Giving Kids a Backstage Look at the Animal World

Melanie dubiously eyed the sea lion. Sure, Guthrie was cute--all 770 pounds of him--but that wasn’t enough to convince this usually ready-for-anything 10-year-old that she wanted to get down on her belly to race a sea lion, much less kiss him afterward. Her cousin Kyle, a few months younger, couldn’t understand her reticence. He wanted to go first.

My daughter and nephew were participating in what’s dubbed “Fun and Games With Sea Lions” at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Dressed in waterproof pants and jackets borrowed from the trainers, they were helping Guthrie strut his stuff during the aquarium’s popular sea lion show.

The kids kicked a big ball to Guthrie. He kicked it back. They gave him the signals he’d learned to start his tricks. They tried to stump him at games designed to demonstrate his keen sense of sight. He beat them easily in the belly races across the pool deck.

By the time they leaned over to be kissed, Melanie was having too much fun to remember her nervousness. The two couldn’t wait to tell their fourth-grade classes about their adventure. This was one aquarium visit they would remember for a long time.

That’s the point, of course. Aquariums and zoos around the country are adding more up-close-and-personal adventures to nurture the interest of budding marine biologists and zookeepers. Special activity centers are being added so youngsters can learn more about what they’ve just seen.

‘It’s a whole other level of experience,” says Jane Ballentine of the American Zoo and Aquarium Assn.

But Ballentine notes that, because of fears about foot-and-mouth disease, zoos may limit some hands-on programs and ask visitors who have recently been overseas to stay away from petting areas or refrain from contact with the animals. The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla., and the Calgary Zoo in Canada have imposed these restrictions, and others are likely to follow, Ballentine says. Humans don’t contract the highly contagious animal disease, but they can be carriers. ‘Since aquariums obviously don’t have any animals susceptible to this disease, there won’t be any problems this summer,” Ballentine says. She notes that zoos, animal parks and aquariums have never held as many just-for-kids camps, family sleepovers, Saturday workshops and behind-the-scenes tours as they do now, giving young visitors a chance to get up close and personal with the animals.

Here are some of the more noteworthy wildlife events:

* The Cincinnati Zoo offers a “Sleep With the Manatees” program for $34. Telephone (800) 94-HIPPO or visit Internet https://www.cincyzoo.org.

* Help identify dolphins in Tampa Bay this spring aboard the Florida Aquarium’s research boat. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for kids with aquarium admission. Tel. (813) 273-4000, https://www.flaquarium.net.

* At the Oregon Coast Aquarium you can take a ride on the Discovery, a high-powered boat that lets you see marine life at sea level, or sleep with the sharks. Tickets are $26 for adults, $15 for kids. Tel. (541) 867-3474, https://www.aquarium.org.

* At the New England Aquarium, play with the sea lions, help train marine mammals or go on a whale watch with a naturalist. The Trainer Program is $125. Fun and Games with Sea Lions is $40. The whale watch is $26.50, or $16.50 for kids under 12. These programs will be offered only through the end of the year. Tel. (617) 973-5206, https://www.neaq.org.

In zoos and aquariums special memberships may qualify you and your family for free or reduced admission. Before you visit, call or check the Internet to see what special programs may be offered. (Search through the American Zoo and Aquarium Assn. site by visiting https://www.aza.org.)

Remember, some zoos and aquariums require reservations for special programs and will charge fees. But that doesn’t seem to stop many families.

“Today’s families tell us they don’t mind paying extra for that special experience,” says Bob Tucker of SeaWorld.

Tucker notes that families will line up to pay $125 each to take a dip with the dolphins, or pay $25 ($12.95 for kids) to eat lunch next to Shamu’s tank, or pay $95 to sleep with the sharks. He says the $350 “Trainer for a Day” program is sold out through the summer.

This summer, 4,000 kids and teens will participate in summer camps at SeaWorlds in San Antonio, Orlando, Fla., and San Diego, with programs starting at $40 a day.

“People from around the country plan their vacations so kids can participate,” says Mandy Fillenwarth of Orlando’s SeaWorld.

Fillenwarth says the programs have grown tenfold in the past seven years. There are also SeaWorld adventure camps for teens. Call SeaWorld San Diego at (800) 380-3202, SeaWorld Orlando at (800) 406-2244 or SeaWorld San Antonio at (800) 700-7786, or check https://www.seaworld.org.

These programs make visits not only more meaningful for kids, but also easier for parents who are trying to navigate a busy place for the first time, says Betty Kay Swanson of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, who coordinates youth and family programs there. “And afterward, they have something new to talk about.”

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Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.