Touch Exhibits for Aquatic

Best Management Practices for Touch Exhibits of AZA Accredited

Tag Words: AZA, Touch Exhibit,

Authors: Huseyin Dogu and Samm Wehman with Julie M. Fagan, Ph.D.

Summary (HD)

Our project addressed the issue about the safety of aquatic animals and guests themselves at touching exhibits in aquariums accredited by the Association of and Aquariums (AZA). In a letter to AZA, we suggested that they adopt a universal "best management practices" for aquatic animals at touch exhibits which include the "the 2-finger touch rule" and using small groups that can be adequately supervised. We did a survey of 36 aquariums and found that all use different methods to ensure the health and safety of the animals. A link to our informative video is below.

Video Link

Best Management Practices of Aquatic Touch Exhibits: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DRJULIEFAGANSTUDENTS#p/u/0/GiowrPsMXd0 The Issue: Aquariums

Introduction (SW & HD) Aquariums are both used as a form of entertainment and education for families and children and are an important method of increasing awareness of information about aquatic species. One method many aquariums use to implement this education and awareness is through touch exhibits where guests can touch and interact with real live aquatic animals. These animals include but are not limited to: small species of sharks, sting rays, starfish, and other small . Touch exhibits are very successful in attracting guests, however it is important that they are operated and cared for to insure the safety and comfort of the animals in the exhibits. Aquariums must have methods and practices to ensure that both the guests enjoy their experience while animals are safe and comfortable.

The Importance of Aquariums (SW) Humans are responsible for the damage and destruction of the few natural parts of the earth that remain, along with the decline in animal species by up to one third. Through education and awareness, aquariums are able to teach guests about how to help minimize their impact on and the lives of marine animals. The aquarium provides awareness to guests about important issues such as habitat destruction and climate disruption which has an impact on different species of animals. Human activities have been affecting the world’s climate, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 35% that has many negative effects on wild animals. This in turn raises the earth’s temperature as the carbon dioxide breaks apart the earth’s protective ozone layer and barrier from the sun’s UV rays. The polar bear is a well-known example of an animal that is in danger of the world’s increasing temperatures due to the melting of it’s habitat that it relies on to live. Coral reefs are dying from the abundance of carbon dioxide, which in turn affects tens of thousands of aquatic animals that live in the . Many of these species that are being lost are also part of the human food supply. species have diminished by one third due to infectious insects that overpopulate from the as well. Many aquariums display and demonstrate the importance of these animals that are disappearing, and often raise and breed them in captivity to help conserve some species we are quickly losing. Programs are initiated to introduce the public to the idea of climate change and what they can do to help minimize the impact. Besides direct education to the public, aquariums are important in conducting projects that revolve around conservation and breeding rare and endangered species. Conservation programs include protecting and breeding many aquatic animals in captivity that are going extinct. Already one third of amphibian species have been lost, and conservation efforts of aquariums can help rejuvenate and save endangered and threatened species that still exist. “Aquariums have the invaluable opportunity, and are expected to, conduct or facilitate research both in in-situ and ex- situ settings to advance scientific knowledge of the animals in our care and enhance the conservation of wild populations (http://www.aza.org/research/)”. Freshwater mussels, Oregon Spotted , and Wyoming Toads are some examples of animals that have been reintroduced into the wild due to the research and captive breeding of aquariums to help benefit wild populations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) "helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges (http://www.iucn.org/)". Many aquariums work with IUCN to conserve species the world is quickly losing, and show signs on each exhibit describing each species and it's status. For example, at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ, there is a sign showing the status of the sharks in their Touch a Shark exhibit. Smooth Dogfish are not a concern, however the Coral Cat Shark is near threatened. The Bangaii Cardinalfish is shown as endangered and will soon be new on display after the aquarium undergoes reconstruction. It is important to have these species to protect in captivity to use as teaching tools, and to also use for breeding programs. http://www.aza.org/conservation-commitments-and-impacts/ http://www.aza.org/climate- disruption/ http://www.aza.org/research/ http://www.iucn.org/ AZA Accreditation (SW) “Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting an institution dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things” ( http://www.aza.org/about-aza/). For an establishment to be recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, they must “Provide a publicly recognized badge signifying excellence in, and commitment to, such things as animal care, conservation and education” ( http://www.aza.org/what-is-accreditation/). Less than 10% of Zoos and Aquariums in the U.S. are accredited by AZA ( http://www.aza.org/what- is-accreditation/) and it’s important for aquariums to be recognized by this organization because it ensures that as a guest, it’s safe to assume that the establishment is ensuring proper care and welfare of their animals. AZA recognized zoos and aquariums are also inspected frequently to ensure that standards are met. It is important for aquariums with interactive touch exhibits to be recognized by AZA, because animals that are exposed to frequent handling and touching may be more prone to stress. Even though these animals are used for this purpose, they can still be given the proper habitat, diet, and care to ensure they are living comfortably and as close to natural as possible. http://www.aza.org/about-aza/ http://www.aza.org/what-is-accreditation/

