Page 5 - Gateways_2018_FALL

Perspective

The look of joy and awe By Stuart D. Strahl, Ph.D.
etched across a child’s President & CEO
face the first time he
or she gets up close to a polar
bear, giraffe, binturong, or one
of the many other magnificent
animals who make their home at
Brookfield Zoo always inspires me.

RED-TAILED GUENON It’s a look that I saw many
times this summer: with more
than 2.2 million guests annually, the Chicago Zoological
Society’s Brookfield Zoo plays a key role in connecting
individuals to wildlife that they would not have the
chance to engage with elsewhere. When they develop a
fascination with these animals who are displaying healthy
natural behaviors, it’s the first step in creating an innate
bond with nature that will lead to conservation action.

However, we know that not every child is able to make
it to the zoo. And in addition to providing extraordinary
guest experiences, we also have a responsibility to connect
ALL people—of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, and
abilities—to the importance of protecting and restoring
the natural world.

One of the ways we do this best is through our ambitious
Institute of Science Teaching Excellence program (see story
on page 28). This program provides K-12 teachers with
guidance in teaching inquiry-based science, using the zoo
as a living classroom. By strengthening their classroom
practices to reflect high-level science engagement, we are
helping them help students connect with wildlife and nature.

The Society has been a longstanding leader in animal
care and welfare—our three international symposia
on animal welfare, our continual breakthroughs and
advances in veterinary care (see story on page 7), and our
innovative and groundbreaking studies (such as the first-ever
international cetacean welfare study) attest to that. But it is
just as important to be a leader in engaging and connecting
communities with wildlife and nature. Thank you for your
support in helping us to do just that.

BROOKFIELD ZOO | FALL 2018 5