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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle- - Page Eight Wednesday, February 20. 1991 Leaping Lizards, nothing! Arlene Bias seen aviary strange mysteries of tortoise love at the zoo from page seven importance. "One of our most Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo . . . Spring will soon be upon us, and we, as parents andor babysitters, big sisters and brothers have to come up with a viable option to skiing for the little rug rats in our lives. What is the first place we turn to when the weather shows even the remotest sign of turning warm? Is it Lake Powell? Nah, too cold still. Is it sailing on the Great Salt Lake? Nah, see Lake Powell. It's the only place you can take a date, a brother, a Auntie Arlene Calkins and possible topics for the next family Tortoises. down and licked their hands with With a "knowing grin' on my face, I looked over at sister. my Carolyn had a his long, black tongue, they rode the home evening. On one of our forays to San Diego, my sister Chronicle and I took off perplexed for the zoo. I Feature Columnist expression. Her was neanng 17 eyebrows were and Carolyn was well on her way to knit together and there were 19. It was in the summer of 1966, wrinkles on her forehead. Suddenly, when the Vietnam conflict was in the light dawned and she said, "I get full swing. There were sailors it! They're playing leap-frog- !" With that, two of the naval everywhere. elephant all around the little elephant trail, and they got to see their mother sprayed by a jealous female tiger. We went into the big cat area, paid 50 cents to get a molded, plastic replica of Leo the Lion, and gathered close to the railing to see the new tiger cubs. They were the cutest cats we had ever seen. Pretty soon, the mother came up to the railing, took one look at me, then turned, lifted her tail and Slice O' Life sister or any non-descri- pt kid for a good time without spending a the zoo! fortune We rarely went to the zoo when I was a kid because it was clear on the other side of Los Angeles from where we lived. Besides, we weren't always too sure Dad ("If you kids don't settle down, I'm gonna take you to the zoo and leave you in the wouldn't cage.") us leave in the conveniently monkey From the time we entered the until the unfortunate incident at the giant tortoise pen, we were surrounded by our men in blue. It was a teen-age- d girl's idea of entourage following us bent with gates laughter and fell into the pen. I was heaven. Then we came to the pen. Now, I guess here we should reiterate that animals in a natural setting have no inherent need for privacy when procreating. Such was the case as we approached the Giant there on, I vowed never to return to the San Diego Zoo again and never go to any zoo with my sister as long as I lived. When I was pregnant with my last child, my husband and I took our two daughters to Hogle Zoo. The girls had a ball. The giraffe bent humiliated beyond belief. From sprayed. I missed being a tiger toilet by that much. Now that I think about it, going to the zoo with small children might not be such a good idea, unless you're prepared to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions. do believe it, I do believe it's true. ...I "At the Zoo," Simon and Garfunkel serious goals is to engage in active breeding of wildlife, particularly those that are rare and endangered. We produce far more birds each year than we acquire we're a net exporter of birds." Some of the birds that the aviary raises are being used for "One of repopulation programs. these is with the Thick-billed parrot. They are being released in southern Arizona. We've also provided Golden eagle babies for repopulation in Kansas as well as Hawaiian geese for release on the island of Hawaii." "We work very hard with rare and endangered species as well as engaging in reasearch for breeding techniques. Last year we had three different species of birds that were bred for the first time in captivity." Stackhouse said that the aviary tries in particular to raise avian wildlife for regions that are in particular need of conservation. He gave Madagascar as an example. "We're really proud of what we have been doing here. Our breeding record, our survival record and our attitude of how we care for birds is better than most other zoological facilities," Stackhouse said. Another major goal of the Tracy Aviary is to educate people about the natural world. "We're entering our fifth year of education. We now have one of the largest nature monkey cage like he threatened to. Sometimes, if we spilled our milk at the table or goofed off during meals, he would threaten to build us a trough and put us on exhibit at l, Griffith Park. not a bad I idea now, when go up to my education programs in the state. (All-in-al- We saw last year over 100,000 teenage daughter's bedroom and people in education programs of all kinds." "We take birds out to classrooms to help children and other people become more familiar with birds and become conservation oriented. We feel that we have had a big impact in helping people become more aware of the wildlife survey the sty she lives in.) All of these childhood threats took place before we ever set foot inside a zoo, so when we went down to San Diego to visit Uncle Don in the Navy, needless to say, my sister and I were alarmed when we were taken to the San Diego Zoo. As I remember it, the San Diego Zoo was probably my favorite zoo. There was a certain jungle kind of feel and smell to it, what with all the palm and eucalyptus trees hanging around. It afforded great places to hide and jump out at unsuspecting relatives (A word to the wise: never jump out at your grandmother. They don't go for it. Their face turns white, the false teeth chatter, and the wig flips.) Zoos are breeding grounds for the prurient interests of young children. They are a hot bed of information situation here Stackhouse said. in Utah," There are classes offered for every age level. Past classes have included "Our Feathered Friends" for five- - to six-yeolds, "Birds of the Tropics" for seven- - to eight-yea- r ar olds up through "Field Ornithology" for adults. The Tracy Aviary also offers volunteering courses for those interested in working with birds. This is augmented by a docent program. Stackhouse said that being a docent would be advantageous for anyone who is a considering uonsexve, j&euse, and Recycle. At Kinko's we share your concern for our environment. That's why we're dedicated to recycling and conservation. In addition to stocking recycled paper, we encourage customers to take simple steps like making 2 sided copies... cutting down on paper use and helping to preserve our world's precious resources. Please Lr Join us in our efforts. 596-503- A 583-348- 200 0 UNIVERSITY Oakland San Jose Orange County San Diego $89 from $89 from each way each way 89 each fr0m$89 way each way from$89' each way mm M fc MORRIS AIR SERVICE tatoffs the copy center 4. IS YOUR CALIFORNIA CONNECTION VOgjT Open 24 hours in mwn ABBS Los Angeles -- career conservation or zoological studies. The Tracy Aviary is located at 589 E. 1300 South. For more information about the aviaries docent program, call 483-646- 4 260 East Morris Ave. Salt Lake City, Utah 84115 All flights via Continental Airlines or Sierra Pacific Airlines and are subject to the terms of the Operator Participant Contract. - |
