Camille Gazoul ’15 | Page editor

Following their month- long unit on primates, Crosby Washburne’s Anthropology classes took a field trip to the Detroit Zoo on Friday, October 18.

“We’ve spent a whole unit looking at primates and it’s one thing to study them but it’s also another thing to go and see them,” said Washburne. “I think when you actually observe them in person things that you either read about or see have more of an impact on you.”

To study the primates, students have been watching videos in class on the many different species, Ellen High ’14 said.

“I have kids come up to me and say ‘I’ve been to the zoo before but I never really appreciated until I learned about these animals and then got to see them in person’,” said Washburne. “For me at least, learning doesn’t only take place in the four walls it takes place, outside too. And I think it’s important for us to see how zoos work.”

The students were led by tour guides around the zoo, who explained the various animals for about two hours. The students then took short break for lunch they are free to explore on their own, Washburne said.

“I liked seeing the chimps, there was a baby chimp and it was really cute and it was fun watching it play with all the other chimps,” said High. “You can see exactly how they’re related to you, the Chimps especially, just the way they walk and interact with each other; it’s really interesting.”

However, the students are not the only ones who enjoy the field trip.

“I really like the way the kids experience the zoo, that’s important to me, that they’re understanding and getting something out of it,” said Washburne. “It’s amazing sometimes I go back to the chimps after lunch and there might be 15 or 20 kids just leaning against the window looking at them.”

At the zoo, the classes observed and learned new things about the animals they studied.

“I actually know a lot about the animals I’m looking at now, which is really cool and it changed how I saw things,” said Julia Moss ’15. “You can see how similar primates are to humans when you know what you’re looking for. It was very special to see.”