A Zoo Visitor's Thoughts

I love zoos!   *   What is a zoo?   *   Zoos are endangered!   *   Keep the elephants!   *   Zoos are for adults, too!   *   Comparing Elephant Webcams and Elephants   *   I love the Elmwood Park Zoo!   *   How do you pronounce oh-KAH-pee?   *   I love the National Zoo! (for 11 great reasons!)   *   There is a Moral to This (True) Story!   *   A Trend Turnaround   *   I love the Elmwood Park Zoo and the National Zoo's websites!   *   Winds of Change are in the Air!   *   Research Results   *   Don't Do It!

Friday, August 03, 2007

Research Results

A recent study of the impact of zoos and aquariums on visitors, "Why Zoos & Aquariums Matter: Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium" has been published by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

According to this research, zoo visitors can be categorized as:

Explorers (curiosity-driven visitors who seek to learn more about whatever they encounter at the zoo)

Facilitators (visitors who focus primarily on enabling the experience and learning of others who accompany them)

Professional/hobbyists (visitors who go to zoos to add to their professional knowledge or to pursue a hobby)

Experience seekers (visitors who want to see "important sites")

Spiritual pilgrims (visitors who seek a contemplative and/or restorative experience)

The research was conducted to see what zoos and aquariums could do to improve visitor experiences and to enhance and improve visitor attitudes toward zoos, wildlife and nature.

The research concluded that, overall, zoos and aquariums have been doing a good job of satisfying the needs of these various types of visitors.

The researchers suggested that zoos should focus on providing information about their conservation efforts and on providing visitors with an opportunity to experience nature. They also recommended specific changes to satisfy the needs of each particular visitor category.

But it seems that, hoping to continue to attract and satisfy the needs of the Facilitator visitors (and to boost revenue), many zoos are slowly changing into hybrid institutions with exhibits and activities that seem to distract from their intended purpose. (Can anyone explain to me how beer-tasting festivals can inspire an interest in wildlife conservation??? Even after you are sober???)

I conducted my own study of 20 frequent zoo visitors I know well enough to know what visitor category they belong in. Five are Explorers, eight are Facilitators, six are Hobbyists, and one is a Spiritual Pilgrim. (I don't know any Experience Seekers.)

All said they would prefer to have zoos focus on exhibiting animals in a scenic, quiet atmosphere with plenty of informational signs, places to sit or stand and easily observe the animals, and maybe a few areas for children to take a break and play a little in a wildlife-related setting.

Furthermore, as a lifelong zoo visitor who can be classified as an Explorer/Spiritual Pilgrim/Facilitator/Hobbyist, I think the best way for zoos to follow the recommendations of the researchers is to go back to just being zoos with a few added touches here and there to point visitors in the direction of additional learning experiences outside of the zoo.

Then, depending on which visitor-category mood I'm in, I will find a way to make each zoo experience suit my needs, and so will everyone else!

posted by Zoo Visitor | 4 comments

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