What are Touch Exhibits? (SW) Touch exhibits at aquariums are often open tanks or small pools that allow guests to reach in and touch live animals. The exhibits include animals that are both harmless to humans and have no risks involved with touching them. The species included in these exhibits are approved by the animal husbandry team at an aquarium that they will not stress easily and will not have poor health as a result of being touched often. SW It’s an amazing experience for guests to get to touch animals firsthand, especially aquatic species that usually remain a mystery to people because they live in the . Guests are used to encountering enclosed exhibits that are strictly for viewing, but getting to touch a real animal is something that attracts people to the aquarium. The allowance of guests to actually interact and pet real live aquatic animals is both enjoyable, and is a unique experience that creates unforgettable memories for families who visit the aquarium. http://www.adventureaquarium.com/exhibitsandshows/touchexhibits.aspx

What is the problem? (SW) As fun as touch exhibits in aquariums are to the guests that visit them, they aren’t always fun for the animals. The touching experience that guests may get will certainly enhance their experience, however this makes life more stressful for the animals being handled. There are laws on both national and state levels to ensure the protection of animals in zoos and aquariums, although there are different interpretations of what animals fit into the minimal standards, which can create conflict on the standards of care of invertebrates and cartilaginous fish. Aquariums that are accredited by AZA give impervious care to all animals, however sometimes guests don’t always have as much respect for smaller marine animals than they would for their own pets. Being acknowledged by the AZA means that animal care and comfort must be a priority, yet without the proper methods to protect the animals, touch exhibits can be a disaster for the well- being of the animals in them. It’s also recognized in the Animal Welfare Act, that animals used for exhibition purposes require at least the “minimum standards of care and treatment” and sometimes the way that guests handle the animals does not meet minimum standards. Animals such as sharks have delicate appendages such as fins and tails that are an easy area for people to grab and pull on. Grabbing these areas can result in bruising and discomfort for the sharks. Their eyes are also sensitive to touching and poking so it is important for them to not be touched in this area to avoid pain and discomfort for the animal. Small shark species are not attracted to human hands, they actually steer away and swim in the other direction when they see human hands in the water which shows their fear of being touched. Smooth dogfish also get stressed out when handled and touched too often, resulting in “tail-wagging” which is when they actually walk on their tails and try to jump out of the exhibit. This can result in injuries and dark bruising in their tail fins. In rare occasions these sharks will jump out of a shallow exhibit so supervision by an aquarium staff member is necessary. Sting rays aren’t as sensitive as sharks, but if not touched properly, guests can experience minor injuries. Sting rays do not have sharp teeth however they do possess what are known as “grinding plates” in their mouths that they use to suck up and grind up their food. Their mouths are located on the ventral side of their body, so if not properly handled, human fingers can be accidentally chewed on resulting in cuts or scrapes. In all touch exhibits sting rays are “de- barbed” where their barbs are trimmed short enough that they cannot sting or hurt a guest. This makes their tails vulnerable to grabbing which can cause pain and discomfort to the ray. Areas such as their eyes are also very sensitive so it is important that they are not touched or poked in these areas. Starfish, and other small invertebrates are all hardy enough to withstand frequent handling, however they all need to be touched only and not picked up, as they need to be underwater water to breathe. Some species such as Moon Jellyfish and Green Surf Anemones do not have a sting that is strong enough to penetrate human skin, however they have very delicate areas near their tentacles and mouths that can be easily damaged if they are not touched gently enough. Animals in touch exhibits are usually tough enough to be touched often without experiencing high levels of stress, however management at touch exhibits and safe touching practices are important to ensure the safety of the animals by guests. http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ovuszoos.htm http://awic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=3&tax_level=3&tax_subject=182&t opic_id=1118&level3_id=6735&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&placement_default=0 The Psychology Behind the Problem (HD & SW) The main problem at touching exhibits is not the awareness brought to guests by employees and posters, but the fact that people, especially adults, do not listen to instructions. Children tend to listen to employees instructions on how to properly touch the aquatic animals, but adults think the rules do not apply to them. This is when the aquatic animal, and the guest themselves, are being put at risk for injury. The psychology behind why adults do not listen to directions is the true problem with touching exhibits at most aquariums. Posters on using the two-finger touch rule and instructions given by an employee standing in the middle of the touching pool are adequate enough for the aquarium to get its point across to the guest to follow directions for all ages and genders but the problem is people choose not to listen to instructions, not the lack of instruction given by the aquarium employees, videos, posters, etc… Through the use of signs, and verbal instructions by staff members, guests are made aware of the rules that must be used to safely touch the animals. The use of only two fingers is important to ensure a light, soft touch on the animal’s dorsal side only. When a soft two finger touch is used, the animals rarely will feel any discomfort. However people tend to disregard the rules, resulting in poking, squeezing, grabbing, and even picking up animals out of the water. By telling guests to use two fingers to avoid other harmful types of touching, it can be used as a psychological trick to use with the guests. If you tell a guest it's “important to use two fingers at all times to keep both you and the animals safe” they will often listen because they are concerned with their own safety. Also telling them that stressing out the animals means the animals will move out of an arm's reach making it more difficult for small children to touch will make them feel guilty, usually resulting in a gentle two-finger touch. Current Solutions (SW) It’s important for aquariums with touch exhibits to enhance the guest’s experience, while also ensuring that proper practices are used to keep the animals safe. Many aquariums have adopted the “two finger touch” policy to make sure that guests safely touch the animals with minimal stress exhibited on the animal. This method prevents guests from poking with only one finger, or grabbing and picking up animals with more than two fingers. It also protects the guests as well, as animals that get stressed out can show unusual behaviors that may scare the guests, for example when Smooth Dogfish get stressed they jump out of the water and splash around, and when sting rays get startled and quickly dart away from people. Signs are usually placed around exhibits that demonstrate and describe the proper ways to touch an animal. Buoys and floats in the pools serve as decoration and often include a sign showing a diagram and direction to use only two fingers when touching. It’s also important for aquariums to have staff on hand at all times exhibits are open for touching. Their purpose is to instruct the guests on how to properly touch the animals along with educating them on interesting facts about the animals. Staff may have a microphone so that when an exhibit gets crowded everyone is still able to hear the directions on how to safely touch. Without staff present, there is no protection for the vulnerable animals in the exhibits and no prevention of animals being handled in a way that can injure them or cause unnecessary stress. Many aquatic species also need to stay in water at all times, and without staff supervising, guests tend to pick up and remove animals from the exhibits as well which can result in death of the animal. Some aquariums have times throughout the day designated for touch exhibits to close. They are usually closed for 15 minute intervals to give the animals a chance to rest. This time is important to the animals because it often gives them a chance to relax, interact with each other and exhibit more natural behaviors, and be fed without getting disturbed by human hands. This prevents a build-up of any stress they gain from being touched throughout the day.

