The More the Merrier? Zoo Visitors’ Affective Responses and Perceptions of Welfare across an Increase in Giraffe Density

Abstract

Zoos strive to create experiences that inspire positive feelings toward animals which lead to conservation behaviors in their visitors. However, concerns regarding the welfare of animals living in zoos present a challenge in creating positive zoo experiences and promoting the conservation agenda and moral authority of these cultural institutions. This research explores connections between zoo visitors’ positive affective responses and their assessments of animal welfare before and after two giraffes were introduced to a group of four giraffes in a multi-species savannah exhibit. A self administered questionnaire was completed by 499 visitors to the Conservation Society of California’s Oakland Zoo. The questionnaire measured visitors’ predispositions, affective responses, and assessments of animal welfare. Results suggest that visitors’ assessments of animal welfare, positive affective experience, and predisposition are positively correlated. Further, visitor assessments of animal welfare are generally more positive after the addition of new giraffes. Although visitors tended to report that the giraffes were very healthy and well cared for, they responded less positively when asked about how happy the giraffes were and how adequately sized their exhibit was. The findings suggest that understanding and improving zoo visitors’ assessments of animal welfare is important in improving positive experiences and conservation education outcomes during a visit to the zoo.

Emotional responses from families visiting the zoo: a study at Parque das Aves in Foz do Iguaçu

“…The perceived well-being of zoo animals shapes visitors' emotional experiences during their visit [Sherman et al, 2022]. This statement is corroborated by the families' comments presented in this study, showing that groups make judgments based on observations of animals' behaviour and the enclosure in which they live.…”

“…The results show that visitors assessed the animals' happiness and health based on their observed behaviour. In the same way, Sherman, Minier, Meyers and Myers [2022] studied whether animal welfare perceptions about giraffes at the Oakland Zoo (California, United States) were connected to positive emotional experiences. They observed that visitors who perceived the giraffes as enjoying a better state of well-being displayed more positive emotional reactions.…”

How does perception of zoo animal welfare influence public attitudes, experiences, and behavioural intentions? A mixed-methods systematic review

“…Group size. Many studies identified the importance of zoo animals being kept in species-appropriate group sizes and having social needs met in mediating perceptions of welfare [19,29,32,38,54,66,72,90,93,96,107,110,111,132], with social isolation being a primary factor of concern [32,38,66,110,111]. At the same time, one study identified that visitors also worry about overcrowding [29] and another showed that mixed species exhibits provoked concern if the mix included an animal perceived as dangerous [70].…”

“…"looked too small" [40]). Perceptions of enclosure size adequacy may be influenced by group size [132] and exhibit location (indoors potentially worse than outdoors) [90], but visitor rationale for these judgements also remains unclear. Furthermore, enclosure size perceptions may be influenced by animal behaviour, with perceived abnormal behaviour [64] and natural behaviour restriction [10,47] reducing size adequacy perceptions, and perceived natural behaviour display increasing perceptions [16,41,55].…”