Teaching Toxic Terrors

By Calais Thomas, Programs and Evaluation Lead at Butterfly Pavilion

When you hear the phrase “Toxic Terrors,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Spiders? Cockroaches? In the United States, many of us have been taught to fear these animals from a very young age. However, here at Butterfly Pavilion, our goal as educators is to help people discover just how fantastic – and not terrifying – these animals actually are and inspire a respect and admiration for their contributions to our world. It’s incredibly important that we do so to ensure a healthy planet for future generations. Here’s an inside look at how the magic happens at our zoo.

When interacting with learners of all ages, we work to be approachable and patient. We never pressure anyone into an experience that will make them uncomfortable – gentle nudges only! The goal is for people to leave their invertebrate encounters with positive feelings, even if they didn’t directly interact with the animal. By creating comfortable and encouraging experiences, we can show invertebrates in the best light possible and begin to build more positive associations with these animals.

Through one-on-one conversations with guests, we address the preconceived notions people have about invertebrates and ask them to see the world through eyes of the animal. For example, when working with our well-known ambassador, Rosie the tarantula, the communication goes something like this: “No, Rosie is not out to harm any one of us; at most she wants to feel safe and well-fed. Isn’t that something we all want?” It turns out we have much more in common with invertebrates than we may initially realize. Highlighting this fact builds empathy and appreciation for these critical animals.

If you’re familiar with Butterfly Pavilion’s work, you may recognize the theme “Toxic Terrors” from last year’s Bugtober, our month long Halloween-themed celebration. Every year, during the month of October, our exhibits transform to celebrate the fascinating and mysterious world of invertebrates that we may traditionally see as “creepy” or “crawly.”

When we selected the “Toxic Terrors” theme, it wasn’t to incite fear. Like our other programming, the goal of Bugtober is to develop an appreciation for these animals, beyond what one may assume from their appearance. We highlight common misconceptions about animals that pose no threat to humans, as well as just how awesome their abilities really are. For example, we are often afraid of poison and venom, however, these toxins produced by some invertebrate animals not only allow them to expertly survive in their environment, but also have benefits to humans. Chilean Rose Hair tarantulas, like Rosie, have venom that has been used in medical research seeking to prevent irregular heartbeats. Though she has venom, Rosie is one of the most docile species of tarantula out there and safe to hold. But even if she did bite, her venom would affect a human about a third as much as a bee sting. Not so scary after all!

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Guests gave their feedback during Bugtober, which revealed how their view of “Toxic Terrors” changed after visiting our exhibits. Before they explored this themed experience, we asked guests what words or phrases they associated with the phrase “Toxic Terrors.” Then, we asked them again after they explored our exhibits. Both sets of responses are shown in the word clouds below.

Left: Responses to “Before coming today, what is one word you would have associated with the phrase ‘Toxic Terrors’?”
Right: Responses to “After coming today, what is one word you will associate with the phrase ‘Toxic Terror’?”

As you can see, the most popular answer for both was spiders, but the words surrounding them changed. Before interacting with our exhibits and educators, guests may have thought that spiders were truly dangerous and associated them with words like “death” and “scary”. Afterwards, they are still recognized for being toxic at times, but were instead associated with words like “amazing” and “interesting”.

At Butterfly Pavilion this is our mission in action. We transform the way people think about invertebrates and facilitate conversations with our invertebrate experts that help our guests better understand and appreciate these tiny giants. Every staff member at Butterfly Pavilion loves and respects these animals, and every day we are incredibly excited to help our guests to feel the same way. Visit our exhibits to explore, discover and appreciate these animals with us!