A bush baby jumps onto Jack Hanna as he records a TV segment with the help of animal programs specialist Katie Stevens and CBS video crew members Jimmy Kimmons, left, and Justin Hall beside the Africa exhibit at the the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium on May 29, 2018. [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

Columbus Zoo's animal ambassadors bring need for conservation efforts to life

The African wild cat leapt 10 feet in the air and effortlessly snatched its prey.

In the wild, it could have caught a bird in tall savanna grasses.

But at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's Wild Africa stage, the serval seized a feathered toy on the end of a stick. The feat wasn't any less impressive, though.

The audience gasped. And within minutes, a standing-room-only crowd gathered on the humid July afternoon to watch an educational demonstration involving a variety of zoo critters.

When the show ended, guests had an opportunity to meet some of the animals, including Nico, a blue-throated macaw taking cash donations in his beak for a tortoise conservation program.

Five-year-old Corbin Kneisley, of Washington Court House, didn't leave the stage's edge until zoo employees carted away the last animal, a snake he petted without flinching. His grandmother grinned in disbelief.

"He doesn't even like snakes," said Tonya Pollock, 48.

While guests watched the animals, Suzi Rapp, the zoo's vice president of animal programs, watched the people and smiled.

Since its creation 30 years ago, the animal programs department has come a long way from being just one of Jack Hanna's pioneering visions as the new zoo director. It's now an operation with 25 year-round employees and 188 animals representing 83 species. They travel to Hanna's TV programs and public presentations, but also participate in educational demonstrations at the zoo, including the Wild Africa show, new this year.

In the 1980s, it was just Rapp lugging wildlife behind the scenes, apologizing to hotel staff if an ornery cheetah clawed expensive upholstery or a penguin wandered into a hallway. With 34 years at the zoo, she's second only to Hanna in years of experience.

"It started as a one-person show, and that one person was me," Rapp joked.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium programs director Suzi Rapp sits with a trio of baby cheetahs on July 9, 2018. [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

The ambassador animals are different than the animals in zoo exhibits.

They're used, in interactive ways, to teach audiences about animals in their wild habitats — typically far-off places that most people will never visit, Rapp said.

Intimately connecting people to wildlife will inspire them to care and, Hanna hopes, to do their part to help conserve endangered species and habitats, he said.

He summarizes it with the credo "touch the heart to teach the mind."

"You have to love something to save something, it's just how life is," he said.

(Left) Katie Weyandt of Columbus holds her daughter Layla Weyandt, 5, as they react to a serval cat leaping in the air during the Wild Africa show at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. (Right) Reflected in zoo signage, kids watch the Wild Africa show at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

Taking it on the road

Jack Hanna talks about animals and shows videos from his global adventures at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. during the "Jack Hanna Into the Wild" show that also included several animals from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium on April 28, 2018. [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

Today, ambassador animal programs are common in zoos.

Members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums advisory group have even crafted guidelines on which animals to use, how to effectively convey conservation messages and how to keep presenters and animals safe. The nonprofit group includes more than 230 accredited members in the United States, including the Columbus Zoo.

Studies by association members, as well as research happening at Ohio State University, suggests ambassador animal programs have many benefits, including increasing the amount of time people are engaged with an animal presentation, how much information is retained from those sessions and how likely someone is to change their behavior to help wildlife conservation.

Back when Hanna and Rapp started the animal program in Columbus, it was mostly uncharted territory. There were no studies or guidelines. Using live animals in presentations was controversial to some, who claimed the uncommon practice was unsafe and exploited the creatures.

When Hanna became director in 1978, the mediocre Columbus Zoo was failing to attract crowds. So he took the animals to the people.

Decades later, the zoo is one of the most well-attended in the country, according to self-reported data from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. But its outreach with ambassador animals continues for those who, for a variety of reasons, can't make it to the front gate.

"Everybody thinks 'everybody goes to the zoo,' but so many people have never even seen one," Hanna said.

He is the first to admit that seeing an endangered cheetah in real life, including the ones he brings to his live presentations, is an entirely different experience than seeing one on his TV programs.

"Here I am, clobbering my own show, but I don't care, it's true," Hanna said. "When I go to theaters and show these animals, you should hear the comments I get, you should see the faces of the people in the audience: 'Wow!'"

By taking animals on the road, the Columbus Zoo now reaches young children in schools, older adults in senior living communities and everyone in between. Some animals even make an appearance in Washington D.C. every year at a Congressional reception on Capitol Hill with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a tradition that started in 2001, said Steve Olson, the association's senior vice president of governmental affairs.

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium animal handler Jen Dew sneaks up behind Jack Hanna with a sloth during the "Jack Hanna Into the Wild" show at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. on April 28, 2018. [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

The zoo workers who attend aim to educate legislators who make decisions that impact zoos, aquariums, wildlife and their native habitats, Olson said.

In 2009, for example, Hanna, Olson and others hoped ambassador animals could help them lobby for economic stimulus bill funds, which zoos and aquariums were denied.

Sadly, it didn't work, but the experience wasn't a total loss, Olson said.

"We got a call from the White House asking if we could bring the baby cheetah down to see the Obama girls," Olson said. "It was such a great opportunity for us. We were sitting in the East Room, surrounded by security, talking about cheetahs, conservation and everything else."

