Apparently Knowsley Safari Park has been offering people with mental health issues the opportunity to spend one day a week for six weeks spending time at the park working with various animals. It started five years ago and became so successful that GPs have referred over 400 people to the scheme. So, how many members can relate to this Speaking personally, I think it's a brilliant thing and zoo visits certainly raise my spirits.
I have mental health issues, and I do think this can be very beneficial for many people suffering.
I can only speak for myself, and though it's not a zoo-animal, but when I had cats, life was just better. Off course, they can't solve all problems, but I do feel animals can help a lot.
I do cat sitting now, as we can't have any pets of our own, and I know there's some hate towards cats, lol, but many animals can really notice when you're not well and become more affectionate.
And even if they don't, they're still there, so you're not alone.
So I can totally see this working for many people in a zoo-environment.
I've been off for 3 weeks now from work due to some issues, and I've been visiting some zoo's in the meantime, and it's just very relaxing walking around, taking my mind off other things.
Apparently Knowsley Safari Park has been offering people with mental health issues the opportunity to spend one day a week for six weeks spending time at the park working with various animals. It started five years ago and became so successful that GPs have referred over 400 people to the scheme. So, how many members can relate to this Speaking personally, I think it's a brilliant thing and zoo visits certainly raise my spirits.
They’re known as ‘green prescriptions’ or ‘blue prescriptions’ for places like aquariums or WWT sites with lots of water.
Also think of all those people volunteering their own time at zoos and aquariums and you can see how successful this type (or any type) of volunteering is for your own mental health. The joy of helping others whilst also helping yourself.
They’re known as ‘green prescriptions’ or ‘blue prescriptions’ for places like aquariums or WWT sites with lots of water.
Also think of all those people volunteering their own time at zoos and aquariums and you can see how successful this type (or any type) of volunteering is for your own mental health. The joy of helping others whilst also helping yourself.
I am on the ASD spectrum and also suffer from anxiety and mental health issues and I can honestly say nothing makes me feel more at ease then a trip up to Whipsnade. It’s my favourite place and being outside whilst seeing the animals is such a big help for me personally. If I’m feeling down a visit to the Zoo really helps. I do kinda wish more zoos would do quiet times for those with ASD but more often then not they are early whilst I prefer to visit in the afternoons.
Am pretty sure WWT is involved with ‘blue prescriptions’ but, as mentioned, you don’t need a ‘prescription’ as many zoos offer volunteering which is exactly the same thing as these schemes are offering. Find out about volunteering at your local collection and sign up for a weekly duty and both sides reap the benefits. ‘Volunteering is most definitely a two way thing’.
A great idea. Even a visit to the local aquarium shop or nursery with a pet section is enough to raise my spirits on a rough day. Or just taking a walk and making a fuss of someone's dog (with their OK of course) making some interaction, is hugely beneficial to my mental state.
I’ve thought for many years GPs and the NHS should actively encourage this sort of thing rather than prescribing pills or “talking therapies” , which in my case never worked.
When it comes to my own mental health nothing has helped me more than going to a zoo and being one with nature, especially seeing the pandas at Edinburgh and have a lot of good memories there, they have moved on now of course but it’s still a great zoo.
While I see the positive benefits, I also see potential risks in this from the pov of an employer. To illustrate my point with a real-life example: last year, I was approached by a mother of a depressive teenager who quit school, vocational training etc., had lost the will to live and just wanted to work with reptiles. Preferrably at WdG. While I would have loved to help both the teen and the mother, I also felt very uneasy about having someone with mental issues around potentially very dangerous animals. Having to monitor someone constantly would be more stress than good for me. And if anything bad happened, it'd be solely on me to take the rap. So I politely declined and recommended her another location.
Apparently Knowsley Safari Park has been offering people with mental health issues the opportunity to spend one day a week for six weeks spending time at the park working with various animals. It started five years ago and became so successful that GPs have referred over 400 people to the scheme. So, how many members can relate to this Speaking personally, I think it's a brilliant thing and zoo visits certainly raise my spirits.
