Volume 3, No. 3. February 14, 2003
Valentines for zoos
Breeding
a social class
Marine animals use a number of different strategies to find the right mate:
different colors, different sounds, different swimming patterns, and, for horseshoe
crabs, different mates. If a grouper can’t find the right mate of the opposite
sex, it can simply change its own sex.
Humans? Well, one mating strategy is to attend singles-only social mixers, like
the one the New York Aquarium in New York City is hosting Saturday night in
honor of Valentine’s Day. Called “Sex in the Sea: A Single’s
Mixer,” the evening includes an ice breaker, a tour of the aquarium focusing
on the mating rituals of various sea animals, and a nightcap of wine, cheese
and, that essential nectar of love (for a certain group of people), beer.
“We do programs day and night for all segments of our community, for families
and school teachers and school groups,” said Merryl Kafka, the aquarium’s
curator of education. “I thought, ‘You know, what we are really missing
is the singles scene.’” Pegged to the aquarium’s educational
mission—this being a lesson in the reproductive methods of marine life
and the challenges they face in the overexploited seas—Kafka settled on
providing singles “a meeting opportunity, not a breeding opportunity. Cultural
institutions are where social engagements ought to occur. It’s an informal,
relaxed social setting.”
She will make sure the people who attend do at least meet each other. Upon arriving
each participant will receive a small canister containing a scent, and they
will have to mingle to pair up with another person holding that scent.
This being the first attempt at such a program for the aquarium, “Sex In
The Sea” had 22 registrants at the start of the week, though Kafka said
registration was growing. The problem is that the majority of registrants were
women. “Whenever there are singles functions they are usually dominated
by women,” Kafka said. “Yet, men are supposed to be the cruisers.”
So, Kafka went cruising for “a few good men” at New York’s precinct
stations and firehouses, offering 20 percent discounts to firefighters and police
officers. This strategy forced her to alter the evening’s wine and cheese
menu, however. “Having been to three firehouses they told me they like
beer,” Kafka said. “They said they wouldn’t come if there wasn’t
any beer.”
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