ZOO GUIDE BOOK INFO

adrian1963

adrian1963

Well-Known Member
I am a little bewildered by the lack of information on the actual species that zoos and parks hold when you are given or have to pay for a guide book.
Most of the places now hand you a sheet of paper with a map on it just showing were everything is (yes I agree this is all most people want) but what about the person who wants to know more about the animals that are in the collection as the zoo maps can only give you an indication as to were everything is and 9 times out of 10 these maps are out of date and species have changed with in the collection.
I take photographs of the animals held within the collection only to find that when I get home I have forgotten the names of some of the species and when I open the map I was given to my horror they are not on their either, so off to the websites I go only to find again no other photographs or information on the species I am looking for
My problem is when I was a child I remember zoos and parks doing guides with photographs from the complete collections so why cant they do it today either in a guide book or on there websites ior is this one of those things that is to easy and they have forgotten about?
 
adrian1963 said:
I am a little bewildered by the lack of information on the actual species that zoos and parks hold when you are given or have to pay for a guide book.
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I haven't bought a Guide Book at a Zoo for very many years now, but I have noticed that in many cases they are far shorter on detail than they used to be, and many places just produce pamphlets and map leaflets nowadays.

Possibly this is due to a combination of publishing costs and the lack of demand for a lavish(and expensive) 'official' guide by many visitors who aren't interested in such detailed information. Guidebooks also have a tendency to become outdated if animals leave or are added to the collection- pamphlets can handle such changes more easily. I know that Marwell's new guidebook was mentioned on here recently- only some of the more major species they have are featured nowadays, and with only a very little information about each. Its a sign of the times I think.

For someone with a serious interest such as yourself,I can see the problem this creates of identifying species while you are at the Zoo, but recourse to detailed reference books is maybe the best bet, even if you have to return home after your visit before you can access them.
 
Adrian if I am photographing an animal I know I will forget the name of (most of them at my age lol) I always take a picture of there information sign directly after so I can at least put a name to the face :) Maybe this would work for location to? if took the animals around it

I prefer a guidebook without a map but plenty of information and a seperate pamphlet map as I always trash the map
 
I collect guide books at every zoo I visit, since to me it is really the only 'souvenir' that is worth the money. Other things worth money are just DVDs and Reference Books that can be bought elsewhere, therefore not a 'true' souvenir.

As for why zoos focus on them less and use pamphlets instead, I think this is to do with the times as Pertinax says.

1) Producing a pamphlet would be cheaper in publishing costs, and would use less paper than a glossy guide. This saves money for other aspects of the zoo and helps them meet environmental targets (use less energy, resources etc.)

2) This could be me, but I don't think so many people are as interested as they were. The majority of people will not spend £2-5 on a guidebook, when any information they may want to find out is readily on the internet.

So, for these reasons I think people use the internet (most zoo websites have lists of the animals that they have and individual pages for them), and therefore guidebooks have become far less profitable.
 
Javan Rhino that's exactly what Im trying to say if you visit the website of the zoo then there are not many that have a photographic index of the animals they have in there collections.
As for the cost of producing a guide book then I agree it is probally to expensive but why don't zoos/parks put photographs of there collections on the leaflets they give out and as for a map most zoos have sign posts around the zoo to lead you around there collections
Karen on the subject of photographing animal info signs I do this but again when I get home to sort out the photographs I have taken you can garrentee thier will be a few I have no signs for or the species does not appear in thier leaflet or on thier websites
THis is very confusing as its like they don't want you to find out about the species they keep.
 
adrian1963 said:
Javan Rhino that's exactly what Im trying to say if you visit the website of the zoo then there are not many that have a photographic index of the animals they have in there collections.
As for the cost of producing a guide book then I agree it is probally to expensive but why don't zoos/parks put photographs of there collections on the leaflets they give out and as for a map most zoos have sign posts around the zoo to lead you around there collections
Karen on the subject of photographing animal info signs I do this but again when I get home to sort out the photographs I have taken you can garrentee thier will be a few I have no signs for or the species does not appear in thier leaflet or on thier websites
THis is very confusing as its like they don't want you to find out about the species they keep.
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Ahhh, I see. I know what you mean about some not being too good (suprisingly some of the bigger ones like). However, there are some good zoo websites that do just this: Chester (not always with photographs, but information can narrow it down). Personally, my favourite is Twycross, whom list all of their animals and have seperate PDF factsheets about each one. Edinburgh and Blackpool are also good :)
It is a shame that so few zoos produce full guide books, but most people see it as no big loss. When you think of our average zoo-goer, they will only be interested in seeing where the 'big' animals are, and not interested in listings for every bird/reptile etc that the zoo holds.
I do share your opinion though, I would love to see a guide-book that mentions every species that they have, inc. Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Inverts. Even a smallish photo in a list would be beneficial.
 
I for one always look out for a guide book when ever i go to a zoo or safari park its a real shame that alot dont seem to offer them any more.
 
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