Scouting, Volume 69, Number 4, September 1981 Page: 93
98, E1-E24, [16] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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take pride in it."
No less proud are the Explorers' leaders,
both as professionals in animal care and as
Exploring volunteers.
"I've got the animals' lives in my
hands," says post Advisor Carleton Bailie
as he sits on the edge of the monkey moat
that he's just finished cleaning with a
high-pressure hose. The 27-year-old an-
imal care supervisor expresses what many
of the Explorers feel. "The only reason the
animals are here is because we put them
here, and it's my job to take care of them.
And yet, it's not really a job to me. It's fun.
"Are they going to be able to work in an
animal shelter, and after no one claims the
animals in seven days, are they going to be
able to watch a vet put an animal to sleep?
"If they're not ready for these things,
we'd like either to train them so they will
be or direct them into areas where they're
not going to be subjected to those expe-
riences."
Carleton pauses to call out a greeting to
the familiar individual striding past the
monkey moat. It's Mike Janis, zoo director
and post committee member. To say he
cuts an unconventional figure for Akron,
Ohio, or almost anywhere for that matter,
would be a generous understatement. He's
wearing a full-skirted bush jacket with
elaborate epaulets and what seem like 10
or 12 pleated pockets. A wool tweed deer-
stalker's hat sits smartly on top of his head.
The initial impression is that of a slightly
dotty Englishman, the kind whose idea of
a glorious holiday is a two-week walking
tour of Cornwall.
Scouting September 1981
Later, talking to him in his office, the
impression modifies to that of a dedicated
professional with an impressive Scouting
background and a flair for the dramatic.
"I pretty well credit the Scout program,"
says Mike, a former three-palm Eagle
Scout and recipient of the William F.
Hornaday Medal for Conservation, "for
getting me involved in the animal field,
especially through the work I did on the
Hornaday Award and several merit
badges. It opened up a whole new area for
matter what field
work the Explorers
ntually enter, their
t Advisors hope the
mence they receive
die working at the
a Zoo will give them
etime appreciation
i love for all types
of animals.
lat's what we're trying to do for
ry difficult to get into vet school
is. So, we're showing our Ex-
at there are alternatives to vet
> such a varied field. There's
400 or 500 job titles that relate to
ork—from microbiology to large
animal training. And if we can expose
them to some of this and make them
realize it's not all vet or zoo or kennel
work, then we've accomplished some-
thing."
The Explorers' bond with, animals also
has an impact on how they relate to one
another. "They're beginning to form some
pretty close friendships that they normally
wouldn't have because they're meeting
kids from other schools, especially now
that they're working here at the zoo.
"All through the fall and winter they
weren't real close. They didn't have the
opportunity to really get to know each
other. Now they're out here mucking out a
cage with somebody they've never met
before or maybe they've only seen across
the room. And they're starting to form a
pretty tight-knit group.
We have kids from inner-city projects
who have never had anything more than a
goldfish for a pet, all the way to kids from
the farm. The common denominator is a
deep love for animals.
"Even if they end up as factory workers
with an appreciation for animals, that's
something right there. It doesn't make any
difference where they end up, being able
to influence them even a little bit makes it
all worthwhile to us. I've got this strong
feeling of passing it on. Somebody gave
me a break years ago. And if I can give
somebody else a break, that's beautiful. I
guess that's the whole philosophy behind
Scouting."
Passing it on. An uncomplicated yet
powerful concept, and an apt description
of what Exploring adult volunteers at
Akron Zoological Park are accomplishing
with Post 2294. Their dedication to the
animal-care professions is providing Ex-
plorers with an invaluable combination of
hands-on zookeeping experience and ex-
posure to a broad spectrum of career
options. It's a challenging program based
on mutual concern for the care and well
being of living things. And both volun-
teers and Explorers are passing it on with
love. ■
"Our ad said, 'No
salesman will ring your doorbell!'
67
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 69, Number 4, September 1981, periodical, September 1981; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353625/m1/93/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.