 FRONT PAGE Archive Index Feedback |
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
| |||||
Woodland Park Zoo Hires New Director
By Laurel Holliday
Which way will Deborah Jensen take the Zoo? |
In addition to hands-on administrative experience, Jensen brings with her a compelling vision of the mission of the zoo. "Our goal should be that all zoo visitors leave the zoo enthusiastic about wildlife and nature, and interested in learning more and contributing to conservation of species in the wild," she says. "The zoo should be a place where they love what they see and learn while they're there."
Woodland Park 's naturalistic exhibits help visitors envision the environment from which the animals come, Jensen says, but she would also like the exhibits to stress the critical need for biodiverse habitats for the animals in the wild. She is hoping to introduce interactive elements to the exhibits that will make them more engaging and educational.
Should Zoos Continue To Exist?
Jensen is well aware of the arguments against plucking endangered animals from their natural habitats and putting them in cages for human entertainment. A decade or more ago, many animal advocates--zookeepers included--began to question the very existence of zoos. Why should we kidnap animals from the wild, imprison them in enclosures that offer only a paltry representation of their natural habitat, and impose our rules and physical presence on them?
Zoo aficionados answered that question by stressing the importance of zoos for breeding endangered species, so they can be returned to the wild and continue to exist. Without zoos, they said, many species would become extinct.
That answer might have satisfied some critics for a while, but then it, too, became suspect when scientists confirmed that there is very little natural habitat left on earth in which offspring of captive endangered species can survive.
Jensen recognizes the extreme gravity of this problem, and she believes that zoos can play a major role in its solution, both through breeding programs and conservation education.
"Breeding endangered species in zoos is necessary but not sufficient," she says. "Given the path the world is on, we need to both do the breeding to reintroduce species to the wild, and we need to preserve their habitat."
Jensen says there has been tremendous improvement in conservation awareness, pointing out that it's even possible to get a degree in conservation biology now. Still, the loss of habitats and the worldwide eradication of species proceeds at an alarming pace. "By all objective measures, it's getting worse faster than it's getting better," she says.
As the earth becomes increasingly urban, Jensen says, fewer and fewer people see animals in the wild, and zoos become the primary means of introducing children and their families to nature and conservation. Without zoos, where people can get to know and interact with exotic animals, it would be nearly impossible to educate people about the loss of biodiverse habitats and the extinction of species throughout the world.
"We need an educated and engaged citizenry," she says, "and the zoo is uniquely positioned to educate people about the importance of conservation... We need to grow a conservation ethic. And I don't think there is a better zoo than Woodland Park to lead the charge."
The Road Ahead
Jensen says she's looking forward to living in a city surrounded by water and mountains, and she's excited about taking on the leadership of the zoo. But she knows that her new job isn't going to be easy, particularly at the beginning. As the new director, she must contend with issues arising from the recent privatization of the zoo. On March 1, the City of Seattle handed over management of the facility to the Woodland Park Zoo Society, a non-profit organization that has provided a significant amount of the zoo's funding for many years. While 60 percent of zoos throughout the country are making similar moves toward private management, the transition from public to private can be complicated and stressful.
Jensen will also inherit several ongoing controversies, such as concerns about the zoo's impact on neighboring communities. Unlike many zoos, Woodland Park sits squarely in the middle of the city, and its 92 acres are almost completely surrounded by residential neighborhoods. For years, residents of Phinney Ridge, in particular, have complained that their streets are clogged with zoo traffic, that zoo visitors take up scarce street parking, and that special events at the zoo bring unwanted noise and commotion to their otherwise quiet neighborhood.
"The zoo is so close to these neighborhoods, we can't afford to have enemies for neighbors," Jensen says. "I know that when the zoo does something new, neighbors need to be advised of it and be involved."
Animal rights organizations, advocates of open public records and citizens with concerns about the increasing commercialization of the zoo have all raised issues that Jensen will be faced with.
Of animal rights groups she says, "I think of animal rights people as passionate in their care for animals. But I find that there are times when they use zoos to further their own marketing."
On the open public records question she says that publicly available animal records are critical for any zoo, and that Woodland Park has an obligation to give the public access to all animal records. She seems less certain about open records for zoo functions that do not directly involve animals. (Public access advocates want all zoo records to be open to public inspection, except those involving personnel issues.) She says she's concerned that zoo employees could end up spending too much time satisfying public records requests.
As to fears of increased commercialization of the zoo, Jensen says she doesn't know enough yet about the zoo's long-range marketing plans to have an opinion. But she says, "I'm interested in the zoo experience continuing to be educational with a conservation message, so I'm not in favor of fundraising approaches that detract from that message."
Excited about Jensen's views on conservation and education, zookeepers say they are eagerly awaiting her arrival. But first, she and her husband will need to sell their house in Bethesda, MD, and move across the country with their five-year-old daughter, before Jensen officially takes over as Director of Woodland Park Zoo on April 29.
Fremont resident Laurel Holliday is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to The Seattle Press.
Reader Comments
Discuss this article in the forums!
No comments yet!