Visitor studies in zoos

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Animal-Visitor Interactions (AVIs) have become commonplace in zoological institutions and facilities globally. However, most AVI research focuses on the effects of visitors on the welfare of animals, with considerably fewer studies examining the visitor experience itself. Furthermore, robust evaluations of the efficacy of zoo education programs and engagements for increasing visitor awareness of conservation issues, and for fostering longterm pro-conservation behavior changes in them, are under-researched. This paper reviews the current literature that pertains to the effects of zoo visitation and AVIs on visitor perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes. We briefly note some of the known effects that zoo visitors have on zoo animals, then explore the effects that factors such as enclosure design, animal visibility and behaviors, and AVIs can have on visitors' overall experience whilst attending the zoo. We suggest that future research needs to more closely examine the relationships and interactions between zoo visitors and zoo animals; why some zoo visitors over others repeat visitation; what the differences in beliefs and attitudes may be between "zoo visitors" and "non-zoo visitors" (i.e., other general public); and to make a concerted effort to understand: (1) what visitors do after they leave the zoo, and (2) whether visitors adopt long-term proconservation behaviors into their daily lives. We further suggest that future research needs to start investigating indirect measures related to the visitor experience, such as: (a) individual conservation support outside of the zoo; (b) internet activity; (c) changes in sustainable purchasing practices related to knowledge gains; (d) financial investment in sustainable or ethical companies after knowledge gains; (e) and the longitudinal effects of zoo visits.

Modern zoos strive to educate visitors about zoo animals and their wild counterparts' conservation needs while fostering appreciation for wildlife in general. This research review examines how zoos influence those who visit them. Much of the research to-date examines zoo visitors' behaviors and perceptions in relation to specific exhibits, animals, and/or programs. In general, visitors have more positive perceptions and behaviors about zoos, their animals, and conservation initiatives the more they interact with animals, naturalistic exhibits, and zoo programming/staff. Furthermore, zoo visitors are receptive to conservation messaging and initiatives at zoos and are more likely to participate in on-site conservation opportunities as opposed to after their visits. The research also suggests that repeat visitors are even more inclined to seek out conservation efforts compared to those visiting zoos for the first time. While current research suggests that repeat visitors are more likely to engage in conservation efforts, little is known about causal factors related to such findings, and almost no research exists to-date comparing the conservation efforts of visitors vs. non-visitors. This latter comparison will likely play a greater role in future zoo visitor research, since it poses one of the most important metrics for evaluating the specific effects visiting a zoo can have on people engaging in conservation efforts in general.

"Zoos in the 21st century are striving to make effective contributions to conservation. Although zoos are extremely popular and host over 600 million visitors worldwide, one challenge zoos face is how to effectively engage visitors and raise awareness and action for conservation. To this end, zoos commonly rely on charismatic megafauna, which have been shown to elicit a connection with zoo visitors. However, little is known about how to measure a connection to a species or how this connection may influence conservation behaviors. This study had two sequential objectives. The first was to develop a scale to measure visitors’ connection to a species (Conservation Caring). The second was to investigate the relationship of Conservation Caring to pro‐conservation behaviors, following a zoo experience. Pre‐ (n=411) and post‐visit (n=452) responses were collected from three sites in order to assess the reliability and validity of a scale to measure Conservation Caring. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship between Conservation Caring and pro‐conservation behaviors. Conservation
Caring was deemed a valid and reliable scale and was a strong predictor of species oriented behaviors (b=0.62), for example, “adopting” an animal, but a weak predictor for biodiversity oriented behaviors (b=0.07), for example, supporting sustainability policies. Results support the role zoos can play in fostering a connection to wildlife and stimulating proconservation
behaviors. Additionally, visitors connected to a wide array of animals. On the basis of these results, zoos may recruit a wider assemblage of species as potential flagships."

