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Zoo Animals Show Their Artistic Sides
The pursuit of happiness is so important, America's founding fathers put it in the Declaration of Independence. Any zookeeper will tell you animals need enrichment, just like humans do.
So painting and music are part of the Smithsonian National Zoo's program to keep the animals happy.
Francois, a sloth bear, began his artistic career two years ago. He has a unique way to paint, using his breath. His keeper, Stacey Tabellario, said that although it might look odd, it's actually a very natural behavior.
Sloth bears "have got big, big lungs, and they can suck things up and then in the same breath they can exhale a huge amount of air," she said. "So we took this natural behavior of the exhale. We stuff up one of those tubes full of paint and ask them to exhale through it. And that expels all of the paint onto the canvas, making these really cool paintings.”
Animal artists come in all shapes and sizes at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. They use a variety of techniques to create masterpieces with nontoxic, water-based paint. Many use their paws or claws. Apes will use paintbrushes.
But like humans, not every animal wants to paint, said small-mammals keeper Kenton Kerns.
"Painting is absolutely a choice," he said. "So if it is very clear to us if an animal does not want to do a painting session ... we will stop right away. We will choose other animal(s) and give them an opportunity to do it.”
Tabellario said 24-year-old Francois seems to enjoy expressing his inner artist.
“When I set up the materials for painting activity, he comes and sits next to them and waits until we are ready to start painting," she said. "I also see where his eyes go, that he does see the paints come out of the tube and land on the canvas. ”
Music is also part of the arts enrichment program. Tabellario, who is the zoo's Enrichment and Training Committee chair, says physically and mentally stimulating activities are an integral part of the daily care. Trainiers have a lot of tools — everything from tablet computers to toys in the enclosures.
The program offers other benefits as well, Kerns said.
“Every interaction between keeper staff and their animals creates some sort of bond," he said. "And hopefully, especially enrichment sessions like this create a stronger bond.”
The one-of-a-kind works of art created by the animals are popular with zoo visitors and are sold at the zoo’s fundraising events.
詞匯解析
veteran
難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞
英漢解釋
adj.老練的
n.老手；老兵
參考例句
用作形容詞 (adj.)
A good idea soaked into that veteran worker.
那位老工人的頭腦里有了一個(gè)好主意。
用作名詞 (n.)
The baseball veteran loved to coach young players.
這位棒球老手喜歡指導(dǎo)年輕選手。
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detect
難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞
英漢解釋
v.發(fā)覺；察覺；探測(cè)
參考例句
用作動(dòng)詞 (v.)
If you read between the lines, you can detect his contrived explanation.
在字里行間，你可以看出他牽強(qiáng)的解釋。
Small quantities of poison were detected in the dead man's stomach.
在死者胃中找到了少量的毒藥。
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mental
難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞
英漢解釋
adj.思想的；心理的；精神的；腦力的
n.精神病患者
參考例句
用作形容詞 (adj.)
It's clear that mental activity does not stop when we're asleep.
很顯然,我們熟睡的時(shí)候,思想活動(dòng)仍然不會(huì)停下來。
用作名詞 (n.)
The hospital cares for some fifty mental patients.
這家醫(yī)院照料五十名左右精神病患者。
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torture
難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞
英漢解釋
n.拷問；痛苦
vt.拷問；使痛苦；曲解
參考例句
用作名詞 (n.)
The use of torture must disgust any civilized person.
施用酷刑必為文明社會(huì)的人所不齒。
用作及物動(dòng)詞 (vt.)
He tortured his prisoners.
他拷打犯人。
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agency
難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞
英漢解釋
n.代理；代理處；政府機(jī)構(gòu)
參考例句
用作名詞 (n.)
I hope we can see eye to eye about the other terms of the agency then.
我希望到那時(shí)候我們能在代理協(xié)議的其他條款上能取得一致意見。
The agent is the person who works for a government agency in secret.
特工人員是為政府部門秘密工作的人。
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rotate
難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞
英漢解釋
v.輪流；(使)旋轉(zhuǎn)
adj.車輪狀的
參考例句
用作動(dòng)詞 (v.)
The post of chairman rotates among members of the committee.
主席一職由委員會(huì)的成員輪流擔(dān)任。
Does the earth rotate on an axis?
地球是繞軸旋轉(zhuǎn)的嗎？
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painful
難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞
英漢解釋
adj.痛苦的；疼痛的；費(fèi)力的
參考例句
用作形容詞 (adj.)
It was painful for him to renounce his son.
宣布與兒子脫離關(guān)系對(duì)他來說是很痛苦的。
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