Volume 3, No. 16. August 22,2003
Rebirths
It’s
a tamarin exhibit!
Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, announces the rebirth
of the Tropical America Building with Spunky Monkeys, August 2, 2003. Measurements:
1,400-square-foot (130-square-meter) exhibit in 3,000-square-foot (279-square-meter)
building, five cotton top tamarins, no barriers.
What
was intended merely as general maintenance and repair of an aging exhibit turned
into something a bit more revolutionary for Roger Williams Park Zoo. The Tropical
America Building closed in January for what was supposed to be a short duration,
but during the course of the work the animal care department got together with
the facilities department with an eye toward doing something different.
They
decided that “different” would be no barriers. That meant keeping
the exhibit closed longer than planned, but “the upside was that we were
able to reopen with a fabulous new experience,” said Lisa Bousquet, the
zoo’s deputy director. “It’s pretty unexpected for the visitor.
It’s really funny to watch their faces as they come in. They look up and
see (the tamarins) and realize there’s nothing between them and the monkeys;
no cage, no glass, no nets.”
Part
of the delay in opening was the month-long study to determine if the invasion
of space would actually work. “Would they approach people, would people
approach them?” Bousquet said. The zoo recruited groups of volunteers called
the Cotton Top Crew to stay in the building while the zoo’s seven tamarins
acclimated to their renovated surroundings. The volunteers monitored the monkeys
to make sure they were behaving suitably, which led to some interesting calls
over the radio, Bousquet said. Because all cotton top tamarins look alike to
the lay person, the keepers dyed the cotton tops in pink, purple and green to
help the volunteers keep track of individuals. The vegetable-based, non-toxic
dye was applied with the tamarins under anesthesia during their routine physicals.
Except for two males who took to fighting to sort out the dynamics of their new environment, the tamarins adapted well. The two trouble makers were removed, and the public allowed in. “We went into it thinking it was an experiment, and if it didn’t work out we could put them back in the enclosure,” Bousquet said.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
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