Columbus Zoo

The Columbus Zoo was regarded as a kind of rock-star zoo among my peers when I discussed where I was going this summer - it was famous, after all, and was home to the legendary Jack Hanna. The zoo had a rock-star presence as well, and by that I mean it was larger than life. I'm almost certain it was the largest zoo I visited and I just couldn't manage to walk through the entire thing even though I wanted to see every part.
Thankfully the education building was close to the entrance and I went there first. The education department at the Columbus Zoo started in the early 80's with Jack Hanna and a few other educators. Then only three years ago, it became split between Promotions, which handles Jack Hanna's programs such as the animal encounters village, and Education, which handles many 'education proper' programs such as summer camps and an early childhood program called Zoo Tots.

A binturong starred in the Animals on Safari show.

The programs the education department offered tried to cater very close to what audiences wanted and they were often developing new programs when they saw a need, such as with local homeschoolers. In addition, the education department's reach went much farther than just zoo grounds. The Columbus Zoo recently entered a partnership with an African Safari Park called The Wilds, which is an hour and a half outside of Columbus. The education department oversees educational programming at this site, including a summer camp for teens. They also help host a Zoo School that is run through a local career center. The school brings in local high school juniors and seniors who are able to complete thesis-level conservation research. These students spend half a day on Zoo School campus and receive four high school class credits in general science, biology, chemistry, and statistics (may I just say I wish I'd had access to something like this in high school!). Overall many of their educational programs also focused on outreach and on locations outside of the zoo. This is mostly because the Columbus Zoo is actually outside of the city of Columbus and can be difficult to access for many residents, including those without cars. The education program stepped up to reach out to these residents and provides many educational opportunities outside of the zoo, including school programs. In addition, because the zoo received some financial support from the county for capital projects (overall, the zoo is a private non-profit), they wanted to be sure to serve the community and best use their tax dollars.
During my interview, I discussed with an education employee how for some zoos, the term 'educational' may not be the best fit for all they try to do. Many members of the public see the word education as meaning a school program or a lecture and may not think that the show they saw would be deemed an educational experience. Perhaps there is a lexical gap in what to properly call some education departments, as one may need a term which incorporates interpretation and the importance of entertainment into the overall experience. Many people come to the zoo as a family event or for entertainment and end up learning along the way, but is education the best term for every way they may learn within a zoo?