Running Wild!
Live-animal Presentation


Photo by Bill Hornbaker © ASDM

Presented at 11:00 a.m. daily except Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

"It takes months to train a skunk to walk across the stage," commented George Carpenter, Curator of the Interpretive Animal Collection. "We have encouraged the animals to do what they naturally do. Then, we reward them with food. Training secretive wild animals to show-off in front of audiences takes a little understanding of animal behavior and lots of time and patience. Combining the animal behaviors with projected photographs, educational text, music and narration makes this a memorable experience for Desert Museum visitors."

Pitter, patter, swoosh, raaack. These are sounds visitors hear in the Desert Museum's Warden Oasis Theater during a live animal demonstration called Running Wild. A raccoon-like ringtail scampers across the stage, colorful macaws ramble around, and a stout porcupine waddles by. Bold images of the animals in desert, montane, marine and tropical forest habitats are projected on a large screen with educational text while animals scurry about the stage. To complete the experience, subtle music accompanies the action.

The current educational focus of Running Wild is the history of the Desert Museum, as part of our celebration of the 60th year of its founding. The live animals help bring to life important aspects of the institution's history in engaging fashion. These animals are ambassadors for their kind and, as Founder William Carr put it, "the Museum is their Embassy."

The Running Wild demonstration was designed for people of all ages, and it has a strong appeal to children. The experience includes trivia questions about the History of the Desert Museum, animals running loose on the stage, a multi-media approach, the opportunity to touch an animal, and a thirty-minute format.

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