Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Whitehouse‐Tedd, Katherine
• Spooner, Sarah
• Whitehouse‐Tedd, Gerard
• Dorey, Nicole R
• Melfi, Vicky A
• Ward, Samantha J

Titel

Making Training Educational for Zoo Visitors

Ist Teil von

• Zoo Animal Learning and Training, 2020, p.249-269

Ort / Verlag

Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Quelle

Wiley Online Library All Obooks

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• A challenge is often raised both within and outside of the zoo community when evaluating the ability of zoo education programmes to achieve their goals. This highlights the need to evaluate both the animal‐ and visitor‐responses achieved by any non‐husbandry or health‐related training activity. By prioritising the needs of the individual animals, and developing training, housing, and display methods in‐keeping with these needs, it is possible to deliver more sincere, legitimate conservation‐education messages. Observing the protected‐contact training of big cats was perceived to provide increased educational opportunities for the public, and the relationship between trainers and animals thought to be particularly important in this context. There needs to be a balance between delivering high impact educational activities with conservation value, and maintaining high animal welfare standards. Extending natural behaviours to facilitate ease of visibility and focus learning appears a valid use of animal training and has benefits in terms or veterinary and husbandry practices.