On March 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the Animal Health and Science Student Organization (AHSSO) held their Exotic Animal Meeting event where volunteers brought their exotic pets for display and demonstration.
The pets included a hairless guinea pig, a chinchilla, a tarantula, a hissing cockroach, two snakes and a parrot. They also had a chameleon on Zoom for the owner to talk about it and take questions. Guests were asked to fill out a waiver for safety protocols before they could visit each station and hold the animals.
AHSSO President Caroline Rockwood thought of this event as a unique event where students whose careers are centered around animals could gain firsthand experience. Advocating students to branch out, Rockwood introduced a new level of learning as she invited rare animals to campus.
“People don’t really get many experiences or opportunities to touch or even handle or see exotic animals,” Rockwood said. “I think coming and having people bring their exotics here will let students see ‘oh wait, this is kinda really cool.’”
An opportunity for hands-on experience, each station had a notecard presented with information about each animal as students got to meet them. The owners were also there to take questions and speak on how they care for their pets, their backgrounds and to tell funny stories about them.
“When people see an exotic animal, they don’t nearly understand how much time, energy and money goes into them,” Rockwood said.
Making career development and animal education their goal, the AHSSO saw this notable event as a chance to diversify students’ academic journeys while endorsing good animal treatment.
“We want to focus on educating the science behind animal welfare,” Rockwood said on the mission of the organization.
The AHSSO is doing its part in bringing animal love to ETSU. They also hold their pet portraits event and even had a horse on campus last year.
For more information on the AHSSO, visit their Instagram at @etsu_ahsso.
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