Covering Everything You Need To Know About The Month-Long Holiday That Promotes National Zoos & Aquariums
The month of June marks the beginning of Summer. With June comes the month-long holiday known as National Zoo & Aquarium Month. This wonderful pet themed holiday aims to remind people how important and valuable our national zoos & aquariums are regarding the conservation and research of animals and fish. This article will cover everything you need to know about National Zoo & Aquarium Month and how you can celebrate.
What is National Zoo & Aquarium Month?
The month-long holiday known as National Zoo & Aquarium Month is a very important holiday for a variety of reasons. Mainly, this holiday encourages people to visit zoos and aquariums and to learn more about animals & marine life. But, it also serves as a reminder of how important zoos & aquariums are to the education and conservation of wildlife and marine animals.
Studying these animals in the wild can be difficult, so keeping them in zoos & aquariums gives biologists a unique opportunity to learn more about them. It also creates a public platform to help raise awareness about land and wildlife conservation. According to AnimalsAroundTheWorld.com, there are 16,306 animals on the endangered species list. Yet very few people are talking about it! This holiday helps get these difficult conversations started so we can begin to look for solutions.
History Of Zoos & Aquariums
The first zoo in America was built in 1874 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was and still is called the Philadelphia Zoo. To this day it is still considered one of the most important facilities for housing and breeding endangered animals. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that zoos shifted to a private-public partnership. This realigned and established the overall goals of zoos making it clear that these places are for both public education and the conservation of wildlife and their habitats.
Finally, in 1982, president Ronald Reagan dedicated the month of June to zoos & aquariums to help showcase their important role in the conservation of animals & marine life. We continue to honor and celebrate their importance every June.
Common Misconceptions
Many people believe that zoos & aquariums are considered inhumane. They believe that keeping these animals and marine life in captivity for entertainment is cruel and unfair. However, what these people don’t understand is that zoos & aquariums don’t solely exist for entertainment. Both zoos & aquariums play a vital role in educating people about animals and marine life. It gives people a chance to learn and experience these animals in person as opposed to a textbook and picture.
Additionally, zoos & aquariums are essential for academic purposes. It gives zoologists and biologists a unique hands-on approach to study and learn more about these animals and how they behave. Aside from educational purposes, zoos & aquariums play an important role in wildlife conservation. The people who work at and operate zoos & aquariums also love animals and want to see them thrive both in captivity and in the wild.
To learn more about how zoos & aquariums contribute to and support wildlife conservation, check out AwesomeOcean.com to find an article written by Jack Hanna (former director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium).
How You Can Celebrate
There are many different ways you can observe and celebrate National Zoo & Aquarium Month this June. Ultimately, the best way to get involved is to go to a zoo and/or aquarium. To find a zoo or aquarium near you, go to AssociationofZoos&Aquariums.org.
However, we encourage you to not only visit a zoo and/or aquarium, but to learn more about the animals that live there. Zoos & aquariums are meant to be educational and help you better understand these animals and how they live. The more you understand these animals, the more you will appreciate them.
Another great way to get involved with this amazing holiday is to spread the word about it. Tell everyone you know about National Zoo & Aquarium Month and be sure to mention it on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. People can’t celebrate National Zoo & Aquarium Month if they don’t know about it!
Keep Reading!
We hope you enjoyed this article and that it inspires you to go visit a zoo and/or aquarium. These places are home to beautiful and incredible animals that we should learn more about before they are no longer around. To read more pet themed articles like this, check out the blog section of the official TopDog Pet Sitting website. Thank you for reading and happy National Zoo & Aquarium Month!