Animal Activity and Visitor Learning at the Zoo

Altman, Joanne D.

doi:10.1080/08927936.1998.11425083

Cited by 55 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…Third, visitors may provide enrichment for primates [Cook and Hosey, 1995;Hosey, 2000]. Finally, it may be the case that correlation does not equal causation, and, in fact, the behavior of zoo animals influences visitor response [Bitgood et al, 1988;Mitchell et al, 1992;Altman, 1998]. In the current study we focused on this last line of research, and considered a nonprimate group, the felids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Effect of felid activity on zoo visitor interest

2003

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The extent to which the presence of zoo visitors influences animal behavior, and the ways in which animal activity influences visitor interest and perception, are of great interest to zoological parks. Visitors have been variously characterized as being enriching for zoo animals, as being stressors, and generally as influencing behavior in measurable ways. Most studies have focused on primates, and have assumed a ''visitor effect'' paradigm (i.e., visitors influence animal behavior). Here we present findings from a study of a nonprimate group (felids), and examine the ''visitor attraction'' model, which assumes that visitors are attracted to active animals. We assessed visitor interest and number at seven cat exhibits at the Brookfield Zoo during the spring and summer of 2002. Data were collected during 1-min scans of each exhibit at 10-min intervals. The results indicate that visitor presence per se did not influence cat activity, and that visitor interest was generally greater when cats were active. Various species differences may be explained by visitor familiarity with the species, variations in exhibit design, and species-specific activity budgets. We conclude that the visitor attraction model may be more appropriate for taxa, such as large cats, that tend naturally to be largely inactive and to respond little (if at all) to visitor disturbances or efforts to engage. The relationship must be viewed as bidirectional: visitors influence animal behavior, and animal behavior influences visitor interest. However, the strength and primary direction of this relationship is likely taxon-specific. We suggest that a visitor attraction model may be more appropriate not only for felids, but for other taxa with similar behavioral patterns and responses as well.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The vast majority of work on this subject has focused on primates, and only a few studies have considered other taxa [Altman, 1998;O'Donovan et al, 1993;Nimon and Dalziel, 1992]. The underlying hypothesis of most of these studies has been that the presence of visitors influences the behavior of zoo animals, often in a negative way.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Effect of felid activity on zoo visitor interest

2003

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“…or only minimally interesting, and therefore minimally helpful to zoo visitors' increased knowledge regarding species, their habitats, and conservation issues [17,18]. On the other hand, some studies have provided evidence that these tools are useful for increased cognitive learning [19,20,14].…”

Section: Education and Standard Zoosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such enrichment includes, for example, the introduction of objects to manipulate, enhancing habitat, presenting food in a variety of ways, allowing for interspecies or conspecies interactions and sensory stimulation -all of which help to elicit behaviours that would be naturalistic in the wild [19]. Their environmental constraints -being confined and/or kept in small containers -do not allow for the environmental stimuli needed for physiological and psychological wellness.…”

Section: Education and Mlapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are Mobile Live Animal Programs Educationally Beneficial? A Critical Assessment of the Human Learning Component Underlying Traveling Animal Exhibits

Sussman¹

2017

Preprint

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positive and negative education and to examine how and if these types of learning can be measured in regard to MLAPs. The conclusion reached is that there is no evidence of affective learning that results in increased conservation efforts from participating in MLAPs, and, furthermore, there is an accumulation of learning that occurs in the form of a negative emotional and intellectual perception of non-human species. Given the accumulation of negative educational value that outweighs any cognitive acquisition of facts regarding the animals being presented, the conclusion reached is that it is not recommended, based on their purported educational claims, that MLAPs be given special consideration when it comes to laws restricting or prohibiting animal use within municipal or provincial/state boundaries. This information can be used to help shape future legislation that works to protect non-human animals, and contributes to our perceptions of non-human animals as persons rather than commodities.Abstract: This paper assesses whether there is intrinsic positive educational value in travelling animal presentations and exhibits, referred to here as Mobile Live Animal Programs (MLAPs). Given that educational claims serve as the basis for allowing MLAPs to operate in many jurisdictions throughout Canada and the United States, it is essential to examine whether these purported claims are valid.This study takes a twofold approach of examining first, what constitutes an MLAP and how such programs are situated within the larger context of animal observation and tourism, and second, what constitutes both positive and negative education, and how such learning can empirically be measured in these settings. This approach provokes the ethical question of whether or not MLAPs should be allowed to operate given the high price paid not only by the individual animals used, but also to our psychological, emotional, and intellectual relationship with other species when we use non-human animals for our own knowledge, pleasure or comfort. The paper concludes that we must consider that the pervasive problem of negative education, that using displaced captive wild animals as learning tools that highlights human control over them, their objectification and their exploitation, is not justified by the purported positive educational claims of MLAPs.

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Mutual benefits of research collaborations between zoos and academic institutions

Fernández

Timberlake

2008

Zoo Biology

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Zoos focus on welfare, conservation, education, and research related to animals they keep. Academic institutions emphasize description, experimentation, modeling, and teaching of general and specific animal biology and behavior through work in both laboratory and field. The considerable overlap in concerns and methods has increased interest in collaborative projects, but there is ample room for closer and more extensive interactions. The purpose of this article is to increase awareness of potential research collaborations in three areas: (1) control and analysis of behavior, (2) conservation and propagation of species, and (3) education of students and the general public. In each area, we outline (a) research in zoos, (b) research in academics, and (c) potential collaborative efforts. Zoo Biol 27:470-487, 2008. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Animal Activity and Visitor Learning at the Zoo

Cited by 55 publications

References 18 publications

Effect of felid activity on zoo visitor interest

Effect of felid activity on zoo visitor interest

Are Mobile Live Animal Programs Educationally Beneficial? A Critical Assessment of the Human Learning Component Underlying Traveling Animal Exhibits

Mutual benefits of research collaborations between zoos and academic institutions

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