Last month, The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College hosted their annual Spring Spectacular from March 16-17 and March 23-24 where attendees learned more about the zoo’s animals at various discovery stations and shows.
The zoo’s annual spring fundraiser highlights the achievements of the Animal Care and Training Program’s second-year students and offers unique educational opportunities for guests to learn more about the variety of the zoo’s animal residents.
On the Moorpark College website, the event is described as a cumulative finale to second-year students’ journey within the program.
“The students of the Animal Care and Training Program’s Annual Spring Fundraiser celebrates and highlights the work of our 2nd year students as the curtain closes on their 22 month journey within the program.”
Throughout the event, students from the program were stationed across the zoo, providing information and answering questions at discovery stations and animal habitats. The event aimed to educate visitors about the diversity of animals housed at the facility.
First-year student, Giselle M. spoke about her experience in the Animal Care and Training program.
“It’s so well balanced. I knew about animals going in, but I didn’t know about the field,” Giselle said. “We get to learn about all aspects of care like the cleaning and the training, also learning the education side of the field like talking to the public the animals and teaching what you’ve learned.”
Giselle ran a discovery station that displayed different types of fur coats and educated guests on the significance of the different attributes of each coat. This station, like others, aimed to offer insight into the care and characteristics of the animals at the zoo.
Attendees had an opportunity to watch the spectacular’s main show, “Night Watch,” which featured a variety of the zoo’s animal ambassadors like Diego, the red tail hawk, the American badger, Tonka, a miniature horse, Pinky, and many more.
The main show was the highlight of the four-day event as it showcased the close relationships between the program’s second-year students and the animals.
A local to the area who attended the show with her family, Marissa Velasco, shared her interest in the program for her son.
“My son has always loved animals and I could definitely see him being part of this program when he’s older,” Velasco said. “I never even knew this kind of opportunity was available out here and the students look like they are so engaged and having a lot of fun.”
The event also had Eye to Eye Wildlife Presentations and Creature Features throughout the day. Each of these shows offered many different learning opportunities for visitors. In between shows, guests could explore the zoo as a whole at each of their exhibits.
The zoo is open to the public on weekends from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about the zoo and to buy tickets, visit their website.
