Animal Practices

The Drawing Zoo's mission is to build respect for animals and an appreciation for art through life drawing classes combined with animal education. We reinforce traditional art practices to push children and adults out of their comfort zone.
How do we run such an operation? By making health and safety our day-to-day priority in and outside the classroom.

Animals

Taking care of our animal-friends is a full time job. Kerri and I are responsible for housing, cleaning, feeding, entertaining and providing vet care for all of them. The animals' needs don't change just because we're in a classroom. When we bring animals to visit schools we snuggly* pack them into stackable travel bins appropriate for their size, stack them in a transportation bag, secure the bag with seat belts and of course, drive carefully. We have to bring the following with us:

-Warmers, heat pads, lamps to keep them warm.
-Water, spray bottle to keep them hydrated and cool.
-Snacks to keep them entertained and healthy.
-Hiding places, for privacy. They don't like being in the spotlight for every moment of the day.
-Travel containers. We don't just throw the animals in our purse.
-Branches for the animals to relax on, and hold onto while they model.
-Drapery for the animals to play with, sit on and be comfortable.
-Gloves. Our iguana is a gentle creature, but his claws are sharp and holding him for 3-6 hours can get irritating. So the gloves make our day a little easier.

Sometimes it feels like we're traveling with toddlers. We have to arrive early so that we can clean up any bathroom accidents before presenting to the class.
*Snuggly means the animal has room to turn around, but can also brace itself if the car stopped suddenly.

Students

Health and safety our day-to-day priority in and outside the classroom, for both animals and kids.
"Does is bite?" is the natural first question every child, teacher, parent and administrator ask. Our policy is that everything with a mouth can bite. Including you and me. The question people mean to ask is "How do we know when an animal will bite?" or "How can you tell if an animal is safe to interact with?" Through our experiences caring for many different animals through all their stages of life, we have put together a checklist. The animals we bring to meet students must pass our checklist.

Scared, Sick, Hungry, Young, Personality

-Scared. We don't bring animals who scare easily or are insecure. Most of our animals have 8-10 years of experience with stangers, children, traveling and learning about new sights and smells.
-Sick. We don't bring an animal that's behaving strange the day of or before a class he's scheduled to visit. We will take him to the vet and we'll bring a different animal to school. Before we bring newer animals to class, they must have a clean bill of health from our vet.
-Hungry. Our animals are either operating with a satisfied belly or we bring their food to class. Traveling with our lizards is similar to traveling with a toddler. We come prepared for hunger, sleepiness or antsy pants.
-Young. All baby animals bite! Puppies, kittens, macaws, hamsters, bunnies etc. Baby animals bite to learn, teeth or defend themselves (whether against real or imagined enemies). So we do not bring animals that are too inexperienced with kids. Different species develop differently. For example, a 2 year old iguana is still a toddler compared to a 2 year old bunny who is an adult.
-Personality. This is the factor that makes be most anxious. Out of every individual animal of any age in any species (including people), there are some that are just sour while some are impossibly easy going. While we love and appreciate every animal for who he or she is, we do not take animals to class unless we've spent enough time with them to know who they are and what their personality is like.

This article just scratches the surface of my and Kerri's philosphies and experiences, but it is a consice explanation of how we run such a unique service and accomplish our mission.

-Brittany Roger