Last month, Montverde Academy Upper School AP Biology students visited the Lowry Park Zoo, located in Tampa, Florida.
The mission of the Zoo is “to connect people with the living earth. We strive to do so by operating the Zoo in accordance with the highest professional standards of conservation, education, research and recreation, and by serving as a resource for the community regarding conservation and environmental matters affecting animals and habitats, both locally and throughout the world. Growing to what now encompasses 56 acres of naturalistic animal exhibits in a lush, tropical garden setting, the Zoo offers popular educational programming and fun recreational amenities.”
According to Mrs. Sarah Schlussel, Upper School Biology teacher and organizer of the field trip, students were able to learn more about conservation (The Zoo’s collection now includes more than 1,200 animals), and from several exhibits that focus on endangered species from climates similar to the Tampa Bay region – assisted by park areas devoted to Africa, Asia, Australia and Florida. The purpose of MVA’s visit was to study primate behavior as part of AP Biology student’s study of animal behavior and evolution.
“Each student was responsible for completing an independent investigation of a different primates at the zoo, centered around their behavior. They observed their primate animal during the visit in order to collect data for their investigations. While there we also received a private tour with an education specialist who was an expert in animal behavior and specifically could answer our questions about the primates in their collection,” stated Mrs. Schlussel.
