Life with Dylan

Category: learn more

  • Dr. Ryder and the Frozen Zoo

    A few months ago Dylan was invited to tour the Beckman Center for Conservation Research and meet Dr. Oliver Ryder to learn about his extensive genetics and DNA work with the Northern White Rhinos. The anticipation and excitement for this visit was nothing compared to the feeling we both had when we walked through the front doors of the Institute on January 8, 2014.


    Knowing that we both walked away from this amazing experience with our own highlights and favorite moments, I thought it would be nice for each of us to share our own stories. 


    This is Dylan’s story.


    Visiting the Beckman Center for Conservation Research was the best time of my life. When I got there the first thing I could say was, “Wow, I’m really at the Beckman Center.” – Then when I got inside I saw stuff like pictures of animals that were extinct like the quagga. A fun lady named Maggie met us and gave us the tour. We got to talk to a really cool guy named Dr. Oliver Ryder (or Ollie if he’s your friend). Dr. Ryder is a world renowned scientist who first discovered through genetic research that northern and southern white rhinos are different. I also saw many different types of DNA from different animals such as southern white rhinos, gorillas, condors and much much more. 




    My favorite part of my tour was when I got to go in the Frozen Zoo. In the Frozen Zoo Dr. Ryder showed me all the frozen cells. The frozen cells are frozen by liquid nitrogen and I couldn’t touch them because it was so cold that it would cause severe tissue damage. Dr. Ryder had to use a special thermal glove to pick the cells up.









    Then we went to Dr. Ryder’s office and I learned a lot about northern white rhinos. It turns out that Dr. Ryder has seen all of the remaining 7 northern white rhinos! He also told me that he had a conservation plan to help save northern white rhinos. I thought his plan was very interesting.





    We got to see all the labs too. In one of the labs I saw Mountain yellow-legged frogs. They are critically endangered and I got to see them as tadpoles, polliwogs, and adults. Another part I really liked was when I walked by a scientist they would say, “Hey, you’re Dylan!” In the Beckman Center I also got to go in a really cool library that only had animal books in it. 



    All in all, my experience at the Frozen Zoo and Beckman Center for Conservation Research was totally awesome!






    Part 2 (my story) will be published tomorrow.







  • The mind of a child wonders … Why?

    The other day my son began asking me questions. Questions that I could not answer.
    Good questions. In fact, amazing questions!

    WHY do people have to kill rhinos for their horns?

    WHY do people have to kill tigers for their fur?

    WHY do people have to harvest palm oil fruit from the rain forest?

    WHY do people have to kill elephants for their tusks?

    WHY do people have to be cruel to the animals?

    WHY do people have to litter at the zoo?

    WHY don’t more people recycle?

    WHY do people not take conservation seriously?

    WHY do people have to cut down the rain forest?

    WHY don’t people care about these things like I do?

    I decided to use his questions for a blog post because I began to wonder …


    WHY does a 9-year-old child question these global issues, when so many adults do not?

    Photo courtesy of Dylan Fryer.

  • Endangered Species Monday – Educating children will change the world

    As much as I don’t want to believe this, educating adults is much more difficult than educating children. I guess its like the old saying goes – you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Or can you?
    As adults, we are sometimes stuck in our way of thinking and are challenged to think otherwise. Explaining the importance of an endangered animal to an adult means changing the way something has been thought about for years – sometimes decades.

    However, explaining the same thing to a child is liking flipping a light switch on. Suddenly a new way of thinking is introduced and a child will run with it – soak up the information like a sponge – and then release that information to anyone who will listen. A child craves learning new things and is eager to share what he or she has learned. Today’s children are the future of this planet. What my child does 20 years from now will either further the existence of current endangered species or continue to clean up the mess that we have made of this world.

    One of the best ways to educate a child is to give hands-on experiences. While libraries and computers are amazing and can teach vast amounts about why animals are endangered or have become extinct, there is nothing quite like seeing it first hand.

    Touching a rhino horn or ocelot pelt, holding a boot that was made from snake skin, these are the types of educational experiences that will become embedded in a child’s mind.

    Children are emotional thinkers. They see an animal being harmed and can relate this to a pet they may have at home or a charcater in an animated movie. Some, like my son, will go beyond the average persons level of involvement and ask questions that most adults don’t even think about.

    A great way to get your child the hands-on experiences about endangered animals is to visit your local zoo or aquarium. Many of these places have tables set up with pictures, artifacts, and games that make learning fun. You will be surprised at how much a child will retain and quickly repeat to others. So if you want to help save the endangered species, start by educating your child. Our children are the future leaders of this world and what they learn now will make a difference for many years to come.

  • Always more to learn about helping endangered species

    One of my favorite places to learn more about helping endangered species is the public library. I started taking Dylan to the library when he was just a toddler and he always went right to the animal books. As he has grown, his love for animals continued to grow too and now the library is a place we visit on a regular basis.

    Sure, there is plenty of information at my fingertips on the internet, but I love the way a library smells. The books that line the shelves for as far as the eye can see and the quiet atmosphere.

    The more I read about helping endangered species, the more I want to learn. A friend once told my son, never stop learning. Keep learning more and you will be one step ahead of the others. This advice was given in a conversation about going to college and becoming a zookeeper, but it can be applied to almost anything.

    Whether you want to learn more about your job, your hobby, or just go sit someplace quiet – the public library is the perfect spot. Sometimes just sitting there I can feel the knowledge calling to me. Sounds weird I know, but it’s true. Sometimes just walking up and down the rows of books and looking at the subjects will spark a new interest.

    Our last visit to the library was right after a visit to the San Diego Zoo. On this visit, Dylan had spent almost an hour talking with one of the volunteers at the orangutan exhibit. He wanted to learn more about the New World and Old World monkeys, so that is what he did. He pulled books on chimps, orangutans, and gorillas. Learning all he can about the animals and soaking up the data like a sponge soaks up water.

    He has also recently taken an interest in photography, so he checked out a book on photography.

    I may be too old to start a new career as a zookeeper, but I can always learn more about helping endangered species. The more I learn, the more I can help and the more I can share with my readers. These are the books that I chose to take home.

    As Rick Schwartz says, “Always explore, Always learn more”

    What do you want to learn more about?

    When was the last time you visited the public library?