New Shows

New Shows @ Florida Aquarium
Published: March 7, 2006 on TBO.com

TAMPA - The stars of the Florida Aquarium's new stage show are not fish.

So what's what are a Nigerian dwarf goat, a Polish chicken and a Labrador retriever doing starring in the Florida Aquarium's new stage show?

The answer has little to do with marine life and a lot to do with entertainment.

The stage animals, which also include 11 rats, make their debut Thursday afternoon, part of the aquarium's plan to continue boosting attendance by offering people new ways to connect more intimately with the organization.

Two goats that will alternate performing in the daily afternoon show, are being trained to jump on crates, take a bow and wave to the audience.

Rats, in the process of learning their routines, will run around the new $30,000 circular stage before exiting through a hole.

Fish simply can't deliver the intimate experience that mammals can, especially to young children, the target audience for the show. Making a connection helps boost attendance, and therefore, revenue.

Aquariums face a conundrum, said Jeffrey Hyson, a professor at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, who is writing a book on the history and culture of zoological institutions. The very thing that sustains them -- fish -- aren't necessarily cuddly nor easy for children to make a connection with, Hyson said.

"The fish don't have the personality of the animals," Hyson said. "They can't be presented as charismatic characters."

None of the animals in the new show is typically found in Florida, unlike animals in the aquarium's other animal show.

"We wanted to create something more exotic," said Paula Blum, who directs the aquarium's animal shows. She said the animals were chosen for their ability to be trained and adored.
The aquarium's president said increasing the entertainment value of the facility is a key goal. "If the kids are entertained, the families are entertained, hopefully they will come back often," said President Thom Stork, who was formerly marketing director at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld.
Stork said a key problem for the aquarium when it opened in 1995 was that the original management made it so educational that there was little focus on fun.

The aquarium quickly turned out to be a financial disaster after its opening. Attendance was more than 40 percent below original projections of 1.8 million visitors. The nonprofit aquarium couldn't make its payments on the $84 million in bonds, and the city was forced to assume financial responsibility for the institution.

That obligation goes to 2027. In the current fiscal year the debt service is $7 million. That translates into about $21 for every one of Tampa's 321,000 residents.

The aquarium has put more emphasis on entertainment the last several years, leading to modest attendance gains. Attendance reached 607,570 in 2004, the best since its opening in 1995. In the year ending in October, attendance reached 620,000.

Aquarium officials insist they don't neglect the institution's educational mission.
Kimberly Casey, the aquarium's chief financial officer, said the show serves as a hook to draw people into the nonprofit institution to learn about marine life.

Even with its entertainment values, the show still offers a conservation message about the importance of all animals, Casey said.

Dennis Spiegel, a Cincinnati-based theme park consultant, said the Tampa aquarium's approach is not unusual. The aquarium in Denver featured tigers and an aquarium in Newport, Ky., has Santa Claus diving with the sharks, he said.

"Aquarium displays by themselves can be boring," he said.

From a business point of view the Florida Aquarium's animal show makes sense, Hyson said, but it risks criticism from animal rights groups who might feel the stage animals are being exploited.
Blum said the animals reside in cages that exceed minimum federal and industry-accepted zoological standards and are taken for frequent walks during the day. She also said all their stage behaviors are naturalistic, showing behaviors that animals would portray in the wilds or in urban centers, in the case of rats.

Once they learn their routines, the animals won't be doing them forever. Casey said the aquarium plans to retool the show every six months.

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So, "Aquarium displays by themselves can be boring," huh? Not to the 100's of thousands of visitors every years, and the thousands I have personally met volunteering in the Aquarium!

An Aquarium does need to be a fun experience, but let's not forget that animals are not toys (much as we all enjoy petting the stingrays). The beauty and value of the Aquarium is in the presentation of life! Yes there is much that can be done to improve this, and shows are a great approach - there should be more of them in fact! Yes, visitors want to see, touch, and smell the animals. But in our ever diminished world, exposure to the variety of life is, in and of itself, a valuable reward.

"The fish don't have the personality of the animals," Hyson said. "They can't be presented as charismatic characters." Well, IMHO, this is bunk!!!! He should try actually interacting with fish! Stingrays have personalities, as do many fish. My friend George, the Rockweed Gunnell Fish in the No Bones Zone, with the big "puppy dog" eyes, and curious personality is a good example. Another is the evil Willey The Wolf Eel (also No Bones Zone) - not cuddy, friendly, or even nice (in my opinion), never the less has a distinct personality. All it takes, is getting to know them. Of course, there are examples of fish as dense as pier pillings - can you say Red Drum?

Dr. Tim