Conservation Connections

Explore Connections Studio proudly enabled by The Lubrizol Foundation, a powerful new Zoo experience that just might inspire someone's path.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s connection to wildlife conservation runs deep. Its network of field partners comprises more than 20 organizations working in 25 countries and growing. Many of these teams have been doing the work for decades, rooting themselves in the communities in which they work and innovating long-term, holistic strategies for supporting human-wildlife coexistence. The Zoo has been a steadfast partner, contributing not just critical operating funds but also the expertise of its scientists and helping achieve measurable positive outcomes.

The Zoo filmed change-makers from around the world as well as the Northeast Ohio community who are working toward a healthy future for our planet.

This work is incredibly complex and can feel out of reach for many. In its interactive Learning Gallery, Primate Forest aims to build on the inspiration visitors experience when they enter through the immersive CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home and draw them into an exploration of sustainable futures for themselves and their community. To do this, the Zoo is calling on some of its longtime conservation partners to help connect visitors with big possibilities.

Over the last year, the Zoo welcomed several of these esteemed partners to Cleveland. They included Felix Ndagijimana of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Dr. Marc Ancrenaz of HUTAN, and Thuy Nguyen Thu Thuy of the Asian Turtle Program, who enjoyed the opportunity to share updates and stories from their work in the field with Zoo staff, volunteers, and donors. However, the primary reason for their trip to Cleveland was a cutting-edge video shoot with Local Projects, the media design firm working with the Zoo on Primate Forest. The team filmed 16 leaders from around the world as well as the Northeast Ohio community, who will be featured in an interactive experience that inspires visitors to use their impact for good.

Making Connections

A first-of-its-kind, fully custom experience that pairs Zoo visitors with change-makers from near and far is sure to be a favorite aspect of Primate Forest. Connections Studio, proudly enabled by The Lubrizol Foundation, will invite participants to use a life-size touchscreen to take a fun personality quiz – not unlike Buzzfeed’s popular online quizzes – to find their match. Then, they get to hear the individual’s story and learn how their unique interests and strengths help them succeed in their important work.

Take Dr. Marc Ancrenaz. He established HUTAN in 1996 to implement orangutan conservation strategies in Sabah, Malaysia. The organization also studies other wildlife in this biodiverse region, addresses conservation issues such as palm oil, works with local communities to address human-wildlife conflict, and develops programs that support sustainable livelihoods for local communities. Ancrenaz’s ability to create long-term strategies, balance the needs and priorities of the communities he works alongside, and collaborate respectfully with all kinds of people give him the foundation to succeed in his work amid mounting challenges. He could be a match for a Zoo visitor who isn’t afraid to bring a big idea to life, piece by piece.

Felix Ndagijimana of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund might be a match for someone with an interest in science and a penchant for exploring. Ndagijimana became the first Rwandan director of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s Karisoke Research Center in January 2012. He oversees all of the Fossey Fund’s programs in Rwanda, which include protecting gorillas, conducting scientific research, training future leaders in Africa conservation, and helping local communities.

Nguyen Thu Thuy has been working with the Asian Turtle Program since 2009 and is now the Animal Manager for the organization. Along the way, she has benefited from the mentorship of Dr. Mike Selig, the Zoo’s Head of Veterinary Programs as she honed her skills in diagnosing and treating turtles. She oversees the rescue, veterinary care, and release of turtles, and would be a good match for a science-driven caregiver.

(LtoR) Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Director of Conservation & Science Dr. Kristen Lukas, Dr. Marc Ancrenaz of HUTAN, former Curator of Conservation Kym Gopp, Zoo Executive Director Dr. Chris Kuhar, Felix Ndagijimana of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Cleveland Zoological Society CEO Sarah Crupi, and Cleveland Zoological Society Immediate Past Chair Christine Myeroff.

These scientists are doing incredible things – and they’re just a piece of the Connections Studio puzzle. “We used the three pillars of OneHealth to select participants,” explained the Zoo’s Director of Education and Engagement, Katie Corr, “so we looked for people who are committed to making things better for people, animals, and/or the environment.” In addition to global conservation partners, her team focused on local and regional leaders who Zoo-goers might run into at the grocery store or know as a neighbor, like a composter from Rust Belt Riders, an educator from Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and a community forester from Western Reserve Land Conservancy.

The Zoo, of course, has no shortage of inspiring change-makers on its team, and a couple of these familiar faces will be featured in Connections Studio. Dr. Pam Dennis is the Zoo’s Veterinary Epidemiologist, who studies wildlife health on the population level. Dennis looks at issues holistically and over time, considering myriad factors and living in a world of few cut-and-dry answers. Her research spans from great ape cardiovascular health to COVID-19 in the local white-tailed deer population, and in addition to her role at the Zoo, she is also an associate professor of veterinary medicine at The Ohio State University. Dennis might be a match for an innovative critical thinker who leaves no stone unturned.

The goal of Connections Studio is twofold: to share the stories of people working toward a healthy future for our planet, and encourage everyone who visits to see their own traits as valuable tools for enacting positive change. Corr said, "You know that feeling you get when you want to be part of what makes the future better, but don’t know how – or you think the people who are the change-makers have this special magic that you don’t? We want to remove that self-imposed barrier.”

Making a Match

Through five fun questions that identify personality traits and interests, visitors will be matched with someone who fits their “archetype,” which may categorize them as a creator, innovator, caregiver, explorer, and more. Their match will appear on a custom animated background on the life-size screen and share their story in around two minutes. Then, the visitor has opportunity to take their own photo via a built-in camera that places them in the illustrated backdrop, labeled with their archetype. They can download it directly to their device along with tailored links to resources for exploring ways to get involved with conservation or pursue a career in science.

This is not a one-off activity – frequent visitors may not always be matched with the same person. There are a couple matches for each archetype and people may find that their responses to the prompts change over time, giving them opportunity to hear new stories and see how their own skills and interests are evolving.

Building Bright Futures

Along with other interactive guest experiences in the Interpretive Learning Gallery, Connections Studio will empower Zoo-goers to consider the benefits of nature and envision themselves as part of a thriving future. It also creates a valuable opportunity to integrate the Zoo’s decades of impactful conservation efforts into the guest experience and share the real work happening locally and around the globe with donor support. The result is a compelling distillation of the Zoo’s global significance – and an invitation to join in its mission.

Corr summed up the effect her team hopes to achieve through the Primate Forest experience:

“We want every single person that goes through this space and experiences Primate Forest to recognize that right now, without changing anything about themselves, they are already impacting – and impacted by – every other living thing they share space with. If they don't want to do anything with that information, that’s okay. We can't wait to have them back at the Zoo next time. But if they do want to do something, we also want to be the ones to provide the resources and the path to figure out how to take the next step.”

This forward-thinking philosophy that will make Primate Forest an experience unlike any other in North America has also made the Zoo a valuable partner in field conservation efforts around the world – as well as science education and engagement that bolsters the community it serves closer to home – for decades. Now, the Zoo is converging its expertise and leadership role in these areas to create a powerful experience that just might inspire someone’s path.