Zoos are becoming more intentional about embedding messaging in their interpretation
to promote pro-conservation behaviors, essentially acting as agents of social change.
Values theory suggests that, be effective, interpretation including these pro-conservation
messages needs to broadly align with visitors’ values. Using the Schwartz value
system, this study modeled the relationships between visitors’ values, perceptions of
interpretation, emotional connectivity to Tasmanian Devils, and behavioral intent,
including a comparison of different types of on-site and post-visit pro-conservation
behaviors. Most visitors held moderate to strong conservation values, which were
predictive of positive perceptions of interpretation, emotional connectivity, and proconservation
behaviors. However, the results suggest that while visitors’ values align with
their perceptions of interpretation, they are only weak predictors of behavioral intent.
Visitors’ perceptions of interpretation and behavioral intent aligned more strongly with
64 journa l of int erpre tat ion rese arch
emotional connectivity than with their values. Overall, behavioral intentions were low
for all pro-conservation behaviors. Liking a Facebook post about the conservation of
Tasmanian Devils was the behavior most likely to be performed.

The United Nations Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 is a key initiative within global efforts to halt and eventually reverse the loss of biodiversity. The very first target of this plan states that " by 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably. " Zoos and aquariums worldwide, attracting more than 700 million visits every year, could potentially make a positive contribution to this target. However, a global evaluation of the educational impacts of visits to zoos and aquariums is entirely lacking in the existing literature. To address this gap, we conducted a large-scale impact evaluation study. We used a pre-and postvisit repeated-measures survey design to evaluate biodiversity literacy—understanding of biodiversity and knowledge of actions to help protect it—of zoo and aquarium visitors worldwide. Ours was the largest and most international study of zoo and aquarium visitors ever conducted. In total, 5661 visitors to 26 zoos and aquariums from 19 countries around the globe participated in the study. Aggregate biodiversity understanding and knowledge of actions to help protect biodiversity both significantly increased over the course of zoo and aquarium visits. There was an increase from previsit (69.8%) to postvisit (75.1%) in respondents demonstrating at least some positive evidence of biodiversity understanding. Similarly, there was an increase from previsit (50.5%) to postvisit (58.8%) in respondents who could identify actions to help protect biodiversity that could be achieved at an individual level. Our results are the most compelling evidence to date that zoo and aquarium visits contribute to increasing the number of people who understand biodiversity and know actions they can take to help protect biodiversity.

Can we appreciate in a serious and deep way the aesthetic qualities of wild species in exemplars held captive for exhibition in the artificial installations of a zoo? To answer this question I invoke theories concerning the aesthetic appreciation of nature propounded by Yuriko Saito and Allen Carlson. I then argue that zoos impose their story on animals, thereby preventing us from appreciating the animals on their own terms. I claim that captivity and its effects on the health, behavior, and appearance of animals make serious and deep appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of wild species impossible.

Os zoológicos atuais estão centrados em quatro pilares principais: a educação, a pesquisa, o lazer e a conservação. Dessa forma, grande parte do trabalho dessas instituições envolve os visitantes. Para que esse trabalho seja efetivo, é importante conhecer o público, pois a partir destes dados é possível elaborar estratégias educativas e de marketing pertinentes à realidade e necessidades de cada local. O objetivo deste estudo foi conhecer quais são as percepções dos visitantes da Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo (FPZSP). Para isto, foi dividido em três frentes. A primeira verificou a relação entre os visitantes, os animais do parque e os tipos de recintos. Isso foi realizado a partir da observação dos visitantes em frente a 12 recintos, pertencentes a mamíferos, aves e répteis, com diferentes tipos de design, onde foi notada uma preferência pelos mamíferos. A segunda frente consistia em seguir os visitantes a fim de analisar suas falas quanto à infraestrutura do parque, o que se mostrou inviável devido ao grande esforço amostral. A terceira analisou as lembranças que o visitante guarda após a visita à instituição. Tal avaliação se deu a partir de um questionário online enviado um mês após a realização da visita. Em geral, o visitante tem uma boa impressão da FPZSP e dos zoológicos como um todo. No entanto, a limpeza do parque e as placas de orientação são alguns dos pontos que devem ser considerados para melhoria do local, demonstrando dessa forma que a FPZSP é uma instituição preocupada com a opinião de seus visitantes e que busca o constante aperfeiçoamento de suas atividades.

