Fuzhou Zoo

In any western zoo, they would have cameras that prevent vandalism from visitors, as well as many staff caring for visitor behaviour, and signage preventing from doing obviously wrong things. Some chinese zoos are at the same level of decence and they have these things, but most smaller facilities can't afford the cost and/or don't care about it.

If it would be legal, I would seek the smallest and most ugly exhibit of the whole zoo and put these visitors inside it for life, with a signage of Homo stupidus. Unfortunately this can't be done, but at least a giant penalty fee whose benefits go whole for the zoo funds, it's the minimum that should be obligatory...
 
Kakapo said:
In any western zoo, they would have cameras that prevent vandalism from visitors...
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Really? Is this a standard in European zoos? I don't know of any Australasian zoos which have security cameras throughout the zoo.
 
I don't know how "standard" is it, but for sure I've seen cameras in animal enclosures in zoo visits. If it's not a common thing, it should be.
 
I know for sure that Chester Zoo has security cameras absolutely everywhere, even though you can’t always see them as a visitor.
 
Kakapo said:
Some chinese zoos are at the same level of decence and they have these things, but most smaller facilities can't afford the cost and/or don't care about it.
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What's your source for this? Most zoos in China (that I've personally visited) have signs that make it very clear what behaviour is considered unacceptable. On the other hand, staff presence is usually very, very low, and the signs are almost universally ignored. It's a real problem. I should probably write about it in the Shanghai thread (off the back of a recent visit).
 
Kakapo said:
Zoochat talk. And by your reply I see that is basically right.
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Well yes and no. You are correct to imply that the general level of behaviour by visitors in China is pretty poor by western standards (which in this case I have no qualms about using). And it's true that the response by zoos to this problem is insufficient. But there isn't really a divide (in my eyes) between zoos that do and don't care, or do and don't 'get it'.

As I mentioned above, every zoo I've visited has had signs saying 'No Feeding', 'Don't Bang on the Glass' etc. Shanghai even has information panels explaining why this is important. But most visitors totally ignore the signs. Most zoos seem to be taking enclosure design in directions that discourage feeding as well (glass, smaller gauge wire, higher walls).

The problem is that I have never seen staff admonishing visitors for poor behaviour. This is largely because I almost never see keeping staff, and certainly not volunteers. Many people openly bring food into the zoo that is clearly for feeding to the animals and yet the staff on the gates do nothing about this.

So the problem seems to be the will or ability of management to require behaviour of their staff that they obviously at least theoretically understand is necessary.

(Note that these are my own observations, I've never had this conversation with anyone Chinese.)
 
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