Cincinnati's Zoo and the Creation Museum

What were they thinking, those good folks in charge of the Cincinnati Zoo? Somehow they concluded it would be a good idea to do a little cooperative marketing with Kentucky's most famous monument to superstition and ignorance, the Creation Museum.

So, representatives from both institutions got together and worked out a system whereby visitors could buy a "combo ticket" which would admit them to both "attractions" for one price.

Sounded good ... at first.


But soon the zoo began "receiving dozens of angry calls and e-mails about the partnership, which offered reduced prices to anyone who bought tickets to the zoo's Festival of Lights and the museum's Christmas celebration, Bethlehem's Blessing."

Some folks said the zoo was scientific and the museum was religious. The zoo, being a scientific institution should not be, in any way, linked "to a place that argues man once lived side by side with dinosaurs."

Or, as Dr. James Leach, a Cincinnati radiologist, put it: "They seem like diametrically opposed institutions. The Cincinnati Zoo is one of this city's treasures. The Creation Museum is an international laughingstock."

PZ Myers, the University of Minnesota scientist, who writes at Pharyngula, claimed that "The Cincinnati Zoo is promoting an anti-science, anti-education con job run by ignorant creationists. ...

"I believe," said Myers, "the Cincinnati Zoo has betrayed its mission and its trust in a disgraceful way, by aligning themselves with a creationist institution that is a laughing stock to the rest of the world, and a mark of shame to the United States."

Myers also suggested people write to the zoo as well as to the Cincinnati papers to protest the zoo/museum alliance.

Within a few days, a worldwide e-mail campaign was in place, along with a zoo boycott.

The zoo caved, and called off the alliance.


Kenneth Ham, the creationist founder and promoter of the museum, was unhappy; he was "personally saddened."

"It's a pity," said Ham, "that intolerant people have pushed for our expulsion simply because of our Christian faith. Some of their comments ... reveal great intolerance for anything have to do with Christianity."

I find that most interesting. Ham has always bragged that the museum, while creationist, was not about Christianity but about science. In fact, creationists around the world struggle on a daily basis to try to determine some kind of scientific basis for their creationist nonsense.

And, in fact, the opposition to the zoo/museum alliance as well as opposition to the museum in general, has nothing to do with Christianity. Those opposed are opposed because the Creation Museum is not simply bad science, but isn't science at all, and simply confuses simple people with it's moronic biblicism.


PZ Myers, something of a lightning rod for creationists and other whack jobs, has received a number of e-mails attacking his position. Fortunately, he has a great sense of humor, and has provided one written by a true wingnut for our review here.

His original post dealing with this issue is here.