Minnesota Zoo educates Mavs
When MSU students walk on campus, everyone is expected to go to class, attend a meeting or go study. But on Tuesday, the Minnesota Zoo Mobile and its team of naturalists made sure students stopped by the CSU mall on their way to class to meet some of their remarkable creatures up close.
As the Minnesota Zoo Mobile was on campus two years prior, Educational Entertainment Chair Sara Gustafson said its return was to both bring an educational and entertaining environmental experience to students on campus and to also help them take a break throughout the day.
“When I do events, they have to provide some sort of educational entertainment to students so the zoo mobile gives students the opportunity to come and look at animals, hold animals, but also learn about them,” Gustafson said. “A big thing I was also thinking about when planning this event was it gives people a break from classes just to sometimes relax, because a lot of the time animals are used to relax, ease minds and take your brain off of the stress of college.”
Sara C. Swenson, an educator at the Minnesota Zoo, was part of the Minnesota Zoo Mobile team who showed off all the animals to students and first introduced Lyra, a tiger salamander.
“When they are babies, tiger salamanders swim around in the water like a tadpole. They’re very closely related to frogs. They’re in the amphibian family. So like frogs and toads, they have a larval state when they’re babies, where they’re in the water and then they go up on land when they’re older,” Swenson said. “But they’re still very dependent on being near the water, because their skin needs to be wet for them to breathe. They breathe through their skin, so anything that touches their skin will get absorbed into their body,”
Swenson then moved on to Squeeze, a ball python that right away wrapped itself into a ball around the former’s wrist.
“They get that name because they do like to curl up in a ball for protection, but also for warmth. So usually, when I go to get her from her enclosure at the zoo, I find her in a little spiral swirl, with her chin resting on up her back coil, looking ever so comfortable,” Swenson said.
Other animals included were Atlas, who is an Ouachita Map turtle, giant African millipedes and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. All animals rotated every 15-20 minutes during their time on campus.
Gustafson discussed the possibility of having the Minnesota Zoo Mobile return in the future due to its planning and easy access to students.
“It’s a really easy way just to get animals on campus so that people have something to do during the school day, because having classes back to back and just being able to walk outside and come stop by is super convenient for students, and it’s just such a great thing for people to just become aware of more animals that you may think are gross, but actually realizing that they’re just kind of like us. They’re just trying to live,” Gustafson said.
Visitor Lillian Fred and MSU Senior Baylie Viland stopped by the campus mall together to see the featured Minnesota Zoo animals.
“I think this is a cool experience that they’ve come out to show students. My favorite has been the snake. I just like snakes overall.” Fred said.
“I definitely like this experience. I love animals. My favorite has been the salamander, because she’s adorable.” Vinland said.
Photo Caption: On Tuesday, the Minnesota Zoo Mobile and its team of naturalists arrived at the CSU Mall where students were able to stop by and see some of their various animals up close. (Logan Schlosser/The Reporter)
Write to Anahi Zuniga at anahi.zuniga@mnsu.edu