabay.com
September 9, 2005
Surviving animals from the New Orleans aquarium will find new homes
according to aquarium spokeswoman Melissa Lee. Despite escaping Hurricane
Katrina with little physical damage, the Aquarium of the Americas in New
Orleans suffered significant loss of animal life when the facility's emergency
generator failed and made conditions unlivable for most its animals. The zoo
fared much better, losing only a pair of river otters, and suffering little
damage other than lost trees. Both facilities are looking to raise funds to
help with restoration and animal care.
The Aquarium loses almost all fish
According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), the
aquarium lost virtually all of its 10,000 fish. Electricity has since been
restored at the facility.
Friday, the aquarium staff worked to transport animals to the Audubon
Zoo in New Orleans and facilities in Monterey, California, and Dallas, Texas.
The animals were expected to arrive at their new homes late Friday evening.
The aquarium's colony of 19 penguins and a couple of California sea
otters will be taken to Monterey Bay Aquarium, while the rare leafy and weedy
seadragons from Australia will be taken to Dallas World Aquarium.
The aquarium's large white alligator, macaws, raptors, electric eel, and
eight large tarpons -- the only fish survivors -- will stay at the Audubon Zoo,
which survived the storm with little loss of animal life.
Five of the aquarium's rehab sea turtles were released into the Gulf of
Mexico earlier in the week with the assistance of the Louisiana National Guard.
Before Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, officials closed the
aquarium early. When the storm hit the aquarium lost power but relied on
generator for keeping critical equipment operational. The aquarium also had
plenty of food and freshwater, but within days of Katrina's passing the back up
power supply failed, killing the facility's life support systems. Thousands of
fish died due to lack of oxygen and irregular temperatures (higher temperature,
less oxygen is dissolved in water and more aeration is required). The staff did
its best to save as many animals as possible but the conditions of New Orleans
made the final result inevitable.
According to CNN, the aquarium staff had help from local police officers.
"We actually had New Orleans police officers and National Guardsmen
around and they were given a crash course in how to take care of some of the
animals," she said.
"Even when our staff had to be evacuated out for our own safety,
the police officers were able to stay back and get food to those animals and
keep a good number of them alive."
Located along the banks of the Mississippi River near the historic
French Quarter, the Aquarium of the Americas was considered one of the foremost
aquariums in the world. It had 10,000 fish representing more than 530 species
and featured four enormous exhibits -- Mississippi River gallery featuring
catfish, paddlefish and alligators; the Caribbean Reef exhibit featuring a
clear, 30-foot-long tunnel surrounded by aquatic creatures; the Amazon
Rainforest display featuring piranhas and tropical birds; and the Gulf of
Mexico exhibit featuring sharks, sea turtles and stingrays -- in addition to a
number of smaller displays.
The aquarium will not reopen for at least a year, according to a person
familiar with the situation. Although both facilities held up well during the
hurricane, they will be impacted by the severe population loss and damage to
the infrastructure in New Orleans. The near total loss of its collection is a
major set back to the aquarium.
New Orleans Zoo fares much better
The Audubon Nature Institute, which administers the Audubon Zoo, the
Aquarium of the Americas, the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered
Species, reports that animal facilities held up well during the hurricane. Loss
of animal life was limited to a pair of river otters at the zoo and a whooping
crane at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES).
During the storm, staff took refuge in the reptile house at the zoo,
which suffered little physical damage besides a number of fallen trees. The zoo
suffered no flood damage since it is built on the highest ground in the city;
"Monkey Hill" in the New Orleans zoo is the highest point in the
entire city. Dan Maloney, general curator at the Audubon Zoo, reports that the
zoo's staff is doing well and the biggest current concern is the psychological
impact of the low flying helicopters on zoo animals.
The zoo was quite well prepared for the hurricane. Local police and emergency
services workers actually used the zoo as a fueling station in the days
following the disaster.
In comments made to CNN, zoo spokeswoman Sarah Burnette said,
We have worked closely with Miami MetroZoo ever since Hurricane Andrew,
and we totally revised our hurricane plan after talking to them. We have a
protocol we go through whenever we know something's brewing."
In anticipation of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans zoo stockpiled
fuel, food and other supplies, Burnette said. When it hit last Monday, the
staff fled to the sturdy reptile building and raided the cafeteria for food.
Some staff remained at the zoo, she said.
"We did plan well, but I think we also were really fortunate to be
on the natural bank of the Mississippi River," Burnette told CNN.
Smoking Chimpanzees
Smoking Chimp Switches to
Dumplings
BEIJING-October 5,
2005 - A nicotine-addicted chimpanzee is kicking her
16-year-old habit using dumplings and pop music.
The chimp, Ai Ai, began scavenging
cigarette butts left by visitors at the Qinling Safari Park in the late 1980's
after her first mate, Jian Jian, died, the official China Daily newspaper said.
Zookeepers eventually began giving Ai
Ai cigarettes of her own and lighting them, the paper said. She was smoking
between eight and 10 cigarettes a day before zookeepers decided in August to
help her kick the habit.
The paper said Ai Ai tended to smoke
more when she was lonely or depressed, including after the death of one of her
two children in the mid-1990's and the death of her second mate, Da Hu, in
1997.
Chinese
meat dumplings, pop music and walks have been used to distract 26-year-old Ai
Ai from her cravings and to keep her from begging noisily for cigarettes.
(Copyright 2005 by the Associated
Press. All rights reserved.)
Zoo to make smoking chimp go cold
turkey
This story ran on nwitimes.com on
Monday, April 25, 2005 12:08 PM CDT
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) -- A South African
zoo wants a chimpanzee to quit smoking cold turkey.
Keepers say
Charlie the chimpanzee picked up the habit from visitors at the Bloemfontein
Zoo who sometimes toss him lit cigarettes.
"It looks funny to see a chimp smoking,"
a zoo spokesman said, but Charlie's trick could cost him his
health.
The zoo is asking people to stop tossing cigarettes and
contributing to the chimp's habit.
A zoo official says Charlie
"acts like a naughty schoolboy" and hides his cigarettes when workers
are around.