Hi there! We’re doing Critter Care right now. Meet Marina, one of our Visitor Experience Associates. She’s cutting up food for our critters. Boston Children’s Museum has four live animals: Watson, our bearded dragon lizard; Oliver our ball python; and we have two new spotted turtles who we haven’t named yet. Every day a Museum staff person is assigned to “Critter Care”. No experience is required to sign up for Critter Care, just a willingness to deal with the messes that animals can make. Critter Care team members seem to think that the benefits and enjoyment of working with the animals outweighs the little bit of unpleasantness.
Caring for the critters gets them used to humans as we handle them which is important because we like to take them out of their homes occasionally to have them meet our visitors during “Creature Features”. Some Critter Care staff are also trained in “Creature Features”, where they learn proper handling and how to talk to visitors about the animals.
Staff members on the Critter Care team generally really enjoy getting to know the animals and develop a real fondness for them. They learn a lot about these individual animals, as well as the species in general. Watson is a staff favorite. He’s extremely social and often can be found at our staff Morning Meeting. He likes to latch on to the front of your shirt and hang there, head cocked to the side listening. Sometimes we let him skitter along the floor. His claws slip a bit on the tiles, but he is undeterred – so much freedom!
The next time you’re at the Museum come visit our live animals on the first floor in Investigate, between Bubbles and Raceways.
The Power of Play 