Wall Street financiers have occasionally been referred to as sharks or snakes. But on Thursday, one prominent firm was associated with entirely different kinds of loveable critters.
About a dozen kindergartners, and a few high-powered financiers, gathered at the Blackstone Group’s Midtown Manhattan headquarters to get up close with eight animal ambassadors from Sea World, the theme park operator that the firm took public earlier this year.
Blackstone officials invited over a class from the East Harlem Tutorial Program, a free after-school initiative run by an education nonprofit in upper Manhattan. Several Blackstone employees volunteer at the program, which is meant to help encourage underprivileged children to learn and stay in school.
The children â€" along with Stephen A. Schwarzman, Blackstone’s co-founder and chairman, and Joseph Baratta, the firm’s global head of private equity â€" sat on the floor of a Blackstone lobby. Two grandchildren of Mr. Schwarzman were also accompanied by their mother.
Among the dignitaries the group greeted included Pete and Penny, Magellanic penguins brought in from Sea World’s Orlando park. They pressed together to peer at Sophia and King, Eurasian eagle owls that hailed from Tampa, Fla., and San Diego. And they fired off question after question about Shivers and Journey, Siberian huskies from Tampa.
Told that huskies are known for pulling sleds, one boy wondered if they could also pull a certain jolly old fat man’s sleigh.
“Can they fly?†he asked. A trainer gently answered no.
“Why do they look like a cat?†another child asked.
“Why do dogs eat chickens?†another chimed in.
The children had questions about the other animals as well. One child inquired into why penguins are black and white. (Camouflage to help them hide from predators. And a boy in an oversized critter woolen hat, upon learning how well owls can hear, asked, “Can they hear even better than an ostrich?â€
Thursday wasn’t the first time that live animals stopped by the investment giant’s offices. Two penguins came by in January, shaking flippers with employees of their corporate parent. But about a week ago, Sea World employees called and said that since they would be in town for media events, the animals could stop by for a visit.
The tour ended in a conference room with Buffy and Xander, 15-year-old Asian small-clawed otters with a penchant for squealing in a peculiar high-pitched voice. Though their trainers had provided the sleek aquatic mammals with a small pool, the duo instead wandered around a portion of the room, chittering to themselves.
Julie Scardina, a chipper animal ambassador from Sea World, then encouraged the children to give small gift boxes with peanuts and other small treats for the otters to unwrap.
Buffy and Xander â€" yes, named after “Buffy the Vampire Slayer†along with their absent brother, Willow â€" lustily tore into the packages, sniffing their contents and grasping the small goodies inside.
For the most part, the animals were well-behaved. As last year, the penguins left a little unsolicited present that Blackstone employees quickly cleaned up.
“It’s just another day at the office,†Mr. Schwarzman deadpanned.
