Profile of an Education Liaison

Marcelle Gianelloni, Curator of Education, Louisville Zoo
Liaison for the Cuban Crocodile SSP since 1996

How did you get involved as a liaison?

I was asked by the SSP Coordinator

Describe your professional background.

13 years as a classroom teacher, Curator of Education at the Louisville Zoo since June 1984. MA in Education from Lesley College in Cambridge, and MA in Spanish from Middlebury College.

Program accomplishments

©Nalini Mohan, Bronx Zoo

We organized the Cuban Crocodile Festival in January 2000 at the Cayo Potrero Crocodile Farm and the town of Melia on the Island of Youth. The Island of Youth is the largest island off the Southern coast of Cuba. The Festival involved dance, drama and musical performances that school children presented for their families and visiting crocodilian biologists from all over the world after they had competed in drama, poetry, etc. contests. The Festival included food (of course rum!), a rodeo, a sale of art objects, and a special cookout (roasted wild pig). We also gave out awards for the best work done by the school children.

We also created a Cuban crocodile booklet. The booklet had information about the Cuban crocodile (diet, behaviors, etc.). We found in a pre-evaluation that none of the schools had written information about the Cuban crocodile. They had information about crocodilians but not specifically about the Crocodylus rhombifer.

In 2002 and 2003, we held workshops for educators and community leaders in Havana and Santa Clara.

Where have you found funding for your program efforts?

Louisville Zoo funding and Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF) grants.

What have been your biggest challenges as a liaison?

Coordinating efforts with a country our government does not recognize.

What have been your biggest rewards as a liaison?

Working with biologists from Flora y Fauna and the director of the Jardin Zoologico de La Habana and seeing the results of our education efforts (increase of an awareness for this endemic crocodilian and usage of education materials in the classroom, at zoos and at national parks).

What are your goals for the program?

Create education kits for schools on the Island of Youth, more workshops, another Festival and create an interpretive center at the Cayo Potrero Cuban crocodile farm on the Island of Youth.

Words of Wisdom

Listen to your partners and be patient. It all takes time.

How has being a liaison personally impacted you?

Being a liaison to the Cuban Crocodile SSP has probably been one of the most significant projects of my zoo career for the following reasons:

Expanded my view of the importance of habitat protection
Gave validity to the role of education in conservation projects
Connected me to my own personal "hands-on" learning experience, my own personal growth....sure did expand my horizons!
Provided me with something special to share with others (students/teachers/zoo members, etc.)
Gave me an experience that was definitely "character building". Some of the challenges in the project taught me how to work with people, listen to their needs, formulate the information, analyze the resources, make a plan, and then implement it.
Connected me with an amazing ecosystem and country.
Got me away from the daily "Curator of Education" responsibilities like camp, schools, etc. and gave me the opportunity to experience conservation in action - a "real life connection" to what zoos/conservation organization do.
Gave me a sense of adventure . . . helped me with my restlessness.
Gave me the opportunity to use some skills I was not using in my daily job like speaking Spanish!

How has having you as a liaison impacted your institution?

Connected our Zoo to SSP goals.
Provided us a connection with our mission "to better the bond between people and the planet."
Enabled our Zoo members with a connection to in situ work.
Involved our community in an ecosystem protection project.
Connected our staff with our partners in Cuba. Three of our partners were able to come to our Zoo for a visit despite the difficulty in getting permission to come to our country. Working in Cuba is sometimes more difficult since our governments don't recognize each other.