Cover Story

The mountain lions at the EcoTarium, Salton (left) and Freyja.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

referring to the animals that have been sent to other facilities. “It hasn’t been the easiest of times for sure — saying goodbye to animals and humans.” While they have retained staff who have special- ized training, they have worked on the basis of experience. There are 16 team members remaining from the core teams — animals, building/ground maintenance, and education.

Davison, who is typically in a managerial position, has been doing more animal care, which is now divided among three full-time staff and one part-time educator. “We owe these animals the same level of care they received before we lost staff, but it is important to prioritize animal welfare as well as human safety.”

All of the EcoTarium’s iconic ani- mals are staying — such the eagles, owls, ravens, mountain lions, the fox and otters. “We also have some elderly animals and it just wouldn’t be right to move them, like our skunk, porcupine and possum.” Socks himself is also well into his golden years at 11 years old.

However, smaller animals like the reptiles, amphibians, inverte- brates, birds and small mammals are being rehomed, while some have gone home with keepers. Lucy Hale, president and CEO of the EcoTarium, explained how animals who are part of a species survival program have been sent to “a wonderful network of zoos and aquariums across the country who responded when our curator of liv- ing collections put the word out.”

It all depends on the animal and whether they thrive with attention. The mountain lions are not huge fans of strangers. Relatively new to the EcoTarium, the two big cat siblings took the better part of last summer to acclimate. It was some time before they began exhibit- ing natural behaviors in front of visitors.

Some, on the other hand, defi- nitely seem to be missing people. “Our otters are extremely engaged with guests and they get a real kick out of interacting with people through the glass,” said Hale. As op- posed to wild animals who would enjoy the peace and quiet, these are animals that have grown used to people. “When people returned,

A turkey vulture eyes visitors.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

(the otters) were just thrilled — they really missed them.”

The remaining staff walk around to visit each animal in turn but it’s not the same as a plaza full of guests, which is tremendously en- riching for them. With no visitors, the staff will have to rely solely on other types of enrichment, which varies between species. Using enrichment involves sensory input (sight, sound, smell), cognitive stimulation (new ways to find food), social interaction (with keepers) and food (new food or presenting it differently). Davison emphasized that “we don’t look at enrichment and training as extra” and it is viewed as a necessary aspect of having a happy, healthy animal.

The raptors, the owls, eagle and turkey vulture might actually prefer the quiet. “They don’t get too

much in terms of interaction,” said Davison, so keepers have to get more creative, not to mention careful. “It comes down to what’s exciting for a specific species, like giving parts of a deer carcass to the eagles, which enables them to display natural behaviors, and providing bones to pick at for the vultures.” Barred owls are very curious and social with their keepers, so they might bring them a stuffed toy for them to interact with or employ scatter feeding so the birds work to find their food.

Some of the animals took on an ambassador role — bridging the gap between humans and animals such as the flying squirrels, rabbits and other small animals. Now that these events are on hiatus, they get socialized daily with the keepers, who maintain their training for when live programs resume.

While interaction is important for the animals, social distancing is still a necessity. Skunks and otters are likely susceptible to COVID since their close relatives — ferrets — are being used to develop the vaccine. There are confirmed cases with dogs and cats, so extra care is taken with the fox and mountain lions. This extends not only to direct contact but also food preparation and cleaning the habitats.

Other than the masks and a dose of increased vigilance, protocols have not changed considerably since the pandemic, since many of the guidelines are already in effect at zoos and aquariums everywhere. “Anybody who works with animals is always aware that zoonotic diseases are an issue,” said Hale. The diseases work both ways — being passed from animal to human and vice versa.

During the dormancy period, the EcoTarium will reach out to the Worcester community for input on what people would like to see from the museum. Science museums have been in a state of change over the past decade and this institution has many different facets — not just a zoological institution but a science museum, a children’s museum, and a planetarium. “It’s a really special place so that’s why I hope that next year we come back stronger,” said Davison, “and we don’t want people to forget about us.” Despite the bleak outlook of 2020, the world needs cultural institutions and there will be a place for them in the new normal, even if they look different.

“We’ve made it through a lot,” said Hale, “and that does give great comfort to everyone here and in the community.”

Hale is confident “the museum will not only survive this but come out stronger for it.”