Recently, some zoos have begun utilizing technology to improve
interpretation outcomes. Using the I-Change model, this study evaluated
the efficacy of the interactive TigerTrek Exhibit (Taronga Zoo)
in influencing visitors’ tiger conservation attitudes and behaviors.
The I-Change model is a holistic framework for evaluating behavior
change. Pre-visit (n514), post-visit (n609), six-week post
(n106), and six-month post (n24) survey data were collected
from visitors. Results indicated an increase in concern that all palm
oil is grown unsustainably, which was counter to interpretive messaging.
After six-weeks and six-months post-visit, 29% of respondents
purchased a product because it contained certified sustainable
palm oil. However, 50% of six-week respondents had actively
avoided buying a product because it contained any palm oil. By
understanding visitors’ perceptions of messaging and the types of
behaviors they are willing to engage in, zoos can more effectively
achieve their conservation goals.

La Strategia comunitaria Europa 2020 promuove una crescita intelligente, sostenibile, inclusiva e solidale. Le agenzie educative devono pertanto integrarsi con il sistema dell’Istruzione e con le politiche di valorizzazione del Patrimonio strutturando interventi efficaci e condivisi.
In questo contesto si inserisce l’indagine sul gradimento per l’offerta culturale dell’Acquario del Salento, inaugurato il 5 giugno 2015 nell’ambito di un progetto europeo. Gli allestimenti di scenari storico-archeologici e biologici marini sono stati supportati da un’indagine preventiva su preferenze ed esigenze del pubblico potenziale. Quindi, per valutare ex post l’efficacia delle esposizioni e dei servizi, dall’8 agosto 2015 al 9 settembre 2016 è stato somministrato un questionario anonimo semi-strutturato, diviso in 3 sezioni: la prima dedicata al profilo personale del visitatore, la seconda alle caratteristiche generali del percorso, la terza al dettaglio del gradimento. La visita comprendeva percorsi legati a specifici eventi, oppure liberi, carto-guidati e con guida accompagnatrice.
Gli 877 intervistati provenivano principalmente dall’Italia ed erano per il 50% studenti, per il 18% insegnanti, per il 32% turisti, singoli visitatori, gruppi di varia composizione. Tra i commenti liberi, il potenziamento di spazi e servizi divulgativi è da tutti richiesto, con un picco tra gli insegnanti. Altro suggerimento è l’incremento dell’orario di apertura. È stata lamentata l’insufficienza delle indicazioni stradali e posta in risalto la piena riuscita degli allestimenti in relazione a: didattica, accoglienza, igiene e manutenzione, scenografia, fauna. La maggior parte dei visitatori afferma di aver vissuto un’ottima “esperienza”. La comprensione degli aspetti indagati e la conoscenza dell’utenza permetterà di indirizzare le risorse finanziarie degli enti gestori verso la massima efficacia della proposta didattica e turistico-culturale rappresentata dall'Acquario.

In academic discourse, zoos have often been conceptualised as places of spectacle, with scholars focusing on the ways in which these institutions enable the viewing of other-than-human animals by human publics. This article, however, describes a set of guided listening visits conducted at two UK zoos. The visits were designed to question, disrupt and offer alternatives to ingrained zoo visiting conventions. They were also used to generate data on how sound mediates, or has the potential to mediate, relations between zoo visitors and zoo animals. The article describes the visits, reflects on their conceptual underpinnings and discusses themes emerging from participants’ experiences. It demonstrates the relevance of listening walks as a research methodology and illustrates the complexity of sound as a form of multispecies entanglement in the zoo context. The listening visits are also shown to indicate potential directions for wider changes in zoo visiting culture.

