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0 The Zoological Society of London

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Int. Zoo Yb. (1992) 31: 99-103

Zoo education: into the 1990s CHRISTINE HOPKINS The Roval Melbourne Zoolonical Gardens, Education Service, PO Box 74, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia

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Reflecting on my 16 years of zoo educa- tion I realize that what we were doing in 1975 was very different. Both the teaching programme and the curriculum were different. Time may have clouded the view but it seems that the pace was more leisurely too. There seemed to be time to pursue knowledge of animals and the zoo itself just for interest. There was much discussion and musing. While we enjoyed a good relationship with other zoo staff, by and large we got on with the task of teaching students and writing curriculum materials. Despite the contrast in practice, however, the underlying philosophies of 1975 and 1991 are not at odds, both being compatible with the Zoological Board of Victoria’s mission, ‘... to create positive attitudes towards wildlife and conserva- tion of the world’s natural living resources’ (see also Hamilton & Phelps, this volume).

Rather than undergoing revolutionary change the philosophy has evolved. The Board’s Education Service now sees itself as an environmental educator, rather than a natural history educator. This philo- sophy has been reflected in an increasing diversity of curriculum areas being addressed; Arts programmes, for example, include visual art, dance, litera- ture and music.

The urgency of many environmental problems means that we can no longer be satisfied if students leave our zoos with an improved understanding and a positive feeling about wildlife; we need to motivate them to act. This does not mean that we are inciting students to commit acts of civil disobedience but it does mean that we wish to encourage them to examine their community and their personal

behaviour and make some changes which will have positive environmental out- comes.

The aims that relate to curriculum content, attitudes and action are effec- tively achieved through face-to-face pro- grammes with students at the zoo. Student experiences are planned by the education staff in consultation with the class teacher. The use of live animals is central to all teaching programmes at Melbourne Zoo and Healesville Sanc- tuary. That live animals are excellent motivators and increase students’ enjoy- ment is without doubt. There is evidence that live animals are more effective in conveying positive attitudes than prepared specimens or audio-visual materials (Sherwood et al., 1989; Hotch- kiss, 1991). There are strongly differing views on the use of contact animals. Some believe that contact results in negative effects producing stress in the animals and a lack of respect for the animals in the observer. At the other end of the spectrum are those who promote contact or close approach in activities which approximate a circus rather than an educational experi- ence. The Zoological Board of Victoria’s Education Service believes that it has struck a balance. Animals are housed in naturalistic exhibits; a high standard of care is provided and evident. The educa- tion officers who handle the animals do so with knowledge and confidence. The message that the animals’ welfare has priority over the student’s wish to touch or approach is clear at all times. It must be emphasized that animals are well housed and maintained, and handled with care by teachers who have been trained. At Healesville Sanctuary these experiences

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are extended to the natural environment with 16 ha of forest which is visited by students as part of programmes as varied as forest biology and poetry.

The Education Service employs 14 teachers at Melbourne Zoo (one of whom is placed at Werribee Zoo on a part-time or full-time basis, according to need) and four at Healesville Sanctuary. Today, as in 1975, the Service prides itself on providing programmes that respond to teacher requests. Increasingly, however, the Service has become pro-active and being aware of curriculum trends offers a range of programmes and services. We have come a long way from predictable sessions involving audio-visual material (often better shown at school), some live animals displayed out of context and a series of look-a-like worksheets. Some of the programmes now on offer are:

Bush Poetry: a truly Australian experience This is typical of the special programmes that are offered at both Melbourne and Healesville on a regular basis. It is aimed not only at encouraging an appreciation of poetry but also, more importantly, at exploring attitudes to the environment and assisting students to clarify their own. Contact animals are used to elicit feelings as well as observations. The students’ descriptions are then compared with those of early explorers to whom these animals were alien. Invariably the students respond more positively to a Stumpy- tailed lizard than did the 17th century explorer William Dampier! Verse relating to the native flora and fauna is examined at Sanctuary exhibits and through the bush (short extracts at relevant sites). Students then ‘happen upon’ a man by a campfire (an actor) who invites them to sit down and listen to some poetry. Typically students are spellbound by the poetry and enjoy the discussion when the actor comes ‘out of character’; all of this from students in the often less than committed middle secondary years. Teachers are provided with extensive notes and discussion ideas relating to the poetry used.

Prep Orientation Program Large numbers of classes are served through this pro- gramme. While children on their first zoo excursion are welcomed by a zany short- sighted zoo keeper and her large pelican friend ‘Pop’, teachers and helpers are briefed on the contents and use of activity bags to use with the class around the Zoo.

