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Animal–visitor interactions in the modern zoo: Conflicts and interventions

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Abstract

Animal welfare, education, conservation, research, and entertainment are major goals of modern zoos, but they can be in conflict. For example, visitors enjoy learning about and observing natural behavior in captive animals, but visitors often want to observe and interact with the animals in close proximity. Unfortunately, proximity to and social interactions with humans induce stress for many species, particularly primates. We review two general classes of research examining animal–visitor interactions in zoos: (1) effects of exhibit design and the behavior of the animals on zoo visitors, and (2) effects of zoo visitors on the behavior of exhibited animals. We suggest that interventions based on careful attention to exhibit design, species characteristics, and visitor education can increase positive animal–visitor interactions and facilitate the multiple goals of modern zoos.

Introduction

Most modern zoos have five primary, interconnected goals: animal welfare, conservation, education of the public, research, and entertainment (AZA, 2008, Anderson et al., 2003, Reade and Waran, 1996). While zoos unquestionably place a major emphasis on the first four goals, the majority of zoo visitors come, at least in part, for entertainment (Altman, 1998, Reade and Waran, 1996). Without attracting and entertaining visitors, zoos would struggle to maintain their other goals. A zoo's reputation for providing an entertaining experience encourages initial visits and subsequent returns to the zoo, both of which translate into greater revenue for conservation efforts, research, and general animal care and welfare. Further, research has shown that if learning about animal species also occurs, zoo visitors develop more positive perceptions of animals in zoos and become more supportive of conservation efforts (Anderson et al., 2003, Hosey, 2005).

Thus, zoos often encounter conflicts among their goals. For example, the possibility of being physically close to and interacting with animals increases the appeal of a zoo for many visitors (Hosey, 2005). If people are discouraged or prevented from interacting with the resident animals, fewer visitors attend, decreasing public financial support. Yet visitors, especially noisy, active crowds, have proved a source of stress for many species, particularly primates, affecting both their welfare and the enjoyment of the visitor (see later sections of this paper for a review of these findings).

In this paper we review literature documenting the effects of animal–visitor interactions on both the visitors and animals. First, we examine the effects of how animals are exhibited and behave on the attitudes, perceptions, and behavior of zoo visitors. Second, we review the largely negative effects of visitors on zoo animals, focusing particularly on primates. Finally, we discuss aspects of exhibit design and presentation that have been shown to decrease stress on the captive animals while allowing an acceptable level of interaction with visitors. The key issue is how to entertain and educate the visitor without placing significant stress on the exhibited animals. Our goal is to highlight interventions intended to maintain or improve both animal welfare and visitor satisfaction.

Section snippets

Effects of the presentation and behavior of animals on visitor attitudes and behaviors

In this section, we consider the effects on visitors’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors as a result of how animals are exhibited and the behaviors the animals show.

Visitor effects on animals

A critical issue in the presentation of zoo animals is the effect of visitors on the behavior and well-being of exhibited animals. Traditional zoo exhibits and animal inactivity have the potential to provoke undesirable and even harmful attitudes and behaviors on the part of visitors. For example, seeing an animal in a caged exhibit can lead to negative impressions of the animal, which both detracts from the zoo's conservation efforts and may lead the visitor to interact with the animal in a

Possible interventions for negative animal–visitor interactions

The literature on animal–visitor interactions in zoos reveals a complicated conflict between the goals of entertainment and welfare. Zoos prefer that their animals display active natural behaviors so that visitors will want to see and be educated and entertained by the exhibits. Zoos thoroughly benefit when animals are active and interesting to visitors, acquiring social and monetary support for their conservation efforts. Unfortunately, the success of exhibits in bringing more people to the

Conclusions

To attract visitors, modern zoo exhibits should be both entertaining and educational. Naturalistic exhibits of active animals appear to be more effective in fulfilling both aims. Naturalistic exhibits, interactive demonstrations, and signs effectively educate visitors about animals and the importance of conservation. Attracting large numbers of visitors to particular exhibits, however, may prove counterproductive to a zoo's conservation efforts by interfering with animal welfare. Large, noisy

Author Note

The following paper began as part of a research proposal by the first author and a course/research requirement for the second author. The authors would like to thank the weekly Timberlake lab zoo research meetings for contributing to the ideas expressed in this paper as well as providing some of the key references.

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