Commonwealth Zoological Corporation

ZOO NEW ENGLAND (ZNE) WILL DEVELOP CAPACITY FOR ZOOS TO USE GENETICS RESEARCH TO STUDY AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF ANIMAL POPULATIONS IN ZOO CARE. ZNE WILL BUILD UPON PREVIOUS WORK WITH ITS PARTNERS FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY, MIT, SPECIES360, AND THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOO AND AQUARIUMS’ COMMUNITY, WHICH DETERMINED THAT TO STUDY THE GENETIC CAUSES OF DISEASE, COORDINATED COLLECTION OF BIOSPECIMENS AND STANDARDIZED METADATA ARE NEEDED. THE PROJECT WILL BRING TOGETHER VETERINARIANS, PATHOLOGISTS, POPULATION MANAGERS, GENETICISTS, AND SOFTWARE EXPERTS TO DEVELOP HEALTH DATA STANDARDS, PROTOCOLS, AND TRAINING FOR UNIFORM BIOSPECIMEN COLLECTIONS. THE NEW TOOLS AND PROCESS WILL BE TRIALED AND EVALUATED FOR HEART DISEASE IN GORILLAS, A SPECIES FOR WHICH THERE HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIAL BIOSPECIMEN COLLECTION. LEARNINGS FROM THIS EFFORT WILL BE USED WHEN SCALING THE PROCESS TO BENEFIT THE HEALTH OF ALL ZOO ANIMAL POPULATIONS SUFFERINGFROM DISEASE.

ZOO NEW ENGLAND WILL ENHANCE VISITOR EXPERIENCE AT BOTH OF ITS LOCATIONS (FRANKLIN PARK ZOO AND STONE ZOO) BY MARKEDLY INCREASING INTERPERSONAL INTERPRETATION THROUGH ITS CONNECTOR PROGRAM, WHICH AIMS TO CONNECT ZOO STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WITH ZOO VISITORS IN AN ENGAGING, PARTICIPATORY MANNER. CONSERVATION-FOCUSED DISCOVERY STATIONS, INTERACTIVE INTERPRETIVE GRAPHICS AND SIGNAGE, INTERPRETIVE TRAINING FOR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS, AND ASSOCIATED TRAINING ON THE USE OF THE NEW STATIONS AND INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY WILL ALL CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING EDUCATIONAL CONTENT MORE WIDELY ACCESSIBLE AND BUILD MORE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STAFF AND VISITORS. AS A RESULT, VISITORS OF ALL AGES WILL HAVE A MORE INTERACTIVE AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE AND DEVELOP DEEPER UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS OF THE AFRICAN SAVANNA AND MONGOLIAN STEPPE.

ZOO NEW ENGLAND WILL FABRICATE AND INSTALL 25 CONSERVATION EDUCATION GRAPHICS AND FIVE INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE NEW AFRICAN EXPERIENCE EXHIBIT. IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL GRAPHICS, A “PENGUIN RESCUE STATION” WILL ENABLE GUESTS TO ROLE-PLAY SAVING PENGUINS FROM AN OIL SPILL IN A BOAT WITH AUDIO AND VISUAL COMPONENTS OF A RESCUE IN ACTION. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE FINALIZING THE DESIGN OF GRAPHICS AND INTERACTIVES, PRODUCING AND EVALUATING PROOFS AND MODELS, REVISING DESIGNS AS NEEDED, FABRICATING THE FINAL GRAPHICS, AND INSTALLING IN THE ZOO. THE RESULTING SIGNAGE AND INTERACTIVES WILL CREATE A NEW LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT FOR VISITORS, WHO WILL GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD, A DEEPER CONNECTION WITH THE SPECIES IN IT, AND A COMMITMENT TO TAKE SOME ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

ZOO NEW ENGLAND?S STONE ZOO WILL UPDATE ITS CONSERVATION EDUCATION GRAPHICS AND INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, SCHOOL GROUPS, AND OTHER VISITORS AT ITS TWO LOCATIONS. NEW GRAPHICS WILL INCLUDE MESSAGES THAT WILL FOSTER APPRECIATION FOR WILDLIFE AND ENCOURAGE CONSERVATION BEHAVIOR. THEY WILL UPDATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE ANIMALS TO REFLECT CURRENT REALITIES AND IMPLEMENT MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCES TO ENGAGE VISITORS OF ALL EDUCATION LEVELS, INTERESTS, AND ABILITIES. A CONSULTANT WHO SPECIALIZES IN BEHAVIOR CHANGE THEORY WILL ASSIST STAFF IN CONSIDERING ALL THE DRIVERS, MOTIVATIONS, BARRIERS, AND BENEFITS TO CHANGING BEHAVIOR IN RELATION TO CONSERVATION, ANIMAL WELFARE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