Boobook Owl Literature Packages Picture- story books, special props and activities turn the Zoo into a literature resource. The packages, which can be used in association with teaching sessions or independently, were launched during Children’s Book Week as part of a pro- gramme which included a puppet theatre, storyteller, illustrator and special litera- ture-based sessions.

Student Forum Year 11 and 12 students (16 and 17 year olds) attend the Zoo for two days. After receiving input on a variety of environmental issues in lectures and workshops presented by zoo staff and visiting experts, they develop responses which communicate environmental issues to others in their local communities.

Special Dance For the past nine years, an extended programme for disabled students has been run by Zoo teachers and professional dance educators. The Education Ministry’s Media Unit produced a video documenting the 19891 1990 season which is available to all schools. The programme encourages observation, assists in physical co-ordina- tion and most important builds the students’ confidence and self-esteem.

Arbor Week The Arbor Week pro- gramme at Healesville Sanctuary has expanded to become an opportunity for positive environmental action. Planting and maintenance is not only undertaken in the Sanctuary itself but also in adjacent areas, such as a local primary school, thus providing future wildlife habitat and improving the appearance of the area in general. A similar scheme introduced

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more recently at Melbourne Zoo is focused on planting koala browse in the grounds of schools near by.

VCE (Victorian CertiJicate of Educ- ation) The final two years of school are undergoing dramatic change. Tomor- row’s students will be required to under- take extensive research in the community, using their research skills and investi- gating first-hand data rather than relying on the traditional text book. Even during the pilot stages, the demand on the Education Service has been heavy and some creative responses have been developed. ‘Windows-on-the-Work-Place’ is one such programme. From 1991 all Year 11 students in Victoria have to study a place of work as part of Australian Studies. The Zoo has been a popular choice as a high-profile organization with an interesting range of professions and trades. A Hypercard (Apple Mac) computer program has been developed in co-operation with computer-education personnel to provide students with detailed background on the Zoo in general as welk .as job descriptions and interviews with c. 70 staff covering all Zoo roles. Schools may purchase the program for their own use or students can currently use the program on site (a useful evaluation tool).

The Arts Education staff, often indepen- dently and occasionally with the assist- ance of an artist-in-residence, have provided programmes in musical com- position, drama sculpture and other visual and performing arts for a wide range of students. This has been made possible by the adoption of a more adventurous staffing policy. Through the 1970s and 1980s staffing was divided between primary and post-primary teachers, with the latter being almost without exception science graduates, majoring in zoology, from the same university and with the same lecturers. We were all very able in ecology, ethology and evolution. We were good teachers too, but we did not have

the breadth of experience and expertise to offer a comprehensive environmental education. An early change was the employment of a teacher specializing in the needs of disabled students. Later came teachers with backgrounds in the arts, English as a second language, humanities and chemistry and mathematics.

To support quality face-to-face pro- grammes, a high priority is placed on curriculum development and materials production. Publications range from teacher and student materials that complement a specific zoo visit to broad background information and teaching ideas. While most materials are produced in-house, there have been some notable exceptions. The opening of the Gorilla Rainforest at Melbourne Zoo (see Embury, this volume) was accompanied by the publication of a series of books, Gorilla, Gorilla, Gorilla, containing information and activities suitable for families and various school levels. The Sanctuary Education Service also produced a book, Australian Wildlife Activity Book, for young children directed at both parents and teachers, providing an improved standard compared with many of the commercial publications available and carrying a strong environmental message.

OTHER SERVICES It would be unrealistic and egotistical to assume that exposure to a few hours of zoo education programmes would profoundly change attitudes or encourage action in large numbers of students. Professional development of teachers ensures that the greatest benefit can be derived from the experience. Most trainee teachers visit either the Sanctuary or Zoo during the course of their studies. Indivi- dual schools or departments can book a curriculum day with the Education Service where information is provided on the Service itself and other environmental education resources. Since the launch of the Education Ministry’s environmental Education Policy in 1990, many schools

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are looking for assistance in developing their local environmental education policy and programmes. Topic-centred pro- grammes are also offered to teachers.

A range of resources are available for loan: slides, posters, ‘Surprise Packs’ (collections of animal specimens, which may include eggs, antlers, mounted speci- mens, prepared skins and snake sloughs, together with photographs and teaching materials on a range of themes) and ‘Zoo Tales’ (thematic collection of children’s literature). A huge number of telephone and letter enquiries are received from students, teachers and the general public. Office staff and teachers answer these depending on the type of enquiry, some requiring quite extensive library searches.

