Communicating the Conservation Message—Using Ambassador Cheetahs to Connect, Teach, and Inspire

Rapp, Suzi; Vannelli, Kate; Castañeda, Linda; Beckhelling, Annie; Ekard, Susie; Hilker, Cathryn; Rose-Hinostroza, Janet; Sampson, Alicia; Lloyd, Michelle; Stanek, Linda

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-804088-1.00028-9

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The Northern fur seal exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium allows visitors to be face-to-face with the seals when resting on dry haul-out spaces, possibly adding to positive visitor experiences. Positive introduction experiences also increase the likelihood that the visitors will continue to support the aquarium in the future [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 14 , 16 , 19 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has shown that when visitors are able to interact with the animals at a zoo or aquarium, visitors express an increased concern, knowledge, and appreciation for those species [ 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. This was often seen through expressing interest in conservation efforts, increased attendance, and financial donations from visitors [ 7 , 13 , 14 ].…”

Section: Effects Of New Seal Introductions On Conspecific and Visitor...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of New Seal Introductions on Conspecific and Visitor Activity

Northey

Craft

Fernández

2022

Animals

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Modern zoos and aquariums are defined by several primary goals, which include improving the welfare of their animals, public education, and inspiring visitors to develop an interest in conservation. Animal-Visitor Interactions (AVIs) (i.e., the impact of captive animals and visitors on each other) are a primary means to study these goals. The introduction of new animals into two seal exhibits—the harbor and northern fur seals—at the Seattle Aquarium presented a valuable opportunity to assess the impacts of introductions on the currently exhibited animals and aquarium visitors. The impacts of animal introductions were measured through direct observations of seal activity (i.e., ethogram behavioral observations) and visitor activity (i.e., crowd size and visitor length of stay) before and after new seal introductions. This study consisted of two experiments: Experiment 1 (Harbor seal exhibit) and Experiment 2 (Northern fur seal exhibit). In Experiment 1, we found that the introduction had few impacts on the existing harbor seals or on visitor activity. In Experiment 2, the introduction of a new fur seal had significant positive impacts on the existing fur seal, as was seen through increased social behaviors and decreased stereotypic behaviors, as well as a significant increase in crowd size post-introduction. Based on these findings, new animal introductions were associated with neutral to positive changes in both seal and visitor activity. Findings from this study suggest that studying new animal introductions can result in better understanding and promoting positive interactions with existing animals (introduction effects) and likewise positive experiences for zoo and aquarium visitors (introduction experiences).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of New Seal Introductions On Conspecific and Visitor...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of New Seal Introductions on Conspecific and Visitor Activity

Northey

Craft

Fernández

2022

Animals

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“…We found no education or welfare focused studies between 1995 and 2008. Despite our study excluding research pre-1995 (due to significant shifts in zoo practice making this early literature no-longer relevant), several of the studies that we identified referred to pre-1995 literature as justification for using ambassadors [7,60].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this, the popularity and fund-raising ability of cheetahs means ambassadors may fulfil a different role in conservation. For example, across a 14-year period the Columbus Zoo raised over USD 250,000 for cheetah conservation through the sale of cheetah merchandise and cheetah encounters [7]. However, we acknowledge that AAEs with cheetahs may be less common than encounters with other species (e.g., smaller or herbivorous species) and may therefore not be representative of the use of the diverse range of large AAE species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Ambassador cheetahs tend to be hand-reared and trained specifically for public engagement. Sometimes they are raised with dogs to increase socialisation and reduce natural instincts to flee [7]. Once trained and working as an ambassador, individual cheetahs are often no longer included in breeding programs or their handrearing may confer different reproductive outputs to maternally reared conspecifics [8], which has potential consequences for population genetics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conservation Education: Are Zoo Animals Effective Ambassadors and Is There Any Cost to Their Welfare?

Spooner

Farnworth

Ward

et al. 2021

JZBG

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Animal ambassador encounters (AAE), where visitors come into close-contact with animals, are popular in zoos and are advocated as promoting connection to wild species. However, educational and animal-welfare implications are relatively unknown. We conducted a systematic literature review (PRISMA) to investigate visitor and animal outcomes of AAE. We identified 19 peer reviewed articles and 13 other records focused on AAEs. Although we found net positive or neutral impacts overall, several studies indicated that high-intensity visitor contact and long-term exposure may be detrimental to animal welfare. Most studies lacked rigour and claims were based on an absence of negative impacts rather than evidence of benefits. Multiple publications were derived from the same datasets and there were no standardised measures for either welfare or education impacts. Of the peer-reviewed articles, just two considered both education and welfare. Education studies often used perceived learning or only post-experience testing. Welfare studies used small samples (median n = 4; range 1–59), and limited measures of welfare. In order to justify the continued use of AAEs in modern zoos, animal welfare costs must be proven to be minimal whilst having demonstrable and substantial visitor educational value. Large-scale, standardised impact assessments of both education and welfare impacts are needed.

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Communicating the Conservation Message—Using Ambassador Cheetahs to Connect, Teach, and Inspire

Cited by 2 publications

References 7 publications

Effects of New Seal Introductions on Conspecific and Visitor Activity

Effects of New Seal Introductions on Conspecific and Visitor Activity

Conservation Education: Are Zoo Animals Effective Ambassadors and Is There Any Cost to Their Welfare?

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