Ideas to Fix the Problem (HD) There are many ways in which effective psychological methods could be used to insure the safety of the animals by ensuring that all guest follow directions at all times. One method aquariums with touch exhibits can use is a rubber band that binds a person’s three fingers together allowing only two fingers to be used while touching the aquatic animals. The three fingers that get bound together are the thumb, pinky, and ring finger. A special rubber band could be made so that the thumb is slightly bent inwards into the palm of the hand. The other two fingers would be semi-curled towards the palm covering over the thumb thus making all three fingers incapable of grabbing and holding the aquatic animals. This method does not have to be applied mandatory to all guests entering a touching exhibit since it would hinder people’s experience touching aquatic animals. This method could be used after a participant has broken the rules and has grabbed, held, or poked an aquatic animal more than once instead of telling the guest to please leave the touching exhibit and possibly causing a scene. The rubber bands could be made in all sizes and colors to be more appealing to people wearing them and also as a souvenir from the aquarium to the guests. Furthermore, if the rubber band causes a problem for the individual to wear, then the guest could be asked to leave since the guest did not follow directions in the first place and was then asked to wear the rubber band. An alternative to the rubber band is a rubber glove that uses the same concept as the rubber band in that in denies usage of a person’s thumb, pinky, and ring fingers. The glove could be made slightly thick to prevent injury to a person’s fingers while touching the sharks and sting rays. The glove could come in different colors and sizes as well but the glove, unlike the rubber band, does not allow for the guests to feel with their own two fingers what the sharks and sting rays actually feel like but it could be kept in supply as a possibility to the guests. The rubber band and the glove methods are the only method involving a physical means to fixing the problem at aquarium touching exhibits and more ideas on fixing the problem are explained below. Another method in fixing the problem at touching exhibits at aquariums is using the psychological method called the “bandwagon” method. The bandwagon method uses subliminal images and words that simply imply that people do and believe things in life merely because the rest of society does and believes in the same things. A perfect example of the bandwagon logic is the saying “Everyone else does it, why not you as well?”. An effective way of implementing this method includes putting a poster or video which shows many different people in the touching exhibit using two fingers to touch the animals in a futuristic environment. The diversity of people in the poster ranging from toddlers to teens to adults using the two finger rule would encourage current guest to use their own two fingers. The futuristic environment lets the current guests know that the 2-finger touch rule is new and in style and not an old method that’s ineffective while touching aquatic animals. Another idea that can be used to implement this concept is to have all of the employees working in the touching exhibit demonstrate using the 2-finger rule on the aquatic animals before allowing the guest to start touching the aquatic animals. This lets the guest know the two-finger rule is important and actually seeing something done “primes” the guest into doing something which goes into our next topic. Moreover, other psychological techniques include using persuasive words and techniques in the form of posters or videos to condition its target. To “condition” or “prime” means to expose people to a neutral image, thought, or idea subliminally in order to persuade their behavior for some near future event. One example of a possible solution is using a poster in which two images are on. One image is the peace sign of the black and white paint in equal proportions and underneath is a person’s hand where the index and middle finger are up while the rest of the fingers are down, emulating the peace sign. Both images represent a peace sign subliminally in society and putting them on the same poster would give the guest a positive emotion about their own two fingers. Furthermore, when people are presented with a positive emotion, they are more likely to listen and follow directions than people who have a negative or neutral emotion about a given topic. Also, the black and white peace sign could symbolize that two different and extremely different entities can co-exist in unison and harmony thus helping the guests who visit the touching exhibits in an aquarium to realize animals and people, despite obviously not being able to communicate, can understand one another’s feelings. This in turn makes people not want to cause any physical stress upon the aquatic animals and understand that animals also have ‘feelings and emotions” so to say. Another example of possible solution or aid in the psychological problem at touching exhibits is using images and posters of aquatic animals that most of society enjoys looking at and cares for. For example, dolphins, white seals, and colorful, unique fish all create a positive emotion for the people looking