Zoos are increasingly turning to ambassador animal programs to address animal welfare issues and visitors' empathic responses. However, little is known, if or how, animal handling practices and interpretation impact attendees' perceptions of animal welfare and/or empathy. To evaluate these effects, eight ambassador animal program videos were created employing varying combinations of animal handling (traditional/free choice), interpretive messaging (traditional/empathybased), and choice and control language (present/absent). Online questionnaires (N = 1,185) were used to assess participants' environmental and empathic predispositions before viewing and perceptions of animal welfare and empathic reactions immediately after viewing a video. Results revealed that empathic reactions were moderately correlated with perceptions of animal welfare (r = .53, p < .001) and mean empathic responses were higher for free choice handling and empathic messaging videos versus traditional handling and messaging. Programming recommendations are discussed that can improve visitors' perceptions of animal care and elicit strong empathic reactions.

This reflexive essay is based on a visit to Berlin Zoo on an overcast February day. It attempts to make sense of the “zoo experience” through critical self-reflection and observations of how visitors relate to animal others. The concept of zoo inhabitants as liminal beings, neither domesticated nor truly wild, is explored. Animals born and raised in captivity do not belong in the wild any more than their ancestors belonged in a zoo. Although they likely could not survive in their “natural” habitats, they are no less “elephant” or “tiger” than free-living members of the same species. These animals occupy liminal spaces where they are subject to “the gaze” and exist as entertainers and educators. Despite concerns regarding the ethics of keeping captive wild animals, I argue that, given proper respect and husbandry, keeping some individuals as ambassador animals could be justified. However, any moral justification for captivity should be considered from the perspective of individual animals and species.

Educational enterprises frequently initiate encounters with confined animals: at school zoos, as classroom pets, during public zoo visits, and in animal experiments and dissections. This paper presents a critical review of the sources presenting such activities. According to this review, proponents of such activities claim that they teach emotional and cognitive skills, including respect. In this context, "respect" means a willful obligation to promote the existence, welfare, or autonomy of various objects.
Despite the claims made by proponents of educational encounters with captive animals, students are often allowed to behave disrespectfully towards actual animals. As long as an educational project is based on impairing the autonomy and welfare of specific animals, and sometimes also jeopardize their very existence, the confined animals whom the students meet are excluded from the objects of respect. According to this paper, the manifest legitimization of disrespect is rationalized by promising to enhance respect towards distant and unspecific objects, such as animals in general, nature, life and man. Empirical studies held in schools and in zoos claim that this promise is fulfilled. Nevertheless, this paper argues that such studies are deeply biased: they focus on educational benefits without considering educational damage, and without presenting any plausible criteria for success and failure of the educational operation.
In conclusion, enhancing respect towards distant and unspecific objects remains a questionable hypothesis. However, a highly probable result of encountering confined animals is nurturing disrespect towards them.
Tsovel, Ariel. "Respect at the School Zoo: Educational Implications of Students' Encounters with Confined Animals." Dvarim 12 (October 2019): 247-265. (Hebrew)

"This paper will examine how methods from the field of psychological anthropology may provide an effective tool for studying human-animal interaction.
Anthropological investigations of human-animal interaction are often fraught with numerous methodological limitations and tend to regard animals as mere vectors of human cultural models rather than treating them as engaging subjects in their own right. Such an approach inevitably leads to an uncomplicated examination of human-animal interaction. However, as Cary Wolfe (2009) suggests in his work on posthumanism, the social sciences must move beyond merely decentering the human to incorporating the animal within these investigations. The first step towards accomplishing this goal is to examine how people interpret animals as sentient beings and how this interpretation subsequently influences human-animal interactions.
Psychological anthropology, with its emphasis on individual-centered ethnography and subjectivity, is uniquely positioned to advance the study of human-animal interaction. As a methodological instrument for accessing an individual’s subjective experience, individual-centered ethnography offers a useful approach for understanding incredibly complex and dynamic sociocultural relationships (Levy and Hollan, 1998). This technique’s focus on the individual (as opposed to “the human”) also makes methodological room to effectively describe and analyze the subjectivity of nonhuman subjects. This talk concludes by considering the potential application of individual-centered ethnography to human-animal interaction in zoos and other captive institutional settings.
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