Assessing the Effects of New Primate Exhibits on Zoo Visitors’ Attitudes and Perceptions by Using Three Different Assessment Methods
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2007 |
Authors: |
Masayuki Nakamichi |
Publication/Journal: |
Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals |
Keywords: |
animal preference rank, exhibits, nonhuman primates, viewing time, zoo visitors |
ISBN: |
08927936 17530377 |
Abstract:
Using three different methods, this study investigated how zoo visitors behaved in response to both old and new exhibits of four nonhuman primate species and how they perceived these primates. On-site observations showed that zoo visitors were more likely to stop in front of new exhibits and spend more time viewing new exhibits compared with old exhibits. Response to an on-site questionnaire also showed that zoo visitors perceived primates in the new exhibits more positively than the same animals in the old exhibits. The results from these two types of local assessment indicate that the attractiveness and holding power of the new exhibits was greater than that of the old. However, the results of a questionnaire given to zoo visitors on leaving the zoo showed that the preference ranks of the visitors for the four primate species did not increase after the new exhibits were established, indicating that the new exhibits did not change the zoo visitors’ perception of primates relative to other zoo animals. Using all three assessment methods appears to be of considerable value for the assessment of visitors’ perceptions towards new exhibits in terms of both the immediate locality and the zoo as a whole.