at the posters or slideshow video thus is another way of conditioning the guests to create a positive emotion about aquatic animals which in turn leads to the guests following directions and enjoying their time while petting the aquatic animals. Sharks and sting rays, which are the two most used animals in touching exhibits, have a bad reputation in society so it is hard to make the guest like and care for these specific animals. Sharks and sting rays are harmless to humans and they prefer to run away from any altercation rather than attack. Informing people about this helps them realizes that if they want to touch the sharks and sting rays they cannot scare or try to grab them because they will flee away from the person which ends the chances of them touching one in the exhibit. Setting up posters around the touching exhibit with various, but important, information on them can also help people follow directions since this is the main issue at all aquariums. For example, a poster can have the sentence “Rules apply to everyone, including YOU” can have a huge impact in the touching exhibit. The “YOU” in the poster would be in all capitals and in bold font to signify that everyone in the exhibit is being held accountable for their actions while petting the aquatic animals. Also, the location of this poster is very important. This poster would have to be places somewhere where everyone would see it and a good location for this poster is the entrance to the petting exhibit. Another poster can say “2 fingers or NONE”. This states the aquariums zero-tolerance policy in just a few words meaning the guest can choose to use 2 fingers or be asked to leave the petting exhibit with no exceptions for people who choose to break the rule. This method would be considered harsh to some but it does get the message across the guests and in certain aquariums where this problem is a serious issue, it would be the most effective means of solving it. To go even further with fixing the problem at aquarium touching exhibits is to let in small crowds of people into the touching exhibits rather than large crowds. Small crowds are a lot easier to control for the employees working in the exhibits but most importantly the effects of the “diffusion of responsibility” that occurs in large groups is nearly nonexistent. In large groups, people tend to think they do not have to carry the burden of responsibility because all of the other people in the group will follow directions and they themselves can get away with it. Unfortunately, there are many individuals in every large group that think with the same philosophy and many people end up grabbing and poking at the aquatic animals causing mayhem for the employees to keep under control. Also, the larger the group, the more people in that specific group tends to break the directions and rules of the employees in touching exhibits. Furthermore, by allowing a small amount of people into the exhibit at one time, employees can break off into smaller individual groups with one employee and a couple guests where the employee can explain specific and detailed facts about the aquatic animals in the touching exhibit. This also brings a better awareness and respect for the animals in the tanks and helps educate guests about how all animals in an ecosystem are relevant and even how small sharks, sting rays, and star fish are interesting species as well. Furthermore, most people at the petting exhibits tend to grab and poke at the aquatic animals because they may have pets of their own and most likely sees these aquatic animals as pets as well. This may be why some people choose to ignore the two finger rule and attempt to grab the animals because they see these aquatic animals as pets, not as wild animals. One effective means to end this problem is for the speaker in the middle of the tank to clearly clarify and say that these animals are not pets and should not be seen as pets under any circumstances. These aquatic animals are wild animals and cannot be tamed or touch as everyday pets such as dogs and cats. Whatever the way or means by getting this message across in the most effective way for each individual aquarium is important and should be mandatory. In conclusion, the purpose of using rubber bands, subliminal images, thoughts, and words to convey people’s perceptions of aquatic animals, which in the process, also enhances their experience at the aquarium. This also helps the animals in the exhibit stay healthy and unstressed during the touching process. The animals in the exhibit are meant to be seen as wild animals, not pets and by no means are the psychological techniques meant to hinder the guests experience in the exhibit. The safety of the animals and the guests is the number one priority of the exhibits and using these techniques helps maintain this priority by using effective means of persuasive tools. There are many aquariums in the United States and many of the examples and techniques described above are not effective in every single aquarium. Some aquariums might use a combination of techniques while some may use all of them according to their individual needs. These aquariums are recognized by AZA, thus they already follow the rules and regulations put into place. AZA also checks up on these aquariums consistently to insure that the rules and regulations are met at an everyday standard.

