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Show I Wednesday, February 20. 1991 The Daily Utah Chronicle- - Page Seven Potipcdueirii Feature spoirts Aviairy Gregory Thilmont Chronicle Feature Writer By It has been said that some have been permanently affected by Hitchcock's "The Birds." Well, never fear birds are fine, feathered friends. The perfect place to get acquainted with some flocks is the Tracy Aviary. Occupying the southwest corner of Liberty Park, the Tracy Aviary brings a slice of the world's avian wildlife into the heart of metropolitan area. a fpnemidls fibwl-feaftlheir- ed An aviary is a collection of birds. The Tracy has brought together exotic species and indigenous North American species. It has an illustrious the Tracy is the oldest aviary in the U.S. There is only one other public aviary in the history country. The Tracy Aviary was founded on April 14, 1938. Prominent banker Russell Lord Tracy had accumulated a collection of nearly 200 birds. These were the basis for what is now the aviary. The birds were given to Salt Lake in order to educate the populace, especially children. "I am confident that the aviaries and all pertaining there to, including the beautiful setting and grounds, will contribute greatly to the joy, happiness, education and cultural development of the boys and girls of Salt Lake City to whom these aviaries and their contents are presented," Tracy wrote in 1938. The aviary staff has long espoused a belief in ecological awareness and preservation. According to Mark Stackhouse director of education and public relations, Calvin Wilson, who was curator for 37 years, "was really ahead of his time concerning the preservation and breeding of rare and endangered wildlife. People at that time were only coming around to the fact that we need to be producers of wildlife, not consumers of wildlife." The species contained in the are aviary diverse and interesting. One can walk from a city park to encounters with exotic life within at the aviary are very endangered. Elliot's Pheasant, found in Vietnam, suffered great damage to its numbers due to environmental damage from the Vietnam War. There are less than 100 Cabot's in those captivity, of the Tracy Trapogans aviary numbering among them. There are also species aviary. Among these are a nesting pair of a few footsteps. the Among most colorful of birds are the collection . (, 'V f in: V? km w Bald Asiatic Pheasants. they seem quite content in their open air rookery. There is the Golden Pheasant. from MM Originally Western China, it struts around its cage, proud of its red-feather- belly and golden and black-stripe- d crown. Also of upland are the and d with i CHRONICLE PHOTOJudd R. Hillman University of Utah Recreations and Leisure major Tiffany Wood looks in on ab emu, just one of the many exotic (and sometimes even pretty) birds that can be admired at the Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park. lAALI ui white-in-blac- k circles. White North. A large cage contains The V 1 d Pheasant, a rather noisy bird, is brilliant white with a regal black tail. Stackhouse said that these birds from China are well suited to life in Utah; the climates of the two regions are similar. Some of the Asiatic birds found 1 1 d e e r I A myA Uf f. ostriches, Andean condors, Bruce the Emu in his run and perhaps an errant Peacock or two (they roam free and are the loudest birds in the aviary). In terms of producing wildlife, the aviary is of worldwide see "aviary" on page eight For those interested in animals or working in some field, the docents program is an excellent opportunity. Not only do volunteers get a broad education in the care and feeding of many animal-relate- Chronicle Feature Writer If a child's fondest memory of Hogle Zoo is the petting zoo, the pen where many fuzzy animals were kept within easy access of kids and adults, then it may be disappointing to find out that the petting zoo has been removed from the larger zoo complex. Replacing it is Discovery Land, another hands-o- n area like the petting zoo was, only dedicated more to educating people about the animals that are there and others that are not in the zoo but may be endangered in the wild. Due to manpower shortages, the zoo could not run its educational programs, such as Discovery Land, without the help of volunteers, called "docents." "The docents provide most of the manpower for our educational programs," Rich Hendron, curator of education for the zoo, said. "The term docent refers to volunteer teachers in an educational capacity." Docents go through a training period in which they "They're not pets, they are wild animals and shouldn't be treated as pets," Walters said. "The more I can teach people about the animals and their habitat, learn about the animals; their habitat, diet, environment etc., before being allowed to act as teachers in the program and to work in Discovery Land. What makes Discovery Land program more beneficial and educational than the petting zoo is that docents hold the animals as people come through. People are allowed to pet the animal and learn about it. Also, the animals in Discovery Land are more exotic fare than the goats and donkeys in the old petting zoo. Ferrets, lizards, parrots, opossums and miniature horses as well as snakes are part of the Discovery Land exhibit. As a further educational tool, the animals are presented in a duplication of their natural habitat, such as nocturnals in a cave or turtles in a pond people can view from below to see how the animal actually acts in its environment. "There are more activities up here than just things to look at," Hendron said in reference to the duplication of the animals many different environments. The Discovery Land docents program is an extension of another school docents program started by the Junior League in the 1970s. The school docents program goes around to different d animals, but the hands-o- n experience is invaluable. "There are a lot of opportunities to work in other areas of the zoo after you get there," Robyn Walters, a junior in psychology at the University of Utah said. Walters had the opportunity to work at the zoo nursery in the care and feeding of two new lion cubs after she started as a docent. Many workers in the docents program have joined it because they want to teach people about animals that are in trouble on this planet. jjjj CHRONICLE PHOTOEarl Cline U. student Jeannie Budsinas works in the Discovery Center at Hogle Zoo. She is shown here with a skunk kids and adults alike can visit there. schools, primarily in the Wasatch region but and occasionally in outlying areas, teaches students about the animals while giving them an opportunity to also see and touch the different animals. Schools schedule visits by docents in the fall and a number of appointments are usually made. "We usually do 500 to 600 programs per year," Hendron said, adding that the traveling docents visit other areas such as malls and nursing homes as well as schools. , aviary would encounter are Zoo docents teach at Discovery Center, in class By Dave Macfarlane a Common teal, Mourning dove and the Black headed stilt. Other birds a visitor at the rust color that is White-eare- from the Great K i Pheasant. The Trapogan has a striking deep dotted There is also a pair of Snowy Owls, straight collection of North American species like the Woody duck, Temminck's Trapogon White-eare- Eagles. Unable to fly due to injuries, of China North many American in the the more they may want to get involved with helping save the animals and their habitat, such as the rain forests." Indeed caring for the animals and all wildlife is what brings docents together in a group. "It's a very good hands-o- n experience," U. junior Tina lot about talk a "We Roe, said endangered species." The docents program requires a less than huge commitment in terms of time. Following a month of Saturday classes to educate prospective docents about the animals, Discovery Land docents are required to give a minimum of one morning or afternoon every other week. School docents are required to give 100 hours per year minimum. With a minimum age of 17 for Discovery and 18 for school docents, the zoo program is open to virtually all U. students, and there is no limit to how many can participate. "We'll take as many people as pass the classes," Hendron said. "There is always plenty of room for more docents, we don't limit that at all." Though it is not limited, there is a conspicuous lack of U. students involved. "I would like to see more students at the zoo," Walters said, and "more people my own age get involved." Those interested in the docents program should contact the Hogle Zoo Education Office at 583-240- 0. |