Hmm… I argue that depends on the personal history of the individual. Allow me to give myself as an example.
While I never got diagnosed with anything I grew up in with severe negative thoughts, self-doubt, a feeling of lack of belonging, and even idealizations of leaving this puny mortal realm. Part of it is because Ankara did not have any proper facilities* where I could have started learning the skills needed to work with animals. However things changed when I went to college in the US I had the opportunity to work at a zoo four times a day (sometimes more).
While working with animals was amazing it was not a magic wand or the ultimate treatment that made me turn into a model citizen. There were still moments where I second-guessed myself despite knowing the answer to my question. My society life wasn’t great back at Turkey and while it has improved in the US I didn’t often find myself invited to social events so I guess I still didn’t improve enough to an approachable individual. There was also the car dependency, the American fact of life, of the town I stayed at which led to greater social isolation, even before covid lockdowns. What also doesn’t help was that one crazy hazardous roommate who is an entire story. Of course these ended up affecting my performance resulting warnings from my supervisors which returned back as self doubt. And thus my time at the zoo ended with me having more self doubt and to this day I still don’t know if I am worthy of working for a zoo.
Now one thing that makes my context different is that I also went across the pond while Longleat is offering this to locals. There’s also the work hours while participants of Longleat’s programs working for one day a week while I worked for four days a week.
So, no, working with animals is not guaranteed to fix people’s spirits. It would have been nice if I came across a program like Longleat’s back when I was at high school but alas neither did I grew up in England, nor do I think a program like Longleat’s would have existed in Turkey.
If you check the pictures of Aqua Vega and Ankara Domestic Animals Park then you can see what really mean.
Hmm… I argue that depends on the personal history of the individual. Allow me to give myself as an example.
While I never got diagnosed with anything I grew up in with severe negative thoughts, self-doubt, a feeling of lack of belonging, and even idealizations of leaving this puny mortal realm. Part of it is because Ankara did not have any proper facilities* where I could have started learning the skills needed to work with animals. However things changed when I went to college in the US I had the opportunity to work at a zoo four times a day (sometimes more).
While working with animals was amazing it was not a magic wand or the ultimate treatment that made me turn into a model citizen. There were still moments where I second-guessed myself despite knowing the answer to my question. My society life wasn’t great back at Turkey and while it has improved in the US I didn’t often find myself invited to social events so I guess I still didn’t improve enough to an approachable individual. There was also the car dependency, the American fact of life, of the town I stayed at which led to greater social isolation, even before covid lockdowns. What also doesn’t help was that one crazy hazardous roommate who is an entire story. Of course these ended up affecting my performance resulting warnings from my supervisors which returned back as self doubt. And thus my time at the zoo ended with me having more self doubt and to this day I still don’t know if I am worthy of working for a zoo.
Now one thing that makes my context different is that I also went across the pond while Longleat is offering this to locals. There’s also the work hours while participants of Longleat’s programs working for one day a week while I worked for four days a week.
So, no, working with animals is not guaranteed to fix people’s spirits. It would have been nice if I came across a program like Longleat’s back when I was at high school but alas neither did I grew up in England, nor do I think a program like Longleat’s would have existed in Turkey.
If you check the pictures of Aqua Vega and Ankara Domestic Animals Park then you can see what really mean.
Firstly, do you mean Knowsley safari park ?Looking at what Knowsley said, I don't think that the scheme was a quick fix but it obviously suited some more than others, otherwise GPs would not have referred so many people. I am sorry that animal work at that place never helped but working in a better environment might have.
Firstly, do you mean Knowsley safari park ?Looking at what Knowsley said, I don't think that the scheme was a quick fix but it obviously suited some more than others, otherwise GPs would not have referred so many people. I am sorry that animal work at that place never helped but working in a better environment might have.
