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Nearly 7,000 miles separate Noble County’s Black Pine Animal Park from the Dushanbe Zoo in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan, but the common link – animals – is enough to foster a friendship.
The Albion park received a $75,000 grant from the American Association of Museums to create a cultural exchange program that will allow Black Pine to share its knowledge with the zoo, which suffers from low funding and outdated habitats.
The relationship between the two parks was initiated by students at three Fort Wayne-area schools that have had a pen-pal program with Dushanbe students for several years.
Last year, a Tajik pen pal was injured by a bear while visiting the Dushanbe Zoo, and the students took action by creating a program to promote zoo safety, education and animal care, applying for aid through the Museums and Community Collaborations Abroad program, a statement from the American Association of Museums said.
Roger Kovacs, leader of the student project, visited Black Pine and was impressed with its volunteer program, said Lori Gagen, Black Pine’s development director.
Black Pine – which has three full-time employees – has experience stretching dollars and manpower, Gagen said.
The non-profit park’s exotic animals include animals that were retired from performing or rescued from people who tried to keep them as pets. More than a year ago, the park lost its lease at its former site and was unable to buy the property, so it launched a massive relocation and expansion effort to an 18-acre site next to the Noble County 4-H park.
Relying on donations and volunteers, the park is in its second phase of the relocation effort, working on permanent outdoor habitats for its “big cats” while actively fundraising, Gagen said.
Gagen, along with her staff and volunteers, will use some of the grant money to visit the Dushanbe Zoo and share ideas on how that zoo can improve its exhibits.
Gagen calls the Dushanbe Zoo’s exhibits “out-of-date and old-fashioned,” consisting mostly of concrete floors and steel bars, with no toys to keep the animals entertained. In contrast, Black Pine’s exhibits focus on natural habitats that provide an enriching environment for the animals, she said.
Students in both countries will work to develop educational materials, including signage in the native Tajik language for the Dushanbe Zoo, where signs are still mainly in Russian.
Black Pine’s board of directors is discussing ways it can educate its visitors about the Dushanbe Zoo.
One proposal is a Tajik Teahouse and snack bar, Gagen said.
aturner@jg.net