The Service Project: Survey and Letter

Survey of AZA Accredited Aquariums, Who has Touch Exhibits and what are their Current Methods? For the survey portion of our project, I looked up all of the aquariums in the United States that are accredited by AZA and then went further as to look up if each aquarium had a touching exhibit of any sort or not and if they did, what were their procedures and methods used to ensure efficient and safety for the animals and to the guests themselves. Below is a list of each aquarium and what each individual aquarium does. 1. Jenkinson’s Aquarium- - Yes. They have a touch exhibit containing stars, sharks, sting rays, and other small invertebrates. The exhibit is moderately monitored and rules are written on posters throughout the exhibit. Not many employees are on hand and large crowds are drawn in from visitors on Point Pleasant beach. 2. Adventure aquarium- Yes they have a touching exhibit. The touch exhibit contains sting rays, sharks, starfish, and other small invertebrates. They have a few on hand employees monitoring the touch tank and use a two-finger touch rule. 3. Steinhart Aquarium- No they do not have a touch exhibit but they do have a feeding show for the guests. Only trained employees feed the animals. 4. - Yes they have a touch exhibit containing sting rays, sharks, skates, and other small invertebrates such as sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and anemones. They have many employees all around multiple touching stations instructing the guests on how to properly touch the aquatic animals. The guests are allowed to only touch the dorsal side of the animals and are not allowed to pick up or grab the animals. 5. - Yes they have a shark containing sharks and sting rays. They have a quite a few employees on watch at the exhibit and also guests are only allowed to touch the dorsal side of the animals. No grabbing and pulling is allowed. 6. Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute Oceanography- No they have no touching exhibit but they have feeding shows where trained employees feed wild aquatic animals. 7. - Yes. Touch exhibit contains sting rays, flat fish, octopuses, and other small invertebrates. There are many individual small touching tanks with multiple employees all around the exhibit. Guests are told to use gentle and light strokes while touching only the dorsal side of all the animals. 8. Landry’s Downtown Aquarium- Yes. Touch exhibits contain sting rays, sea stars, starfish, and sea cucumbers. Guests are told to use gentle strokes and there are a few employees around the exhibit. 9. Mystic Aquarium- Yes. Touching exhibits contain sting rays, skates, and small invertebrates. Only a few employees all around. Employees have microphones and the tank is arranged so all employees can see what every guest is doing. Guests are told to touch with four fingers so no touching or grabbing is allowed. 10. Mote marine Aquarium- Yes. They have a Ray Touch Pool that contains sting rays, sharks, horseshow crabs, hermit crabs, starfish, and other small invertebrates. Guests are told to gently pet or touch the animals in the water and small kids are allowed to step into the touching tanks only with supervision of their parents and of aquarium employees. 11. - No they do not have a touching exhibit. 12. Florida Aquarium- Yes. They have a touching exhibit with native fish from off the coast of Florida and also small invertebrates. They have crabs, starfish, and sea urchins as well that are in many different tanks and every two or three tank is monitored by an employee. 13. Georgia Aquarium- No they do not have a touch exhibit. They have feeding shows and a divers show where trained diver enter the shark tanks. 14. John G. Shedd Aquarium- No touch exhibit but they have shows with dolphins with trained employees. 15. National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium- Yes. The exhibit contains mussels, snails, and crawfish. These critters are able to live on land and in water so handling and touching them are a lot more lenient. Employees are still on hand just in case. 16. Newport Aquarium- Yes. Touch exhibit contains sharks, skates, and sting rays. Small invertebrates are also in the touch tank. Employees are on hand and guests are told to touch gently and lightly with the tip of their 4 fingers only. 17. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas- Yes. Touch exhibit contains sting rays, skates, starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. Employees monitor the exhibit and guests are told to be gentle and careful when touching the aquatic animals. Guests are told to use every finger except their thumb because the thumb enables guest to grab and pull. Starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers are not allowed to be pulled out of the water. 18. National Aquarium in Baltimore- No exhibit. Trained employees have shows feeding the dolphins instead. 19. New England Aquarium- Yes. Touch tanks include sharks, sting rays, small invertebrates, star fish, and colorful fish. Several employees monitor the touching exhibits and guests are told to use the two finger method and to also touch gently and softly only on the dorsal side of the aquatic animals. 20. New York Aquarium- No. they do have a sea feeding show where only trained employees are allowed to feed the sea . 21. North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher- Yes. Touching exhibit contains starfish, sting rays, and sharks. Employees are on hand monitoring but only a few. Guests are told to be gentle and cautious when petting the animals to avoid injury to the animals or to themselves. 22. North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores- Yes. Guests are allowed to touch birds and sea turtles and as well as feed them with trained employees on hand. Other small invertebrates are also available and employees are all around the exhibit monitoring and explain interesting facts about all of the animals. Guests are told to use only their four fingers and not their thumbs to touch the animals and to only touch the dorsal side of the animals. 23. North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island- Yes. Touch exhibit contains sting rays, sharks, skates, small invertebrates, starfish, and sea stars. Employees are plentiful in the exhibit and guests are told to use their four fingers not their thumbs and to only touch the dorsal side of the creatures. 24. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium- Yes. Touch exhibit has horseshoe crabs, sea stars, hermit crabs, and other small invertebrates. Some of these critters live on both land and water so handling them is a lot more lenient but employees are still on hand monitoring the guests. The guests are told to be gentle and not to pick up the critters but petting them is a lot easier. 25. Oregon Coast Aquarium- Yes. Exhibits contain sting rays, starfish, and sharks. Also, for an extra fee, guests are allowed to get kissed by a sea otter or shake an octopuses arm with the supervision of a trained employee. The exhibit has employees on close watch and guests are told to be careful and to touch only the dorsal side of the animals. 26. Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium- No touching exhibit. 27. Ripley’s Aquarium- Yes. Exhibit contains sting rays, sharks, starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and horseshoe crabs. Guests are diffused all around the exhibit and guests are told to not lift the animals or to pull on them and to also to touch gently on the top of each animal. 28. South Carolina Aquarium- Yes. Exhibit contains sting rays, variety of invertebrates, hermit crabs, whelks, sea urchins, horseshoe crabs, and starfish. A few employees watch the exhibit and since the two species of crabs can live on both land and water, the touching rules are a little bit more lenient. Guests are still told to touch the dorsal side and to touch gently. 29. Tennessee Aquarium- Yes. Guests are allowed to collect and carefully handle small invertebrates and several species of crabs on their own in a creek which is part of the aquarium in which employees are constantly monitoring the guests. Employees first demonstrate how to properly touch and hold the animals before being allowed to collect them on their own. Guests are told to be gentle and are told how to catch and handle the aquatic animals carefully so no injuries persist. The animals are not removed from the exhibit. 30. Houston Aquarium, Inc.- Yes. Exhibit contains sting rays, horseshoe crabs, and other small invertebrates. There are a few employees watching the exhibit and guests are told to be careful when touching the aquatic animals. Guests are also told to use their fingers only on the dorsal side and no pulling and grabbing is allowed. 31. Texas State Aquarium- Yes. At an extra fee, guests are allowed to shake hands or kiss a dolphin with the supervision of trained employees. There are no touching exhibits. 32. San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium- No touch exhibits. 33. Dallas World Aquarium- No touch exhibits. Trained employees demonstrate to guests the feeding of sharks, penguins, sea turtles, and manatees. 34. Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center- Yes. Exhibit contains horseshoe crabs and sting rays. Employees are on hand watching the exhibit. Guests are told to lightly touch the dorsal side of the aquatic animals. 35. Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium- Yes. Exhibit contains small invertebrates, sea urchins, and starfish. A few employees are at the exhibit and guests are told not to take the animals out of the water and to lightly touch the animals. 36. Seattle Aquarium- Yes. Guests are allowed to collect different kinds of and then look under a microscope and finally identify what kind of plankton they have caught. All of the plankton is returned to the tank. Employees are by the microscopes and by the tanks and guests are given directions and instructions on how to do everything properly. Also, a separate touch exhibit has sea stars, anemones, and sun flower sea stars where guests are required to gently touch the sea critters with employees in the touching exhibit. In conclusion, all the aquariums above 10 out of the 36 aquariums listed above do not have a touch exhibit available for guests to enjoy. Seven out of the 10 aquariums that do not have a touching exhibit of any sort have feeding shows in place in which trained employees feed featured aquatic animals like sharks, otters, and alligators to name a few. The other 26 aquariums have a touching exhibit of some sort. The majority of the exhibits have sting rays, sharks, starfish, sea stars, sea cucumber, sea urchins, and other aquatic small invertebrates for the guest to touch. Furthermore, some states such as Mississippi (where crawfish, snails, and mussels are in the touch exhibit) and Seattle, Washington (where plankton are collected and observed under a microscope) have aquatic animals that are common or more adored to their relative state’s preferences. The rules and procedures of all of the aquariums are not consistent throughout the United States since AZA does not set a specific rules and guidelines to follow for each aquatic animal in their respective exhibits. Most aquariums tell guests to not take the animals out of the water but this rule in one aquarium seems right and fit while in another aquarium that has crawfish and snails, it seems understandable since crawfish and snails can live on both land and in water. Some common methods used by most aquariums with touch exhibits included not taking the animals out of the water, not grabbing, pulling, or poking at the animals, and using fingers other than your thumb. Some aquariums had many small touch tanks containing different invertebrates, sea stars, starfish, etc. where individual employees monitored and explained interesting facts about the aquatic animals. This was the most effective method used by aquariums to use many different stations to closely monitor the guests since using small groups made people tend to listen more to instructions and rules. There is no clear cut definition for what the rules and guidelines for each aquatic animal in the exhibit thus causes ambiguity amongst aquarium touch exhibits. This should be monitored and regulated nationally for the safety of the guests and the safety of these animals, which in turn would bring more prestige and attention to the problem. With a powerful and well recognized organization such as AZA setting the rules and guidelines, the problem would be diminished to insignificant proportions and would bring a better awareness about the safety of the aquatic animals and a better education about the importance of all animals in our world would soon follow.

