Abstract
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of interactive exhibits at instilling conservation behaviors and appreciation towards wildlife. Aquarium visitors completed a survey prior to visiting an interactive exhibit that allowed them to touch aquatic invertebrate species. After visiting the exhibit, participants were asked to complete another survey. Comparison of pre- and post-test measures revealed that the aquatic interaction increased how knowledgeable individuals felt about aquatic wildlife (Cohen's d=0.52, p<0.001) and the likelihood that participants felt they would take action to protect aquatic wildlife (d=0.60, p<0.001). The aquatic interaction, however, had only a small effect on how much participants valued aquatic wildlife (d=0.20, NS) and virtually no effect on how strongly participants felt about the importance of protecting aquatic wildlife (d=0.01, NS). The study also demonstrated that visitors who had prior interactive experiences with zoo or aquarium animals indicated higher knowledge of wildlife than those who had not previously engaged in such experiences (d=0.46, p=0.02).
Highlights
Patrick, Matthews, & Tunnicliffe (1) note “before conservation can be understood, people need to know basic or fundamental concepts concerning the features that define certain organisms, their behaviors, their habitats, and their interactions with other organisms and the environment.” Through this they contend zoos and aquariums must use unique and innovative approaches to connect the average zoo visitor to the animal collection and conservation to increase awareness of global environmental problems
Guests who interacted with stingrays as well as a zoo/aquarium animal on average self-reported higher compared to those guests who interacted with a single animal during a visit and those who have yet to interact with an animal
Statistical data collected at the facilities reflect that the interaction with marine invertebrates in an aquarium facility does instill positive attitudes and knowledge changes in aquarium visitors
Summary
Matthews, & Tunnicliffe (1) note “before conservation can be understood, people need to know basic or fundamental concepts concerning the features that define certain organisms, their behaviors, their habitats, and their interactions with other organisms and the environment.” Through this they contend zoos and aquariums must use unique and innovative approaches to connect the average zoo visitor to the animal collection and conservation to increase awareness of global environmental problems. Matthews, & Tunnicliffe (1) note “before conservation can be understood, people need to know basic or fundamental concepts concerning the features that define certain organisms, their behaviors, their habitats, and their interactions with other organisms and the environment.”. Through this they contend zoos and aquariums must use unique and innovative approaches to connect the average zoo visitor to the animal collection and conservation to increase awareness of global environmental problems. It is estimated that approximately 175 million individuals visit a zoo or aquarium accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in the United States each year alone
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