Cage location effects on visitor attendance at three Sacramento Zoo mangabey enclosures

Abstract

Research on the effects of enrichment would do well to consider carefully location and/or visitor habituation effects on animal behavior. In the present series of studies, 19,847 visitors to the Sacramento Zoo were counted and categorized by age and sex as they appeared at each of three mangabey cages having only slightly different locations within the zoo. A cage nearest the exitientrance received significantly more visitors (had greater attracting power) than did a cage away from the exit but on the main path, while the latter cage had more patronage than a cage that was only a few feet off the main walkway.These effects persisted through both subtle and complete changes in the animal inhabitants of the cages. These very strong effects, which are similar to those described by Melton's (Pychological Bulletin 30:720, 721, 1983; Museum News 14(3):6-8, 1936) classic "exit gradient" as well as to other possible effects of simple location (e.g., visitor habituation) are particularly important for species that are behaviorally responsive to visitors.

Visitor Circulation and Nonhuman Animal Welfare: An Overlooked Variable?

“…Therefore, large numbers of people at the right side of exhibit galleries could threaten animals and compromise their welfare, whereas animals on the left may remain relatively unvisited. The work presented here, in combination with the work of Mitchell et al (1990), demonstrates that the location of exhibits in a zoo could have consequences on their welfare provision.…”

“…Previous museum work about the turning tendencies of visitors has not provided convincing explanations for the concept. It has been suggested that the position of the entrance and exit within an exhibit gallery determines visitor circulation and, therefore, influences visitor patronage (Melton, 1935;Mitchell et al, 1990). However, this suggestion requires further study.…”

“…In terms of animal welfare, understanding visitor traffic is imperative because popular exhibits are likely to receive increased visitor numbers and, therefore, more opportunities for visitor effects to occur. Mitchell et al (1990) first highlighted the relationship in their study of exhibit location and visitor attendance. They found that exhibits near the zoo entrance received significantly more visitors than did exhibits further away.…”

Using Visitor Observation to Evaluate Exhibits at the Rotterdam Zoo Aquarium

“…Exhibit location within the zoo is a determining factor in the order of visit and therefore influences where, during the visit, museum fatigue will start to have an effect. For instance, Mitchell et al (1990) studied the effect of different locations of exhibits in Sacramento Zoo and concluded that the location of the animals in the zoo did make a difference. A cage nearby the exit or entrance received significantly more visitors than did a cage away from the exit but on the main path, while the latter cage had more patronage than a cage that was only a few feet off the main walkway.…”

Mutual benefits of research collaborations between zoos and academic institutions

“…al, 1995;Mitchell et al, 1990;Moodie and Chamove, 1990]. However, this shift toward applied issues has not always been well received by researchers.…”