A bilingual double-yellow headed amazon parrot visited Hinman College on Wednesday along with four other animals. They didn’t crawl in from the Nature Preserve, but were brought from Binghamton’s Ross Park Zoo.
Around 60 students, gathered in the Hughes Hall main room, were able to watch and learn about the different kinds of wildlife. The two volunteers from the zoo exhibited the animals while discussing various facts about the parrot, snake, fox, skunk and lizard.
Becky Chen, a freshman majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said that she particularly enjoyed this event because it brought out students’ inner child.
“It’s different from a lot of other events,” Chen said. “I’m pretty sure a lot of college kids are still five-year-olds and want to see this.”
Along with being able to touch and observe the wildlife, students were able to learn about the different animals, like the fact that a parrot can live to up to 80 years and that skunk spray is flammable.
Sebastian Geraci, a sophomore majoring in biology, said that events like this are important because they expose students to facts they wouldn’t necessarily learn in classes.
“I think this event is beneficial and important for students because I learned a lot of cool, nifty facts,” Geraci said. “I thought that one fact about the jaw of a snake being able to open about 180 degrees was really cool.”
Sean Ryan, a sophomore majoring in biology, helped organize the event. He joked with attendees that this was the closest he could come to buying a zoo for the school. He said that his initial interest in wanting to volunteer at the zoo, as well as the different educational aspects this event offered, prompted him to invite the zoo to Binghamton University.
Students not only learned more about animals, but also about a local Binghamton organization, said co-organizer Kathleen Moskowitz, a senior majoring in mathematics and a resident assistant at Hinman.
“We really wanted students to see that there are great resources off campus,” Moskowitz said. “We brought them here for a taste, so hopefully students will go to the zoo for a bigger experience.”
Robert Valenti, one of the volunteers from Ross Park, said that what he wanted most for students to take away from the visit was the understanding that animals should be treated respectfully because they are not that much different from humans due to their quirks; he explained that the parrot does not like men, specifically men with hats on. He said he was the only male the parrot tolerates at the zoo.
“The only difference between an animal and us is that we can convey that we’re hot, cold or hungry and they can’t,” Valenti said. “They have feelings just like we do.”