Rapp estimates her staff hosts about 3,000 events a year, including some private ones. The service isn't advertised, but their schedule is always filled through word of mouth.

Some encounters can be life-changing, she said.

Sean Greene, an animal programs employee at the Columbus Zoo in the early 1990s and now the chief operating officer of the Dallas Zoo, said he still thinks about one emotional encounter.

An 8-year-old boy in Washington Court House, about 40 miles southwest of Columbus, was an aspiring herpetologist but was terminally ill. Greene brought a 10-foot Burmese python to the boy's home. His family said it was the first time he had smiled in weeks.

That inspired Greene to help create similar animal programs in Dallas and at other zoos where he worked after leaving Columbus.

"Jack said, 'This is what we do, why we have these programs,'" Greene said. "Without Jack setting the example by having these kinds of outreach programs, we wouldn't be able to continue affecting people like that today."

More harm than good?

Though ambassador animal programs are more widespread today, that doesn't mean they — or Hanna — are without criticism.

Organizers for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for example, say Hanna's antics are harmful to animals and conservation efforts. Bringing animals on TV shows makes them more vulnerable to illness and injury, causes stress and exploits them, said Delcianna Winders, vice president and deputy general council for PETA, the nation's largest animal welfare group.

"There are misconceptions that, despite harming individual animals, this somehow helps conservation, but there's no evidence to show it," she said.

Others beg to differ.

Researchers at Ohio State's newly created Center for Human-Animal Interactions Research and Education say the results of their science-based studies on the topic are promising. The Columbus Zoo and The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center the zoo operates in Cumberland, about 70 miles southeast of Columbus, provided animals and some settings for the studies. Others took place at parks or Ohio State.

No matter the location, the presenter, or what educational tools were used, "a live animal still made the difference," said Kelly George, an Ohio State assistant professor of animal science.

"The zoo is quite courageous to go down this road, because our gut might anecdotally believe that's the case, but what's the data say?" she said.

So far, George said the data suggests ambassador animals influence behavior by helping people learn and retain more information about a species; encouraging them to post about the experience on social media; and increasing their willingness to donate to a cause that would help the animal.


IN THE SERIES:

Jack Hanna's antics on TV put Columbus Zoo in national spotlight


More harm than good?

Though ambassador animal programs are more widespread today, that doesn't mean they — or Hanna — are without criticism.

Organizers for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for example, say Hanna's antics are harmful to animals and conservation efforts. Bringing animals on TV shows makes them more vulnerable to illness and injury, causes stress and exploits them, said Delcianna Winders, vice president and deputy general council for PETA, the nation's largest animal welfare group.

"There are misconceptions that, despite harming individual animals, this somehow helps conservation, but there's no evidence to show it," she said.

Others beg to differ.

Researchers at Ohio State's newly created Center for Human-Animal Interactions Research and Education say the results of their science-based studies on the topic are promising. The Columbus Zoo and The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center the zoo operates in Cumberland, about 70 miles southeast of Columbus, provided animals and some settings for the studies. Others took place at parks or Ohio State.

No matter the location, the presenter, or what educational tools were used, "a live animal still made the difference," said Kelly George, an Ohio State assistant professor of animal science.

"The zoo is quite courageous to go down this road, because our gut might anecdotally believe that's the case, but what's the data say?" she said.

So far, George said the data suggests ambassador animals influence behavior by helping people learn and retain more information about a species; encouraging them to post about the experience on social media; and increasing their willingness to donate to a cause that would help the animal.


IN THE SERIES:

John Switzer: Reporting on Jack Hanna was never boring


 

Expanding its reach

Hanna credits Rapp for making the program what it is today.

"She was the first one who believed in this," Hanna said.

Now she's sharing her experience with others across the country, by advising other zoos looking to start or expand programs. It's certainly different than the early days, Hanna joked.

"First, we got criticized for it," he said. "Now, we all work together."

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium programs director Suzi Rapp walks through the zoo greeting visitors cooling themselves off in a misting station on July 9, 2018. [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

The Columbus Zoo is also growing its own program. In 2020, it will debut an expansion called Adventure Cove, featuring a seals and sea lion exhibit and a new Animal Encounters Village for its ambassador animals. Previously the village was housed in a double-wide trailer at Jungle Jack's Landing, an amusement park at the zoo. The experience was so popular it'll now have a permanent home, Rapp said.

Though a lack of resources can sometimes be an obstacle to creating ambassador animal programs, most zoos operate one, regardless of their size, because officials now recognize their importance to a conservation mission, said Jacque Williamson, a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' advisory group for ambassador animals.

Even the Brandywine Zoo has one, said Williamson, its curator of education. The small zoo in Delaware is just 5 acres, compared to the 588-acre Columbus Zoo.

As zoos grow and plan for their futures, providing guests with face-to-face interactions and lasting memories will be pivotal, Williamson said. While ambassador animals might not inspire everyone to become a zookeeper, they might encourage people to make more environmentally responsible decisions, such as using less plastic, composting or planting trees.

Jen Dew places a bush baby on the head of Angela Armocida during the Wild Africa show at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium on July 9, 2018. [Adam Cairns / Dispatch]

"In this experience economy, people don't want to just see something, they want to do something, post pictures of it online and tell people about the amazing experience they had," Williamson said. "We need people from all walks of life to have those experiences."