Come ride the cicada carousel

Come ride the cicada carousel

Which would you rather ride: a green grasshopper, a crooked caterpillar, or a chariot pulled by a beetle?

There’s no scramble for the usual favorites on the bug carousel at the Bronx Zoo. I see beginners getting nervous when evaluating options.

“Is that a bug?” A girl with a ponytail pointed with undisguised disgust. “That’s disgusting.” A little boy hesitated in front of the giant bee. He patted it first, then climbed up.

There are 64 hand-carved critters on the Bug Carousel. Its soundtrack includes real insect sounds, captured by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the organization that oversees the zoo. At the end of the ride, everyone played a ball on an insect of their choice. Even the nanny’s grandmother, tangled in the curling worm, clings to joy.

For many children, riding the bug carousel may be their only positive encounter with insects.

New Yorkers lead busy lives. Some city dwellers may not have access to nature for years. For many people, a visit to a zoo may be their only contact with wildlife.

At zoos, people have the opportunity to develop a personal connection with animals. Also, it is in our nature to care about the things that connect with us.

I reached out to conservation biologist Scott Silver, who has been curator at the Queens Zoo for 20 years. Dr. Silver invited me to accompany his zoo conservation class on their annual field trip to the Bronx Zoo.

“It could be a tiger scratching at glass. Or seeing the massive body of an elephant for the first time. In that moment, you develop a personal connection with that animal. You empathize with it. You start to care, ‘ he explained. “The zoo fosters a public constituency for wildlife conservation.”

Although many people think of zoos as just places of entertainment, the core function of zoos is to educate the public wildlife protectionEvery week, groups of children flock to the Bronx Zoo to learn about the plight of endangered species, including animals that are often misunderstood. One of the lessons is that vultures can eat deadly pathogens like rabies, cholera and even anthrax without infecting others or harming themselves. Condors are nature’s best cleaners, but also one of the most vulnerable bird families. Currently, 14 of the world’s 22 vulture species are threatened with extinction.

Zoos educate the public about wildlife conservation and provide opportunities for personal connection with animals.Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society

Education is not limited to the classroom. Placards – carefully researched and carefully designed – are placed throughout the Bronx Zoo. They introduce visitors to the animals on display’s favorite foods and pastimes, while also explaining how the species is affected by poisoning, pollution and deforestation.

When I invite friends to the zoo, I often get left out. Concerns about animal welfare, based largely on media coverage of animal husbandry practices by non-accredited institutions, have led to a group of animal lovers protesting loudly: “Zoos make money by cruelty to animals.” They may be right, in part.

Not all zoos are the same. The Bronx Zoo is one of the few zoos in the United States to be accredited by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums. To earn this certification, zoos must meet strict standards of animal welfare and veterinary care. In addition, they need to contribute a significant percentage of revenue and research to wildlife conservation and education. The ethos and practices of unsanctioned zoos can vary widely. Rather than writing off all zoos, reluctant visitors should do their research and distinguish which zoos are worthy of their visit.

Another criticism often made to zoos is that captive wild animals are fundamentally cruel. Dr Silver describes a contrasting reality based on 40 years of first-hand observation: “Many animals do very well in a zoo setting. Tigers, lions and snow leopards are generally lazy. They like to sit in the sun and eat well. Some of the most content animals I’ve ever seen are cats in zoos.”

Education can lay the groundwork for appreciating nature, but the personal interactions with animals that zoos foster have lasting effects. “People retain a sense of wonder well after visiting a zoo,” Dr Silver said. “When people see animals and have the opportunity to interact with them, they are moved. The next time they make a decision about something, they remember it.”

I present to you this challenge: stop at the Bronx Zoo error carousel, and choose Cicada (most kids won’t). Ride on the back of this remarkable creature, which burrows underground for 17 years before making a brief appearance on the ground. While the air once vibrated with the deafening screeching of cicadas, changing temperatures have disrupted their seasonal rhythms, threatening the species’ future.

When you leave the zoo, can you honestly say you don’t care about the cicada’s survival – after eight laps on the merry-go-round?

Alice Yan is an environmental attorney and Fulbright scholar in the Department of Eco-Evolution and Environmental Biology at Columbia University. Her research focuses on ecological conservation, ecosystem dynamics, and predator-prey relationships.