Things people do that irritate you when you go to the zoo? #2
- Thread starter birdsandbats
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iloveyourzoos
Well-Known Member
Many years ago, I went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in Hawaii, and they've got a short video presentation that all guests are required to watch in order to gain entry. The video explains rules and conservation goals. I can't say definitively how effective it is in stopping all bad behavior, (I'm sure some still slips through, since humans can be awful), but I've always thought that if zoos could afford to do this they should. It would go a long way toward setting expectations, answering some basic questions, educating about the rules -- and without relying on people to take the apparently antiquated step of reading! LOL!
I'm sure that some people still zone out during the video, or don't take it seriously. But I think it does reach more people than if they just had a sign out front, the way most zoos do. And even for those of us who do read signs, I think that the video sends a message that the facility "really means it", as opposed to sometimes when written signs can look more like a collection of legal fine print.
Imagine major zoos like Beauval, Beijing, Berlin, Moscow, Omaha, Pairi Daiza, San Diego etc. in their peak (summer) season, with hundreds or even thousands of daily visitors eagerly trying to get in with their overexcited, overheated and oversugared kids. Where, when and how would you squeeze in your video without slowing down the entry processing? And I can guarantee you: if you play your video on repeat to the people standing in line, after several repeats, the unnerved parents will go full Liam Neeson Taken after you...I for sure would.
iloveyourzoos
Well-Known Member
I absolutely agree that it would take some major reimagining, in the same way that the shift to conservation and animal welfare required some major reimagining. But I personally think that refocusing guests' expectations of zoos as educational rather than primarily recreational, would be beneficial.
I suspect that smaller zoos (like WdG!) are probably better suited to make this a reality, and may already be doing even better by having dedicated folks like yourself present to do the intros in person rather than just leaving it to a film.
But I think with some work, even larger zoos could pull off requiring a video. They'd need more of a focus on timed entry, and a theater building similar to a small multiplex which could show the video on multiple screens, each at five minute intervals so no one is stuck waiting too long.
It wouldn't be an instant solution, and you'd definitely have people who were annoyed that they have to learn something (or anything!) on their "entertainment" day. But over time I think it has a better chance of shifting the public's expectations than signs that few people read now -- and that even fewer are likely to read in our multi-media age.
I suspect that smaller zoos (like WdG!) are probably better suited to make this a reality, and may already be doing even better by having dedicated folks like yourself present to do the intros in person rather than just leaving it to a film.
But I think with some work, even larger zoos could pull off requiring a video. They'd need more of a focus on timed entry, and a theater building similar to a small multiplex which could show the video on multiple screens, each at five minute intervals so no one is stuck waiting too long.
It wouldn't be an instant solution, and you'd definitely have people who were annoyed that they have to learn something (or anything!) on their "entertainment" day. But over time I think it has a better chance of shifting the public's expectations than signs that few people read now -- and that even fewer are likely to read in our multi-media age.
Golden Takin
Member
Reading the signage? Good one
When standing in front of the golden jackal sign, the kid asked what kind of dog it was, and the parent just said 'it's a pretty dog'.
I pointed to the sign right in front of her.
Like, signs in most places are big, or colorful, but I really believe people ignore it on purpose so they can give stupid answers and actually enjoying that they do it.
Reminds me of red pandas in China. Since a famous snack company misuses a redpanda-like image to represent racoon, many visitors cannot tell their differences. Guangzhou Zoo once made a huge and colorful cartoon sign with a red panda saying "I'm not the little racoon" , underlined in red. One old lady pointing at the sign, showing to her grandson, read loudly "Look, I'm the little racoon". Definitely a failure for those hard-working staff.
Phrasing things in the negative (no, not, can't, isn't) can be really confusing in messaging, regardless of language and often gets misheard or misread. It seems to be a universal cultural thing and one of the trickier parts of learning foreign languages, too.
Hopefully, your local zoo does not let you wait in line as long as amusement parks do...
Given that we only do guided tours at WdG, we can directly blight any visitor misbehaviour.
Bronx Zoo’s Wild Asia Monorail on a busy day can take that long. So do zoos in Asia with panda houses.
And WdG during the Free Museum Weekend this May...
Not a situation I enjoy as a zoo visitor, though.
So there's something amusing I overheard yesterday at the Buffalo Zoo. One visitor was complaining about how the zoo has all these "weird animals nobody has ever heard of". Now, while I disagree with this sentiment I'd understand it if by the agouti, addax, or tentacled snakes. But what were these weird, super obscure animals? Polar bears.
ZooTripper365
Well-Known Member
This has been mentioned already I'm sure but I hate it when people bang on the glass of enclosures intentionally to scare or make the animal react, even when there are signs telling you not to. I'm sure Dudley Dursley already warned us not to do this! In all seriousness though I really do feel for these poor animals with feelings of their own who for all you know could be stressed enough without this behaviour. I think at zoos, it should be more common to have behavioural guidelines placed around the zoo to help curb visitors behaviour as this is genuinely sad to see as someone who has always been interested in wildlife.
Unless you have someone consequently monitoring and enforcing said guidelines, you can scrap them. Misbehaving visitors will pretend that they didn't see them, can't read, don't understand the language etc. The only advantage, depending on your legal system: if something bad happens to them due to their misbehaviour (like Harry Potter vanishing the glass of the puff adder exhibit while an idiot is knocking on it... ), you can declare that said idiot had been informed about the danger of his behavior on the guidelines beforehand (might want to include a text passage regarding magic
).Behavioral guidelines should also be written in a way that encourages compliance. A sign saying "no knocking on the glass" (written in the negative, non-emotional) will always be less effective than a sign saying "I live here, please respect my privacy and be quiet" (adds an empathy component, written in the positive). Even better is to incorporate humor into the signs, where I present you one of my favorite zoo signs of all time:
Photo By: @ZooElephantsMan
Behavioral guidelines should also be written in a way that encourages compliance. A sign saying "no knocking on the glass" (written in the negative, non-emotional) will always be less effective than a sign saying "I live here, please respect my privacy and be quiet" (adds an empathy component, written in the positive). Even better is to incorporate humor into the signs, where I present you one of my favorite zoo signs of all time:
Photo By: @ZooElephantsMan
ZooTripper365
Well-Known Member
Yeah definitely this is exactly the point I was trying to make. I know it will always be hard to inforce as this world will always have rule breakers. I'm sorry if that sounded really stuck up and nerdy 
Il gattopardo
Well-Known Member
Visitors who abuse the animals as a background for their selfies.
Even in face of the wonders of nature they are not able to leave the prison of their self-centred lives.
Of course I pity them, but this does not make them less irritating.
Even in face of the wonders of nature they are not able to leave the prison of their self-centred lives.
Of course I pity them, but this does not make them less irritating.
Jonathan Petersson
Well-Known Member
Baby gorilla dies of respiratory illness at Cincinnati Zoo 
Even visitors don't call the Bonobos a gorilla, the news is truly something!
Even visitors don't call the Bonobos a gorilla, the news is truly something!