INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Feb. 27, 2015) – For the first time, the Indianapolis Zoo is offering a program for students unlike anything it’s done before, and FOX59’s Jessica Hayes got an exclusive look.
Indianapolis Public School students were able to get into the water to take a firsthand look at how to train the dolphins.
The zoo says this is an opportunity most kids never have, and it opens a world of possibilities to them.
“You should definitely try and you’ll be amazed,” said eighth grader Ezekiel Robinson from IPS Key Learning Community.
Robinson says he’s only seen dolphins from a distance, but this was an experience he’ll never forget.
“The sounds and how they make them, they actually move their blow hole a certain way to make different sounds, it’s amazing,” Robinson said.
He’s one of about 400 IPS students who took part in the Indianapolis Zoo’s new program.
About 10 students at a time start the one-day program with a class to learn about dolphins.
“We try to get some prior knowledge about what they know about dolphins, how they feel about dolphins,” said Desiree Brandon, a program educator with the Indianapolis Zoo. “Then we kind of jump into a little bit of information about dolphins and the background on our dolphins.”
Then students change into wetsuits and life jackets and hop into the tank to train with the zoo’s nine dolphins.
Here, kids get hands on experience about what trainers do, from learning commands and dancing with the dolphins to getting hugs and even posing for pictures with the dolphins!
“At the beginning, there could be a little hesitation, once we get the session going,” said Alicia McCarthy, senior marine mammal trainer. “By the end, there’s a lot of confidence that’s been built, they’re excited, they’re happy.”
The hope is that students see a potential career in something they may not have otherwise known about.
“Actually considered doing exactly what these guys are doing, caring for dolphins,” Robinson said at the end of his day. “I think it’s a great experience, something that anybody could enjoy doing.”
This program started in January for kindergarten through high school aged students and continues into early March.
Right now it’s a pilot program with IPS Key Learning Community, and it is free for the kids.
The zoo says it hopes to continue this program in the years ahead.