Contesting the zoo as a setting for ecotourism, and the design of a first principle

Fennell, David A.

doi:10.1080/14724049.2012.737796

Cited by 39 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…However, the potential of zoos to aid conservation through education is a contentious issue. Some scholars argue that it is not possible (Conway, 2003;Davey, 2007;Fennell, 2013;Spedding, 2000) while equally strong support has been presented for the opposing position (Catibog-Sinha, 2008;Falk et al, 2007;Perdue, Stoinski, & Maple, 2012;Smith & Broad, 2008). This paper is not focused on attempting to discuss these opposing views or their validity instead readers are invited to read the article by Carr and Cohen (2011) for an introduction to the debate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Star attractions and damp squibs at the zoo: a study of visitor attention and animal attractiveness

Carr

2016

Tourism Recreation Research

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The importance of this paper relates to the need to construct zoos that meet social and ethical obligations to be economically viable centres of both wildlife conservation and education in the twenty-first century. Recognizing the importance of the attractiveness of animals to the success of visitors' zoo experience, this paper provides an analysis of the attractiveness of differing types of animals in a zoo setting. The paper is based on the data that was gathered in 2013 at Durrell Wildlife Park, UK, using a non-participant observation method that incorporated the collection of multiple types of verbal and visual data concerning visitor and animal behaviour. The animals studied possess differing levels of charisma and encompass a range of taxonomic categories. The results highlighted in this paper demonstrate that the ability of animals to attract and retain the attention of visitors varies significantly and suggests that the reasons behind this are related to a complex interaction of the characteristics that define animal attractiveness. However, the activity level of animals and their visibility appear to play a key role in determining the ability of an animal to attract and retain visitor attention. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Star attractions and damp squibs at the zoo: a study of visitor attention and animal attractiveness

Carr

2016

Tourism Recreation Research

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“…The conservation messages that were advocated in zoos were subtle and short-term (i.e., onsite actions) and overall there were missed opportunities to advocate visitor conservation actions at home [e.g., Broad and Weiler, 1998]. While there have been some studies in the decade since that quantify the impact of a zoo visit on conservation behavior [e.g., Smith et al, 2008;Kemmerly and Macfarlane, 2009;Clayton et al, 2013;Pearson et al, 2014] progress has not been proportional to the educational claims of zoos [Fennell, 2013] and greater research and advancement is needed in this area [Mason, 2000;Fraser and Wharton, 2007;Hughes, 2013].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the impact of Wellington Zoo's persuasive communication campaign on post‐visit behavior

MacDonald

2015

Zoo Biology

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Zoos potential to facilitate visitor conservation behavior is commonly articulated. Few studies, however, have quantified whether zoos' conservation messages result in visitors implementing the behavior. To test if zoo conservation messages are adopted at home, I implemented a persuasive communication campaign which advocated keeping cats indoor at night, a behavior that is a potential solution to cats depredating native wildlife. Furthermore, I tested if a public commitment (signing a pledge card) strengthened the relationship between on-site intention to engage in the behavior and actual implementation of the behavior at home. The conservation behavior was included in the twice-daily animal presentations in the amphitheater. A sample of 691 visitors completed a survey as they exited the amphitheater that measured their recall of the conservation behavior and intention to engage in the behavior at home. The last 311 visitors to complete the survey were asked to sign a pledge card which was publicly displayed in the amphitheater. Six weeks after their zoo trip, visitors were contacted and asked if they had implemented the behavior. Recall of the conservation behavior was high (91% for control, 100% for pledge group) and the entire pledge group had implemented the behavior whereas just half (51%) of the control group did. Furthermore, signing the pledge card strengthened the relationship between onsite intention and at home behavior (r = 1.0 of for the pledge group and r = 0.21 for the control group). Overall, the zoo's conservation message was recalled and behavior implemented at home.

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“…Perhaps experiencing a variety of encounters encourages re-evaluation of one's position in the web of life and offers different perspectives as we have discussed elsewhere (Yerbury & Weiler, 2020). Captive experiences are considered human-centered (Fennell, 2013a), entertainment-focused (Packer & Ballantyne, 2012), and promoting of utilitarian ideas (Curtin & Wilkes, 2007). Thus, we expected encounters with captive marine mammals to be more closely linked with anthropocentric beliefs than with ecocentric beliefs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Marine Wildlife Experiences and Beliefs: Towards Reciprocal Benefits

2020

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The concept of reciprocal healing invites consideration of how experiences in nature and with wildlife encourage mutual benefits via well-being for humans and the earth. This contrasts with using nature as a commodity for human gain without regard to the natural other. To understand human relationships with the earth we first need to consider what humans think, feel, and believe about nature. This study examined how beliefs vary between people of different ages, gender, and with various marine mammal experiences. A questionnaire asked which belief statements people agreed with, and responses from 679 participants provided either human-focused anthropocentric beliefs or earth-focused ecocentric beliefs. Based on the literature, we expected that males, older people, and those who have encountered animals in captivity would tend towards anthropocentric beliefs. The hypothesis was partially accepted. Ecocentric beliefs were more commonly chosen overall, and there were differences in beliefs depending on encounters experienced. Age group and gender affected the anthropocentric but not the ecocentric beliefs chosen. Ecocentric beliefs were more common for participants who had a combination of the two wild conditions, as expected. Unexpectedly, both anthropocentric and ecocentric beliefs were associated with a combination of all three experiences, and possible reasons are suggested. The findings from this study provide a springboard towards understanding how to activate reciprocal relationships between humans and animals. Wildlife experiences that foster ecocentric beliefs could help us move beyond a focus on one-sided human gains, towards stronger reciprocal relationships between humans and animals. Future studies may be able to tease apart this relationship further and examine the direct links between belief type, well-being, and behavior.

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Contesting the zoo as a setting for ecotourism, and the design of a first principle

Cited by 39 publications

References 52 publications

Star attractions and damp squibs at the zoo: a study of visitor attention and animal attractiveness

Star attractions and damp squibs at the zoo: a study of visitor attention and animal attractiveness

Quantifying the impact of Wellington Zoo's persuasive communication campaign on post‐visit behavior

Marine Wildlife Experiences and Beliefs: Towards Reciprocal Benefits

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