[NAGDU] Sarge & the Giraffe`

[NAGDU President]

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

 

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