It is definitely no secret that plenty of species don't even get the blink of an eye of the general public. How can zoos change that, and turn any species, whether it be an amphibian, terrestrial invertebrate, bird, or otherwise overlooked species, into a good Exhibit animal?
How to make any species a good exhibit animal
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I feel like I see aquariums do this very well, such as Shedd's underwater beauty or the amphibian special exhibit, that made specially catered enclosures to showcase some cool aspects of often overlooked creatures. I am not sure why more zoos do not try these approaches, but perhaps it is because of a lack of space that Aquariums have these special exhibitions.
I would recommend checking out William G. Conway's (former Bronx zoo director) "World of the Bullfrog." Its a story how any animal no matter what kind can be made interesting if exhibited properly. I'll link it below, its a truly fascinating read all about this topic.
The Zoo Review: My Favorite Bed-Time Story
The Zoo Review: My Favorite Bed-Time Story
I would like to bring up SeaWorld San Diego
(problematic I know but just here me out)
Before SeaWorld people didn't really care about dolphins. We didn't have dolphin plushies or children's tv shows about dolphins, they were simply thought of as sea dogs by sailors.
This was until SeaWorld exhibited them, used them in performances, and put them on TV where they became popular. Personally, I believe they did this by amazing people with dolphins many acrobatic skills. So one way to make animals popular is to amaze people with them and show them to the public at full force.
(problematic I know but just here me out)
Before SeaWorld people didn't really care about dolphins. We didn't have dolphin plushies or children's tv shows about dolphins, they were simply thought of as sea dogs by sailors.
This was until SeaWorld exhibited them, used them in performances, and put them on TV where they became popular. Personally, I believe they did this by amazing people with dolphins many acrobatic skills. So one way to make animals popular is to amaze people with them and show them to the public at full force.
This is similar to mandrills, meerkats and ringtailed lemurs. None of these were popular until they appeared in animated films. I really hope the answer to our problem isn't "put every species in pop culture".
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
A species as inactive as an axolotl barely invites a glance from most zoo visitors beyond the usual "Yuck! disgusting!" or "Its so weird" kind of comment.
But there are a lot of aspects of the species that would seem extraordinary even in a superhero or sci-fi film.
As a neotenic species it remains in its larval state for its entire life and is "forever young"
It can regenerate not only its own limbs but its own organs which are damaged whether this be its brain, eye, lungs, heart and was been studied to develop treatments for human illnesses like cancer etc.
It has an association and symbology within an Ancient Meso-American civilization, the Aztecs and was linked with a water monster god.
It has literary culture status due to authors like Julio Cortazar and Octavio Paz and pop culture status due to Pokemon and "How to drain your dragon".
Exhibits in zoos can make use of these aspects of the animal in terms of signage and educational talks that highlights / showcases to the public just how unique and curious it is as a living organism.
But there are a lot of aspects of the species that would seem extraordinary even in a superhero or sci-fi film.
As a neotenic species it remains in its larval state for its entire life and is "forever young"
It can regenerate not only its own limbs but its own organs which are damaged whether this be its brain, eye, lungs, heart and was been studied to develop treatments for human illnesses like cancer etc.
It has an association and symbology within an Ancient Meso-American civilization, the Aztecs and was linked with a water monster god.
It has literary culture status due to authors like Julio Cortazar and Octavio Paz and pop culture status due to Pokemon and "How to drain your dragon".
Exhibits in zoos can make use of these aspects of the animal in terms of signage and educational talks that highlights / showcases to the public just how unique and curious it is as a living organism.
Exactly!