One of EATM’s stars went on tour last week to Ventura to perform for area elementary and middle school students.
The Moorpark College Zoo’s sea lion, Schmoo, balanced a ball on her nose and barked on command, delighting a group of sixth-graders at the Channel Islands Marina last Friday, giving them an up close and personal view of ocean life in promotion of the Exotic Animal Training and Management’s (EATM) Spring Spectacular.
Schmoo showed off dozens of tricks, or in EATM terms, “behaviors” as she performed for the students.
Schmoo’s performances included balancing the ball on her nose, clapping, barking, and of course, posing for the camera, all of which received lots of applause.
The students from Oxnard’s Haycock School listened intently to EATM trainers who described sea lion behavior at the marina as they readied for their boat trip out to Santa Cruz Island.
Schmoo, the 31-year-old female California sea lion, has quite a story on how she came to the zoo, said Gary Wilson, Director of the Marine Department at EATM.
“Schmoo has been with us since she was a baby,” Wilson said. “She came to us because she didn’t learn how to hunt. She came up on the beach, basically starving to death.”
The Moorpark College Zoo took her in and now she has become a special member, being the only marine mammal that provides EATM the opportunity for vital experience with ocean animals.
Kelly Folkdedahl, a second year student at EATM says that Schmoo is a definite favorite.
“She’s the only marine mammal and a lot of people want to be marine mammal trainers,” Folkdedahl said. “They want to go off and work for organizations, work with dolphins and sea lions. It’s a great opportunity for us to work with her to gain that experience.”
Schmoo went to the marina not only to bring a fun and unique slice of educational entertainment to the students, but to promote the Spring Spectacular.
The zoo relies heavily on fundraisers to provide their financial support of the program, and the Spring Spectacular is the most important fundraiser of the year, bringing in an average of 1,000 people a day.
The last dates the Spring Spectacular will be open on are March 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Schmoo’s presentation at the Channel Island Harbor was held at Island Packers, a company that offers cruises to the Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands. They also offer whale watching and fishing trips.
The children who saw Schmoo were a part of a program called Bay Water Shed Education and Training that provides opportunities for students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades to go out and learn about the islands firsthand, said Cataharine Reznicek, the Education Technology Specialist for the Ventura County Office of Education.
“What we do is provide students with an opportunity to learn about the islands in the classroom and then go out and visit them,” Reznicek said. “The kids love, love, love it! They are excited-most of them have never been on a boat before so this is their first opportunity and they love it.”
