Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) behavioral responses to a visual signal preceding handling
Zoos use ambassador animals in educational programs featuring close contact with humans. Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) at the Saint Louis Zoo are retrieved for programs by a keeper wearing brown handling gloves, but green cleaning gloves are worn during normal husbandry when physical contact with the animal is only incidental. The chinchillas’ primary keeper anecdotally reported […]
Effects of live animals vs. preserved specimens on student learning
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430080112.abs Fourth-grade students (292 in all) were tested to determine if handling live animals influences cognitive and affective learning to a greater extent than handling preserved specimens. Live and dried exoskeletons of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) and sea stars (Asterias forbesi) were used as contact animals. All students were 1) pre- and posttested; 2) […]