ZOO NEW ENGLAND (ZNE) WILL CREATE AN ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM TO BETTER CONNECT WITH AND SERVE RESIDENTS OF SUFFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, WHERE ONE OF ZNE'S CAMPUSES, FRANKLIN PARK ZOO, IS LOCATED. THE INITIATIVE WILL TARGET LOCAL FAMILIES AND SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN AND TEENS IN UNDERSERVED AREAS, INCLUDING DORCHESTER, ROXBURY, MATTAPAN, AND PARTS OF JAMAICA PLAIN. DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF THIS PROGRAM, ZNE PLANS TO IDENTIFY AT LEAST 150 STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS AS PARTNERS. IN SUBSEQUENT PHASES, ZNE EXPECTS THESE ORGANIZATIONS WILL BRING 5,000-9,000 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS INTO ZNE FOCUS GROUPS, COMMUNITY ASSET-MAPPING ACTIVITIES, AND PROGRAM SURVEYS. ZNE THEN WILL SOLICIT FEEDBACK FROM THESE RESIDENTS REGARDING ZNE PROGRAM STRATEGIES, PLANNING, AND SUCCESS INDICATORS. FINALLY, ZNE WILL BEGIN PILOT PROGRAMS, SHARING RESULTS AND GATHERING FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS. BY ENGAGING WITH ITS COMMUNITY, ZNE WILL BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO COMMUNITY NEEDS FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC QUICKLY, EFFECTIVELY, EFFICIENTLY, AND RESPONSIBLY.

IMPROVEMENTS TO ZOO NEW ENGLAND'S TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE WILL ENHANCE ANIMAL CARE AND MANAGEMENT AND INCREASE STAFF EFFICIENCY IN RECORDING DATA IN THE ZOOLOGICAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (ZIMS) GLOBAL DATABASE. THIS SOFTWARE DOCUMENTS SPECIMEN DEMOGRAPHY, PEDIGREE, AND HUSBANDRY AS WELL AS NUTRITIONAL, WELFARE, AND MEDICAL INFORMATION. THE PROJECT WILL EXPAND BOTH WIRED AND WIRELESS INTERNET CONNECTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE ZOO AND ACQUIRE ADDITIONAL MOBILE COMPUTERS AND VIDEO CAMERAS IN ANIMAL AREAS. THE NEW ANIMAL CAMERAS WILL ENABLE ZOO STAFF TO MONITOR AND RECORD OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE DAILY ACTIVITIES OF THE ANIMALS MORE EFFICIENTLY. THE DATA GATHERED BY ANIMAL CARE STAFF WILL BE USED TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT BREEDING, DIET, ENRICHMENT, AND MEDICAL CARE.

ZOO NEW ENGLAND WILL BRING A TURTLE CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAM INTO 14 FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOMS IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND. THE HATCHLING AND TURTLE CONSERVATION HEADSTARTING PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO EXPOSE STUDENTS FROM A DIVERSE RANGE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF WILDLIFE IN THEIR COMMUNITY, GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A HANDS-ON CONSERVATION PROJECT. EACH CLASSROOM WILL RECEIVE THREE INDOOR SESSIONS AND ONE FIELD TRIP AT THE END OF THE YEAR, AS WELL AS TWO TURTLE HATCHLINGS TO RAISE IN THE CLASSROOM. TEACHERS WILL BE TRAINED TO RAISE AND CARE FOR THE TURTLES. PRESENTATIONS WILL BE TAILORED TO THE AGE GROUP OF THE STUDENTS AND WILL INCLUDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HANDS-ON STEM-INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY/ENGINEERING CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS. PRE AND POST CLASSROOM AND FIELD TRIP EVALUATION WILL BE CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE COGNITIVE AND ATTITUDINAL CHANGES AMONG PARTICIPATING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.