While at the American Museum of Natural History I chose to observe The Dzanga-Sanga Rainforest and the Lives in Balance: Endangered Species exhibits. The first exhibit was a small replica of the rainforest consisting of various kinds of wildlife such as birds, mammals, insects, and trees. We were even told by the security guard that the rain forest had a secret gorilla that you could only see with a flashlight, but sadly I was not able to find it. The second exhibit showcased several endangered species such as the Siberian tiger, a panda, and some marine animals within a glass box.

While observing the Dzanga-Sanga Rainforest exhibit for fifteen minutes I tallied about 32 people most of whom were young elementary school students and high school students who were on field trips. Many of the young children seemed extremely excited and enthusiastic about this display because it was so realistic looking, and every time you looked at it you could find something different that you didn’t see before. The children seemed to have made it a game to see who could spot the most animals in the rainforest. One part of the rainforest that I observed was the area, which contained information about poaching. I was hoping to listen in on conversations of people talking about this topic but most just read the information on the display and moved on. I actually noticed that the children in the museum were much more interactive than the adults were.

While observing the Lives in Blalance: Endangered Species exhibit I tallied about 29 people observing the display. Once again most of the patrons were young elementary school children, but I didn’t mind because I found their conversations to be much more interesting and amusing than the adults who were observing the display. Many of the children were amazed that the animals were actually life size. Most of the children were especially interested in the Siberian tiger and would put their faces up against the glass wall and make animals noises. One of the comments a child made was how he wished the animals weren’t behind the glass box so he could pet them. I actually think having this display inside a glass box helps to reinforce the message that these species are endangered by showing how these animals are slowly becoming out of our reach and we’re losing them or it could just be used to prevent people from touching the animals in the display.

I think the main message both of these displays were trying to relay is about the conservation of biodiversity. I think both of these displays do an excellent job in reinforcing this message. These two displays tended to grab the attention of most of the people that walked into the Hall of Biodiversity. The Dzanga-Sanga Rainforest display does a great job in showing how diverse and rich the rainforest is and the gives great information for people to understand the problems that are arising due various threats many of which are caused by humans. The information on the displays helps to educate the visitor about the importance of conserving the rainforest and the steps that need to be taken. The Endangered Species display also gives great information about each of the animals that were in the display and the threats that they are facing.