The 3 second rule
- Thread starter Vulpes
- Start date
taun
Well-Known Member
Right so youre basing this on that people are sheeps and do what they are told.
I dont go to a new zoo, and follow the numbering on maps, because that is not a guide around the zoo. It is a KEY to the enclosures and the animals that are in it!!
taun
Well-Known Member
That theory would hold up in many of the zoos I have been too!
And its statistics, not allways spot on.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
perhaps next time we visit a zoo we should also observe the people as well as the animals...
It's much more interesting. I remember ape house in Copenhagen, when a chimp was pulling an orange out of long glass tube by brushing it off with a branch. A large number of visitors supported him enthusiastically, jumping and hooting.
And, of course, small child in a zoo is interested for the first five minutes. After the first exhibit it switches off and looks for some sticks or flowers to play with. So you know you just wasted 20EUR or so for tickets...
taun
Well-Known Member
Do you have children? because you would know that they are just that and not miniture adults and therefore dont have much else on there minds than playing and having fun.
Is that money wasted if some of it is used to support in-situ problems?
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
I agree, small children are different as they are so eager to discover sometimes because of TV programs, though I don't have children and I don't plan on having any time soon!
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
Interesting statistics, and I assume that Chester is quite a large zoo, so the layout has many paths.
Arachnerd
Member
It is indeed a large zoo. I'm not sure which exhibits they watched to get the stats but I believe they used a large cross section.
i find this thread fascinating.
i have found over the years that...
large animals captivate people
moving animals big or small captivate people and hold their attention
walk-thru environments tend to hold peoples attention for longer periods
any form of interaction...real or perceived holds peoples attention
and immersion exhibits tend to slow down the pace at which visitors move through an exhibit. beautiful buildings/authentic archtecture and realistic plantings hold attention and can be as interesting to people as animals themselves.
older style zoo exhibits, lack of shelter, weather, repetition (rows of aviaries, vivariums/aquariums) and high visitor numbers in confined space, expectations and the pre-conceived views of visitors (is it worth looking for a mountain chicken?) all limit dwel time.
with that in mind i think its so important that zoos create enviroments, not just enclosures. interp hubs are best located under shelters, near seating and in areas where animals are normally in view. or at other points of high interest....for example, an artificial leopard above the chital deer exhibit in Taronga's wild asia always attracts attention leading most people to read the nearby signs. if zoos are to contribute to conservation education obviously they need to maximise dwell time and sustain interest. to do this, animals need to be placed in realistic habitats which extend to visitor areas. the visitors need to be comforable and feel relaxed about spending time there. distractions, whether it be noisy children in acoustically harsh viewing galleries or a food outlet next to a lesser exhibit such as say, deer etc (animals with typically low dwell time) need to be minimised. for this reason, i think immersion exhibits do well because they remove people from main boulevards. reptile houses, in contrast, often channel large numbers of people into squashy indoor areas with long rows of matching terrariums. even within taronga's serpenteria, which has two typical galleries, larger outdoor encloures and what was supposed to be a butterfly habitats. people tend to hang around in the butterfly exhibit which isnt cramped, is well lit and nice enclosures. in the other galleries, the only difference is that instead of a more spacious area its viewing areas are long, straight and narrow. dwell time drops. contrast this with say, Barcelona Zoo's spacious, lush and interesting reptile house and you see major differences in dwell time.
as Bill Conway pointed out in his 'how to exhibit a bullfrog' thesis, any animal can be made into a star. but designing an enclosure with long dwell-time clearly isnt just about even meeting animal welfare; its about designing an environment which engages people with the animals.
i have found over the years that...
large animals captivate people
moving animals big or small captivate people and hold their attention
walk-thru environments tend to hold peoples attention for longer periods
any form of interaction...real or perceived holds peoples attention
and immersion exhibits tend to slow down the pace at which visitors move through an exhibit. beautiful buildings/authentic archtecture and realistic plantings hold attention and can be as interesting to people as animals themselves.
older style zoo exhibits, lack of shelter, weather, repetition (rows of aviaries, vivariums/aquariums) and high visitor numbers in confined space, expectations and the pre-conceived views of visitors (is it worth looking for a mountain chicken?) all limit dwel time.
with that in mind i think its so important that zoos create enviroments, not just enclosures. interp hubs are best located under shelters, near seating and in areas where animals are normally in view. or at other points of high interest....for example, an artificial leopard above the chital deer exhibit in Taronga's wild asia always attracts attention leading most people to read the nearby signs. if zoos are to contribute to conservation education obviously they need to maximise dwell time and sustain interest. to do this, animals need to be placed in realistic habitats which extend to visitor areas. the visitors need to be comforable and feel relaxed about spending time there. distractions, whether it be noisy children in acoustically harsh viewing galleries or a food outlet next to a lesser exhibit such as say, deer etc (animals with typically low dwell time) need to be minimised. for this reason, i think immersion exhibits do well because they remove people from main boulevards. reptile houses, in contrast, often channel large numbers of people into squashy indoor areas with long rows of matching terrariums. even within taronga's serpenteria, which has two typical galleries, larger outdoor encloures and what was supposed to be a butterfly habitats. people tend to hang around in the butterfly exhibit which isnt cramped, is well lit and nice enclosures. in the other galleries, the only difference is that instead of a more spacious area its viewing areas are long, straight and narrow. dwell time drops. contrast this with say, Barcelona Zoo's spacious, lush and interesting reptile house and you see major differences in dwell time.
as Bill Conway pointed out in his 'how to exhibit a bullfrog' thesis, any animal can be made into a star. but designing an enclosure with long dwell-time clearly isnt just about even meeting animal welfare; its about designing an environment which engages people with the animals.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
I had a conversation with a sub teacher today, it ended being a convo about what parents do that they find really boring, but they feel is in the best interest to the Child's future, I asked about what the zoo. He said oh, I like to have a knowledge and respect for animals but everytime we go I want them to view the animals as quick as possible! As I don't find viewing animals interesting ,
Gigit
Well-Known Member
Grumpy Old Woman moment (I'm sure there'll be many more to come as the season gets going): I took the same route into Paignton this morning as a small family group and a school party. I speeded up and reached the Orangutan Island before them and watched 2 orangs feeding, climbing and exploring. The family group arrived and stopped next to me (I sometimes have fun stopping to look at nothing to see how many people join me) as Demo sat next to Gambira on a rock - 'Look, can you see him moving? Look he's moving'. He stayed beside her for a short while and the family instantly left - 'he's stopped moving'. Meanwhile, the school party arrived and ran to the nearby playground, where they stayed.
The family came into the Ape House after me, looked at the 2 orangs sitting by the window, said 'they're not doing much' and moved on. I can't imagine their disappointment when they reached Crocodile Swamp
The family came into the Ape House after me, looked at the 2 orangs sitting by the window, said 'they're not doing much' and moved on. I can't imagine their disappointment when they reached Crocodile Swamp
Last edited:
what's even more fun is standing looking up into a random tree or at some point in the sky, and seeing how long people are willing to stand trying to see what they think you're seeingGigit said:
