[Flagdu] Sarge & the Giraffe`

[NAGDU President]

Tesssa,

	As I said, we are working to help other zoos create more compliant,
consistent policies. I hope you can join our annual meeting on July 2 and
see the video!

Marion



-----Original Message-----
From: FLAGDU [mailto:flagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tessa Urban via
FLAGDU
Sent: Monday, May 2, 2016 8:39 PM
To: Florida Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Tessa Urban
Subject: Re: [Flagdu] Sarge & the Giraffe`

This is wonderful! I have visited the zoo but I haven't taken my dog. I
wasn't sure how everyone would react with her. This is wonderful and I will
be passing along the picture thank you for sharing! 
Tessa

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 2, 2016, at 7:30 PM, NAGDU President via FLAGDU <flagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> 
> Dear All,
> 
> 
> 
>                As most of you know, the National Association of Guide 
> dog Users, a strong & proud division of the National Federation of the 
> Blind, is working to enhance the experience of service animal users 
> visiting zoos in the United States. In 2014, Steve Olson, Vice 
> President of Federal Communications for the Association of Zoos & 
> Aquariums, and mark Trieglaff, President of Acessibility Consulting & 
> Training Services, AZA's ADA Consultant, came to NAGDU's annual 
> meeting to discuss access of service animal users to their member 
> zoos. This discussion has led to a very close and productive 
> relationship with AZA and its members, particularly Tampa's Lowry Park
Zoo.
> 
> 
> 
>                At our annual meeting this year. Dr. larry Killmar, 
> Lowry Park Zoo's Director, will join us for a screening of a training 
> video program created by NAGDU and Lowry Park Zoo with the help of the 
> Guide dog foundation's Suncoast Puppy Raisers in St. Petersburg, 
> Florida. This video program is an historical record of our effort to 
> desensitize LPZ's animals to the presence of dogs so as to afford 
> service animal users the highest level of access possible. When the 
> project began in January, Lowry Park Zoo had eight restricted areas, one
of which was the giraffe feeding platform.
> Now the zoo has only two - the Wallaby Walkabout in which people come 
> in direct contact with the wallaby and the tram adventure in which 
> there is direct contact with a number of wild animals as a tram 
> travels through the area. The tram adventure is currently closed for 
> renovations; however, once the renovations are completed, the animals 
> will undergo desensitization and this attraction will be removed from the
restricted areas.
> 
> 
> 
>                Today, my guide dog, Sarge, a very large German 
> Shepherd, and I visited Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo for the expressed 
> purpose of photographing us on the Giraffe Feeding Platform. Attached 
> to this message is a profile picture of Sarge with me. My hand is 
> extended toward a male giraffe named Gyote (pronounced jhi-OH-tee), 
> who has just taken a piece of lettuce from my hand. A piece of the 
> lettuce is visible hanging out of Gyote's mouth as he and Sarge look 
> at each other. They are about two feet apart. The picture is courtesy of
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.
> 
> 
> 
>                I hope many of you will join us at our annual meeting 
> to screen our new video. The meeting will take place from 7:00 - 10:00 
> pm on July 2. Registration will be from 6:00 - 6:45 outside the room. 
> The place of the meeting will be announced in the official agenda.
> 
> 
> 
> Fraternally yours,
> 
> Marion Gwizdala, President
> 
> National Asociation of Guide dog Users Inc.
> 
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> 
> 
> <Sarge and Gyote the Giraffe.JPG>
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