The El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens has started publishing its keeper presentations as written pieces, so people who cannot get to the zoo, or who never knew the talks were happening, can read them. The first installment is about the zoo’s California sea lions, Delilah and Dichali.
A good idea, plainly explained
The series is written by Rick LoBello, and his reasoning for starting it is worth quoting because it is the whole argument for animal presentations in one line: “The more people learn about wildlife, the more they care. And when people care, they are much more likely to become involved in conservation.”
His observation is that some of the best material at the zoo is delivered live, every weekend, by keepers and education staff at the exhibits, and that most visitors never hear it. Some people cannot make the trip. Others walk right past because they do not know the program exists.
What happens at the sea lion exhibit
LoBello opens his sea lion presentation by asking the audience a question before he starts: if he could tell them one thing they could do to help protect the oceans, what would they guess it is?
That is a small piece of craft worth noticing. Starting with a question rather than a fact turns a crowd standing at a railing into a group that is now waiting for an answer, and the difference between those two states is most of what determines whether anybody remembers the talk an hour later.
Keeper-led programming is having a moment as a thing zoos talk about publicly rather than just run; SeaWorld Orlando built an entire fall season around scheduled live experiences this year.
Why this is worth a visit
Daily animal presentations are the most underrated thing on a zoo map. They are free with admission, they are led by the people who actually work with the animals, and they are where a visitor is most likely to get a question answered properly rather than reading it off a sign.
El Paso runs its presentations at the exhibits every weekend. If you are going, look up the schedule at the gate and plan around one. If you cannot go, the zoo is now putting them in writing.
Quick answers
- What is the El Paso Zoo publishing?
Its keeper presentations, written up as pieces people can read, so visitors who cannot get to the zoo or who never knew the talks were happening can still get the material. The first installment is about the zoo's California sea lions, Delilah and Dichali.
- Who writes the series and why?
Rick LoBello. His reasoning: the more people learn about wildlife, the more they care, and when people care they are much more likely to become involved in conservation. His observation is that some of the best material at the zoo is delivered live at the exhibits every weekend and most visitors never hear it.
