By Trinity S. Smith
My earliest memories of weekends as a child were often spent at Ellen Trout Zoo.
I can close my eyes and see the old train and hear it whistle loudly, which I had to ride before going inside the zoo as well as before leaving again, it was a must! I remember going to the admissions entrance and having to use the penny machine to get my penny stretched with an animal design on my choosing as memory serves, I believe I chose the giraffe more times than not.
Next stop would be to the snack booth to get a drink, and a bag of popcorn which was admittedly less for myself and more so for the peacock’s even though we all know we’re not supposed to feed the animals popcorn because it isn’t part of their diet plan and so, please do not make the same mistake I did from my youth. From there the magical adventure begins.
A zoo’s purpose is to educate the public about animals in different parts of the country or world as well as efforts to preserve their conservation in the wild. A zoo for many is where they first see exotic animals, birds, snakes, crocodiles, gorillas, etc. zoos are very important for children to get interested in animals and conservation. There is a lot of controversy over whether zoos are or are not ethical, well the fact of the matter is this, zoos are here, and the animals that call them home are there to stay. Many animals in zoological settings have little or no concept of what “the wild” is. They wouldn’t know how to forage or hunt for their food, or know how to find shelter, and many wouldn’t be able to breed for many reasons. Also, many of those animals would die in minutes or hours if they were released so zoos are their forever homes.
It is fair to point out that Ellen Trout Zoo will not measure up in quality to a large zoo such as the Houston Zoo or the San Diego Zoo by any stretch. However, that shouldn’t lessen the beautiful mission they have in sight which is to teach about animals and conservation. East Texas natives have probably visited ETZ at least once in their lifetime and can probably agree over the years the zoo’s vibe has changed significantly. New animal species have come and gone. Pre-existing animals have had their enclosures upgraded, some still need a lot of work done, but it’s improving. Animal enrichment could use some addressing as well, such as the big cats are not as exercised as they should be, the tiger many times can be seen pacing which is a sign of anxiety in large cats, but one might argue that it could be bored. The primates could use more enrichment as well they show signs of being bored and elusive. Improvements are needed and in the works.
There is hope, even with unfortunate situations there is always a solution and there are two direct ways you can help. At the top of the list is all of YOU!!! You all are the secret ingredient to the formula to save the zoo. How might you ask? GO TO THE ZOO!!! Take your kids, your nieces and/or nephews, your grandkids, your relatives, your friends. Hey, if you like to walk and exercise there is plenty of walking to be done and if inside the zoo doesn’t get your steps in take a jog across the lake there is a beautiful trail that wraps around the lake. Exercise is good for children too if you don’t want them inside watching tv or playing video games take them out to the zoo for an afternoon to get exercise and get all that excess energy out and they might learn something too.
The other way to help is if you are a charitable person that wants to donate to a good cause, might I suggest you consider donating to ETZ? Your donation would go towards helping pay for expenses such as food, medicine, and materials needed for the animals. Zoos are not cheap to operate, and they can only provide as quality of life for the animals as they can afford, so if you are unhappy about the conditions the animals are in, donate, help fund the betterment and enrichment of the animals so their quality of life can reach higher peaks, you can help.
A third method to help the zoo is for businesses in the region to invest some donations into the zoo. Ellen Trout Zoo is a unique attraction for people in the area; something for people to do besides going to the movies or getting food at a restaurant. At the zoo, people have the opportunity to go and see exotic animals. The only other options for this are in Houston or Tyler. Businesses should see that the zoo benefits them by drawing in people to the area, thus upping sales tax revenue. A wise suggestion is that they do their part in helping protect the zoo for both theirs, as well as the zoo’s, best interests. Without the influx of people to the zoo, potential business will decrease.
We can help save them, we can save Ellen Trout Zoo.
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