Letter sent to AZA: Dear Association of Zoos and Aquariums, I am a student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and for a class project I chose the topic of touch exhibits in aquariums. Aquariums are incredible exhibitions to help conserve, protect, and educate. Touch exhibits are one popular method used to teach the public about different animals species from a unique and exciting perspective that will allow them to take with them memories they will never forget. It’s important that aquariums are accredited by your organization, to ensure that they are following the guidelines of making an environmental difference, providing a pleasurable day for the guests that visit, and ensuring the welfare and comfort of all the animals that they possess. But unfortunately, touch tanks can sometimes cause unnecessary stress and discomfort to the animals in them. 37 aquariums are accredited by your association, and a majority of these aquariums have touch exhibits. These touch exhibits usually have animals such as sharks, rays, and smaller invertebrates. The regulation of these touch exhibits is mandatory to ensure the safety and comfort of the animals in them. The AZA does inspections to make sure that minimum standards are met in aquariums, however at this point there is no mandatory rules for how to run a touch exhibit. Many aquariums use methods such as a minimum number of fingers used to touch the animals on the dorsal side only, staff supervision, and signs and demonstrations on how to safely touch the animals. However, some aquariums, even ones accredited by your organization may not be able to keep their animals protected at all times from guests that choose to grab, poke, and pick up the organisms and cause pain or discomfort to the animals. Therefore, I am proposing that your organization requires a combination of certain required methods for touch exhibits at all aquariums that are accredited. It must be made mandatory for aquariums to have staff members present at touch exhibits at all times. With a staff member present, guests will be more inclined to handle the animals correctly if they know they are being supervised. Staff can demonstrate the proper touching methods and encourage people to touch correctly as well. Staff can also educate the guests about the specific animals found in that exhibit. The most effective touching method for aquariums to practice is the 2 finger touch rule. This means guests are only allowed to use their index and middle fingers together to touch the animals on their dorsal side only. This will prevent poking and grabbing and provides a light touch that won’t stress out the animals. Signs and videos throughout the touch exhibit should demonstrate and state this rule to remind the guests. Aquariums should also have to give their animals breaks throughout the day from touching. There should be an organized schedule for when certain touch exhibits are closed to the guests to ensure that the animals can relax, eat peacefully, and interact with each other while exhibiting natural behaviors. This will keep their stress levels down and enhance their quality of life. A suggested time period for this break is 15 minutes out of every hour. The amount of guests in an exhibit at a time should be kept to a minimum. This keeps the numbers manageable for staff members. When people are in large groups they tend to reject the burden of responsibility and assume that if everyone else in the group follows directions then they can get away with not following them. It is also hard for staff to monitor all the animals in the exhibit and make sure they are all safety being touched. These techniques in combination with current methods that individual aquariums follow are important to keep all aquatic animals in aquariums safe at all times. Many aquariums have a reliable system working for their touch exhibits, however some do not, and this is violating the AZA’s requirement of minimal care to all animals. Aquariums accredited by AZA take much pride in this accomplishment, and should keep animal care as a priority no matter what. If AZA requires these rules and includes touch tank management as part of their inspections, aquariums will strive to make their touch exhibits as safe for the animals as they can. It’s also surprising that only 37 aquariums are recognized by the AZA. Awareness is important to encourage other aquariums, zoos, institutions, wildlife centers, and other exhibitions with animals used for entertainment and educational purposes to get more involved with AZA. The push for others to be accredited by AZA will not only gain these places more notoriety, but their animals will be protected and guaranteed the best care. In conclusion, aquariums need to strive to become more involved with AZA if they are not already. For those that are, they need to step up to provide the safest homes for all of the animals they display. This especially applies to the vulnerable animals in touch exhibits. As an animal lover, and student striving to become more involved in issues such as this, I would love to help make this happen in any way possible. This project has been done as more than an assignment to me, it is a mission. I can be reached by email at [email protected] at any time, and by phone (856)343-7352 most evenings after 6. My goal here is to truly make a difference and see a change. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you. Samantha Wehman Editorials Can’t Touch This... Or Can You?

"Look Mommy, let's go touch the sting rays!" says a little girl, dragging her mother over to a sting ray touch exhibit at her local aquarium. With guidance from aquarium staff, she is able to safely touch a Southern Sting Ray with two fingers gently along his back as he swims past her while splashing and waving his fins with excitement. This is what aquariums aim for every day... making sure their guests leave with an experience they will never forget! Touch exhibits are a very popular attraction at aquariums that provide an educational and memorable experience like no other.

