Animal Selection How Do We Choose Which Animals Participate in Our Educational Activities?

Why don’t we always see the same animals during an Éducazoo activity? How do we decide which animal will participate in a birthday party, daycare visit, or school presentation? Do the animals actually enjoy meeting the public?

In this blog article, our biologist Roxanne Brunelle explains how animal selection works at Éducazoo. Behind every educational activity is careful planning, where animal welfare, safety, and the individual needs of each animal always come first. You will discover why choosing the right animals is much more complex than it appears—and why this approach makes all the difference.

More than 700 animals live at the Éducazoo sanctuary. Yet not every individual participates equally in our educational animal programs. Contrary to what many people imagine, animals are never chosen at random. Several days before each activity, the biologist responsible for animal selection carefully plans which species and individuals will participate.

Thanks to her in-depth knowledge of every animal, she considers their temperament, health, enrichment needs, feeding schedule, weather conditions, and the type of activity being presented.

 

Animals That Enjoy Being Handled

One of the questions we hear most often is: do animals enjoy being handled? The answer is simple: not all of them, and that is exactly why we evaluate every individual separately.

At Éducazoo, an animal never participates simply because it belongs to a popular species. It must demonstrate that it is comfortable with safe animal handling, remains calm around groups, and does not experience significant stress during presentations.

Only animals that have been carefully evaluated and shown to be comfortable with every aspect of educational programming are selected. Their comfort is never assumed; it is observed, respected, and reassessed over time.

Animal welfare is always our highest priority. If an individual no longer appears to enjoy participating and no longer benefits from the experience, it simply retires from educational activities and becomes one of our “road retirees.”

 

Animals Matched to Each Audience

Every audience is different. A daycare visit, a high school presentation, a seniors’ residence, or an adult birthday celebration each requires different animal ambassadors and different approaches.

For this reason, the biologist responsible for animal selection carefully adapts each lineup according to the age of the participants, their attention span, their abilities, and the educational objectives of the activity.

Some animals are especially calm and ideal for young children, while others are better suited to introducing more advanced scientific concepts to teenagers and adults. This is what allows our animal education activities to remain both safe and meaningful.

Whenever we offer a themed educational program, the selected animals are chosen specifically to highlight concepts such as evolution, adaptations, habitats, or biodiversity.

 

Diversity Is at the Heart of Our Selection Process

With more than 75 animal species living at the animal sanctuary, we have the opportunity to offer tremendous variety during our presentations.

If your school, day camp, or organization hosts Éducazoo multiple times throughout the year, our goal is always to introduce new species rather than repeating the same exotic animals.

The biologist responsible for animal selection keeps track of which animals have already visited each group. This allows participants to continually discover new aspects of biodiversity and the incredible diversity of the animal kingdom.

You are also welcome to let us know if there is a particular species you would like to meet. These requests are always considered during the planning of our educational animal activities.

However, numerous factors influence the final selection, including animal welfare, weather conditions, feeding schedules, and each individual’s needs. For this reason, we can never guarantee the presence of a specific animal.

On the other hand, if certain species should not be presented, for example because of a phobia or a particular circumstance within your group, we always respect those requests during the planning of the animal presentation.

 

When the Weather Has the Final Say

Did you know that outdoor temperatures can completely change our animal selection on the very day of an activity?

Many small mammals, including rats, hamsters, and chinchillas, lack functional sweat glands and cannot cool themselves by sweating. During heat waves, these exotic animals do not participate in outdoor activities or indoor events without air conditioning because they are at risk of developing potentially fatal heat stroke.

Conversely, some tropical species require warmer temperatures, while others tolerate environmental changes more easily. Every outing is carefully evaluated according to the weather forecast to protect animal health.

For outdoor activities, another factor must also be considered: escape risk. We prioritize animals whose movements are easy to control and whose safe handling can be maximized.

The biologist responsible for animal selection, together with our team leaders, reassesses every lineup the day before and again on the morning of each activity. A significant change in temperature, updated weather forecasts, or an animal that appears less motivated may all result in a different animal ambassador being selected.

This flexibility ensures that every educational activity with animals always respects animal welfare.

 

Every Animal Has Its Own Schedule

Another common question is: why don’t we always meet the same snake or the same ferret during an Éducazoo activity?

The answer is simple: because we rotate our animals. We have several individuals of many species to ensure that no single animal ambassador participates in activities day after day.

This rotation provides appropriate rest while maintaining an excellent level of enrichment and stimulation for each animal.

Some animals genuinely enjoy exploring new environments and happily participate four or five times each week, such as our ferrets. Others prefer only one or two outings each week, such as Édouard, our White-crowned Pionus.

The biologist responsible for animal selection carefully considers each individual’s preferences and needs, creating a healthy balance between stimulating experiences and rest days.

Our planning is always built around the animals’ needs, not the other way around.

 

Even Feeding Schedules Influence the Planning

For some species, especially snakes, feeding schedules are one of the determining factors during the selection process.

Because snakes eat far less frequently than many other animals, their feeding schedule must always be respected. A snake due for a meal will never be scheduled for an educational outing because doing so would interfere with its feeding routine.

Most snakes eat every 7 to 14 days, making skipped meals unacceptable. Likewise, a snake that has just eaten requires approximately 48 hours of uninterrupted rest to properly digest its prey.

The biologist responsible for animal selection carefully coordinates educational outings around feeding calendars, digestion periods, and the biological rhythms of each species.

This ensures that essential needs linked to animal welfare are never compromised.

 

A Parrot Chooses Its Favorite Humans!

Every animal develops preferences, and parrots are probably the best example.

Take Tako, our Yellow-Crowned Amazon. Like many parrots, he forms genuine bonds of trust with certain people. He absolutely loves some of our Naturalists... and is far less enthusiastic about others!

Although the biologist is responsible for assigning animals to each activity, she also considers the relationships that have developed between individual animals and specific Naturalists.

This is especially important with parrots, which often develop strong preferences for particular people. Pairing these animal ambassadors with the Naturalists they trust helps reduce stress and encourages positive experiences for everyone involved.

 

Our Animal Mentorship Program

Not every animal arrives at the sanctuary already comfortable being handled.

This is where our Naturalists play an essential role. Through our mentorship program, any new animal that is not yet comfortable with handling is paired with a volunteer Naturalist who becomes its primary caregiver.

All necessary supplies are provided so the Naturalist can spend time building a trusting relationship with the animal, often within the comfort of their own home. Handling sessions are introduced gradually and always at the animal’s pace.

When an animal eventually becomes fully comfortable with its Naturalist, it is a proud milestone for both. That Naturalist then has the privilege of accompanying the animal during its very first educational activities.

This process requires patience, consistency, and time, but the rewards are tremendous. Animals develop positive relationships with humans, gain confidence, and often become outstanding ambassadors for their species.

 

Animal Selection: Much More Than Simply Choosing an Animal

Behind every educational activity featuring animals lies genuine scientific planning. Every selection is made by the biologist responsible for animal assignments, who knows each sanctuary resident individually and evaluates their temperament, enrichment needs, feeding schedule, weather conditions, and the nature of the planned activity.

This planning remains flexible right up until departure. If conditions change or an animal would benefit more from a rest day, another individual is immediately selected.

Our priority never changes: providing exceptional animal education experiences while always respecting animal welfare.

It is this attention to every detail that allows our animals to remain happy, confident, and thriving animal ambassadors year after year.