STAFFING Readers outside Australia may be surprised by the emphasis on schools’ education. That is a fact of history; 15 of the 18 teachers currently employed in the Service have been provided by the Educa- tion Ministry and three by the Catholic Education Office. The employment of museum educators by the relevant state education authority is an unusual situa- tion on a world scale. However, it is common in Australia and particularly in Victoria. It presents both advantages and disadvantages. The Zoo Board Education team maintains strong links (and accoun- tabilities) with the education community and thereby has access to information and support that a zoo employee may not receive. In turn this assists the Education Service to be responsive to changes in curriculum policy and to be pro-active in the provision of programmes.

A drawback of this mode of employ- ment has been the reality that public education programmes could not be developed to the extent that has been possible for school programmes. While the Education Ministry would tolerate involvement which had some direct bene- fits to schools, for examde. exhibit design

not be justified if there was a substantial involvement in programmes aimed at the community, such as holiday programmes, at the expense of schools. The reality has been that the Education staff members have shown great commitment to their host institution and given their own time to enhance public education. Another drawback has been an on-going threat of staff cuts through the 1980s to the present day as Education funding has diminished.

The 1990s have brought home the reali- ties, often unpalatable to us idealists, of financial accountability and ‘user pays’. When funding was withdrawn for one teacher, the Zoo Board was able to main- tain the position only by introducing a service fee for Education Service pro- grammes. The loan service also now attracts a fee. However, there are some accompanying advantages. There is now freedom to play a more active role in public education. Over the years Educa- tion staff have played an increasing role in project teams relating to exhibit develop- ment and interpretation. The planning and development of ‘learning spaces’ (for schools and general visitors) that are inte- grated into the five bio-climatic zones where educators, keepers, horticulturists, voluntary guides and other facilitators can enhance visitor experiences is the major project of the 1990s and beyond. If successful these will increase the effective- ness and the profile of zoo education programmes.

The development of an integrated education programme at Werribee Zoolo- gical Park has begun. The economic times will dictate a leaner operation, presenting new challenges in programme develop- ment. The site, currently in its infancy, offers real opportunities for the provision of a highly integrated programme. Here, as in many projects, the zoo educator is well placed to provide more than expertise in learning theory, curriculum content and programmes. There is an opportunity to aci as an ‘audience advocate’, that is, helping to provide substantial overlap

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Board of Victoria and the collective ‘mission’ of our visitors.

Pessimists (and economic rationalists) would predict further losses of staff. It would be tragic to lose those teachers because they provide a critical mass that achieves much more than a high rate of service. However, to take full advantage of the potential we must do two things: we must find out much more about our audience, particularly the non-school visitors; we must evaluate our pro- grammes and services using more than visitor numbers or revenue as our yard- stick for both the public and the schools programme. We must look to meeting objectives that relate directly to our mission.

In 1991 we can articulate more clearly

our aims and objectives and we have a greater range of strategies for meeting these objectives. This does not mean that we are more clever, more efficient or more creative than the 1970 zoo educator; our achievements through the 1990s will continue to be based on a strong founda- tion of commitment, creativity and enthu- siasm. The 1990s ‘wheel’ is not a new one, just more refined than the 1970s model.

REFERENCES HOTCHKISS, N. A. (1991): The pros and cons of live animal contact. J . Mus. Educ. q2). SHERWOOD, K. P., JR, RALLIS, S. F. & STONE, J. (1989): Effects of live animals vs preserved specimens on student learning. Zoo Biol. 8: 99-104.

Manuscript submitted 3 December 1991

Int. Zoo Yb. (1992) 31: 103-108 0 The Zoological Society of London

Application of DNA profiling to the management of enda ng ered species GRAHAM HALL, DAVID GROTH & JOHN WETHERALL School of Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6001

It is well known that individual members of a species manifest numerous differences many of which are genetically determined. The extent of these differences reflects the degree of genetic diversity characteristic of that species or particular subpopula- tion of animals. In the final analysis all inherited differences will be accounted for in the detailed structure of the deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) which comprises the genetic endowment of the individual.

DNA PROFILES Over the past decade a new technique has become available which permits an objec-

tive assessment of genetic diversity within species. The biochemical analysis of DNA from hypervariable genetic loci character- ized by short repeating segments of DNA results in a distinctive pattern (Jeffreys et al., 1985a). This DNA profile consists of a series of DNA fragments of decreasing size which is usually visualized as bands on an autoradiograph (Plates 1 and 2). DNA profiles from individual animals may be compared and the extent to which they differ quantified by measuring the number of shared bands. Several para- meters related to genetic diversity of the group (such as, heterozygosity) may then be derived from this statistic. Further-