At aquariums it’s common to find animals on display to look at in fascinating enclosures, but it’s a whole different perspective to get to touch a marine animal that remains mysterious in it’s natural deep-ocean habitat. Families and guests of all ages love the adventure of touching a real live creature while getting firsthand knowledge on the animal they are meeting up close. As important as these exhibits are to give guests an unforgettable experience at the aquarium, it’s also important to have some guidelines and regulations to protect the animals that are providing the show.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredits many Aquariums across the country. The purpose of the association is to make sure that the welfare of the animals is an important factor in the operation of any exhibition that uses animals for entertainment purposes. Aquariums accredited by the AZA try many combinations of methods to provide awareness to guests on how to safely touch the animals without harming them. Most aquariums encourage guests to touch the animals with only the middle and index finger, gently along the dorsal side of the organism. The main reason for this recommended “2 finger touch” is to keep the animals safe and comfortable at all times. Picking up or handling an animal improperly could hurt or cause injuries to the animal, and staff at aquariums should be there to monitor the exhibits at all times while teaching about the various species. Animals are often given breaks throughout the day where the exhibit is closed in 15-minute intervals from touching, to relieve their stress and allow them to have a breather. Guests don’t always acknowledge the significance of a “break” for a starfish or an anemone, but if they had to endure being touched and poked all day they would most likely appreciate the rest too.

Besides providing a pleasurable day for the guests, aquariums always hope that people leave the building feeling like they learned something from their experience. Not only learning about the that inhabits the waters that cover 70% of earth’s surface, but learning to respect the animals that live there is important as well. The top priorities of an aquarium should be the happiness and satisfaction of their guests, and the welfare and treatment of their animals.

So next time you take a trip to your local aquarium, keep in mind the feelings of the little critters that live there. As tempting as it may be to poke that squishy sea cucumber or feel the placoid scales on a touchable shark with your full hand, consider the feelings of the animals first. They will be very thankful for it. Samm Wehman

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Touching Exhibits at Aquariums

When’s the last time you visited an aquarium that had a touching exhibit? Touching exhibits let guests to use their own hands to touch sharks, sting rays, starfish, and many other small aquatic animals and bring knowledge about the importance of all animals in an ecosystem, not just our pets at home. But are these aquatic animals being treated fairly and safely by the guests who visit these touching exhibits? If not, we can all do something to make this issue better. Touching exhibits, such as the one in Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey, have delicate and fragile aquatic species being mishandled, grabbed out of the water, and poked at. All of these issues can cause serious harm to the aquatic animals in the exhibit and to the visitors themselves that do these kinds of things. These aquatic animals are not our pets but wild animals that cannot be tamed or handled excessively by humans. Instructions are given by employees and posters/videos are also used to ensure the guests are given proper instructions on how to pet the aquatic animals safely. The instructions include using two fingers to touch the animals since using two fingers allows for the most delicate and smooth touch. Unfortunately, people choose not to listen to instructions given to them and continue to grab and poke at the aquatic animals even after repeated directions from aquarium employees. We can start fixing this problem by a number of different methods. One method includes using a rubber band that binds your thumb, pinky, and ring finger together. The rubber band would cause your thumb to curl inwards toward the palm of your hand and the other two fingers to slightly curl on top of the thumb making all three fingers incapable of being used and most importantly hinders your ability to grab and pull on the aquatic animals. Other methods include using psychological methods to persuade or cue people’s perceptions and thoughts on listening to instructions and respecting the animals so that this issue does not occur. For example, posters or videos that use subliminal techniques and images like the “bandwagon” technique are very useful. The aquarium employees could all demonstrate using two fingers before allowing the guests to touch the animals thus causing the guests to be more likely to using their own two fingers while they touch the aquatic animals. We should fix this problem before a serious or fatal injury happens to any of these animals or to the guests themselves. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recognizes only ten percent of zoos and aquariums in the United States. AZA sets the guidelines and protocols for how all wild animals at zoos and aquariums should be treated and handled to relieve most stress from the animals held in captivity but AZA does not have specific rules and regulations on how touching exhibits in aquariums and zoos should be handled. Each aquarium or zoo has its own guidelines to follow and thus causes ambiguity amongst different zoos and aquariums with touching exhibits. There are successful examples where touching exhibits limit the amount of negative interactions between animals and people. The National Aquarium in Baltimore allows for a limited amount of people to enter the touching exhibit thus allowing for the aquarium employees to be able to watch and monitor all of the guests closer. Also, in smaller groups, people tend to listen to instructions more and the psychological effect of the distribution of responsibility (this means people in large crowds expect other people to carry the burden of responsibility and feel they have leeway to break the rules as they please) amongst people in a large crowd is extinct. Furthermore, employees can teach and explain interesting facts about the aquatic animals to small groups within the touching exhibit which brings a greater sense of respect and care for the animals. In conclusion, the problem faced by aquariums and zoos that contain touching exhibits is a great way to experience wild animals and to educate people on the importance of all animals in the ecosystem. Problems are faced by these zoos and aquariums to make sure no animal or person gets injured in the process and it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that all the rules and regulations are followed properly. If not now, then when?

Huseyin Dogu

This editorial was submitted to Underwater Times and was published on the front page. The link to the editorial is: http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=60291043175