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Socialization influences on adult zoo visitation
... The second and third reasons-either because the zoo and aquarium are seen as fun places to visit or a good way to spend time in nature and with animals-finally reflect the purpose of the institution. A 1998 study at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo found that family togetherness, enjoyment, and novelty seeking were the top three reasons for a visit (Holzer et al., 1998). This was echoed in the first Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter study , in numerous other studies and reports (e.g. ...
... Both the online and intercept surveys asked about zoo visitation. The zoo visitation frequency variable was then collapsed in a manner consistent with other research (Holzer et al., 1998), grouping three higher visitation categories of visitors as frequent visitors more than twice/year, occasional visitors as once per year or less than once per year, and infrequent visitors as having not visited a zoo in more than 5 years, since childhood, or never. ...
Zoos and aquariums seek to be a trusted community resource for promoting wildlife and environmental conservation behaviors. While demographic data suggest that attendance at zoos and aquariums is demographically representative of the communities where they reside, the series of studies presented here suggest that zoo and aquarium visitors are psychographically different than non-zoo and aquarium goers in their communities. The three studies employed two pre-validated studies to compare zoo and aquarium visitors’ environmental and wildlife values and ethics with non-visitors. The results demonstrated that zoo and aquarium visitors are psychographically different from non-visitors, being more likely to view wildlife as part of an extended family and as deserving of rights for protection rather than having purely utilitarian value to human society. These findings demonstrate that zoo and aquarium goers are even more likely than either their neighbors or the broader US population to support the conservation of wildlife for their own value as well as their intrinsic value to the environment. These data offer zoo and aquarium professionals new information for fine-tuning visitor programs and communications to more effectively link visitors’ values to desired social outcomes.KeywordsWildlife value orientationsEnvironmental ethicsZoo-visitor psychographicsConcern for natureZoosMuseumsAquariumsAnthropomorphismHuman dimensions of wildlifeConservation psychologyEthical beliefs
... The mission of most zoos is to conserve species, provide educational opportunities, conduct research and exhibit animals for entertainment (Cain & Meritt Jr 1998). People also visit zoos for family or friend bonding time (Rajack & Waren 1996;Holzer et al. 1998), education (Andereck & Caldwell 1994), and entertainment (English Tourist Board 1983). Providing children access to a zoo exhibit allows them to experience animals in a novel and more educational and imaginative context than at home, thus it is common for adults to visit with young members of the family (Oxarart et al. 2013). ...
Tourism wildlife interactions are controversial, the debate hinging largely on the compromised welfare of the animals used. Despite this, lion cub ( Panthera leo ) interactions are popular, and there is a need to understand what motivates interactors to participate in the activity, their perceptions and expectations. We surveyed the attitudes of 300 visitors to three lion cub interaction facilities in South Africa. Whilst 38% of interactors were aware of the controversy around lion cub interactions, 69% desired the experience regardless. It is widely assumed that lion cub interaction opportunities are big attractions, yet 74% of respondents said that they would still have visited if lion cub interactions were not offered. Whilst 84% of interactors felt that their expectations were met, 61% said that the interaction had no impact on them. Several of those interviewed interacted with multiple species, and 34% determined that their favourite engagement was with animals that interacted back voluntarily. Most of those interviewed chose the interaction for their children (69%). Whilst 58% felt the experience was educational, only 2% of these had learnt about the plight of lions in the wild. When asked to reflect on the welfare of the lion cubs they had interacted with, ‘Freedom from discomfort’ was seen as the most important factor, as well as ‘Freedom to express natural behaviour’. Interactions were viewed with a variety of emotions and generated a range of beliefs. We conclude that the findings can be used by facilities to better prepare visitors for the experience, ensuring that interaction animals are better able to serve in their role as ambassador representatives.
... Connecting an engagement or recreational aim of the modern zoo with its other principles appears to be the key to fostering long-term positive relationships within society. Holzer et al. [106] found that children who were regular zoo visitors would be the strongest advocates for their existence when adult-visiting regularly, visiting more zoological collections, and promoting the educational relevance of the zoo. Recreation, or the more appropriate Engagement, is a vital role for modern zoos that should promote both human and non-human animal wellbeing and bolster the wider aims of the zoo [107]. ...
Modern zoos and aquariums have evolved greatly since the end of the Second World War, to become centres of conservation excellence and scientific institutions for the study of animal behaviour, ecology, husbandry management. Whilst the impact of zoos and aquariums to biodiversity conservation, population management and advancement of species care is well documented, their positive impacts on society (including the communities that they are located within) is less well known. The four established aims of the modern zoo—Conservation, Education, Recreation (Engagement) and Research—provide a strong foundation for wider review and critique of the societal value of zoos and aquariums. This article synthesises what such value may be, and how it could be measured, from a systematic review of the literature pertaining to each of these four established aims. It also recommends areas of future scientific inquiry to further study the wider impact of zoos on their local communities and on human populations and behaviour more generally. Including Wellbeing as a fifth aim of the modern zoo would also cement their wider societal value. Further scrutiny of the societal value of the modern zoo enhances the value of the zoo’s living collection and the green spaces that it manages to provide accessibility to biodiversity and nature-centric education essential to long-term, planetary friendly human behaviour change.
... The negative social, personal, and occupational circumstances affect the health of the individual and give rise to mental malfunctioning. In women, those who lack medical assistance to cure physical illness; have unpleasant feelings of fear and apprehensions (Joshi & Tomar, 2006); less access to avail the educational, financial and health care resources (Holzer et al., 1998); face poverty and unemployment and also lack intimacy in the relationship with their spouse (Wolf, 1987;Belle, 1990), suffer from various mental health problems such as insomnia, depression, and negative emotionality (Patel et al., 1999). This affects their ability to play a healthy role in the development of their family. ...
The objective of the present study was to see the role of family environment in mental health and marital adjustment among rural women. It was
hypothesized that cohesiveness and expressiveness in the family would be positively correlated with general health and marital adjustment of women
whereas conflicting family environment would be negatively correlated with general health and marital adjustment of women. For this purpose 122
married females in the age range 30-45 years were assessed on Family Environment Scale (FES, Form-R; Moos & Moos, 1986); General Health
Questionnaire (GHQ; D.P. Goldberg & V. F. Hiller, 1979) and Marriage Adjustment Inventory (MAI; C. G. Deshpande, 1997). Obtained
scores were subjected to correlational analysis. Findings of the study suggest that cohesiveness and expressiveness in family lead to the good
psychological or mental health of the rural females whereas conflicting family environment had negative impact on general health of females. It was
also revealed that females from cohesive and expressive family environment had better adjustment in their families while conflict becomes hurdle in the
better adjustment with the spouse and other family members. Overall findings were in line with the hypotheses formulated.
Keywords: Family Environment, Marital Adjustment, General or Mental Health.
zet Anahtar Kelimeler Hayvanat bahçeleri her ne kadar kâr elde etme odaklı işletmeler olmasalar da bünyelerinde yer alan hayvanların sağlıklı bir şekilde hayatlarını devam ettirebilmeleri için belirli bir gelire ihtiyaç duymaktadırlar. İhtiyaç duyulan gelir de yoğun olarak ziyaretçilerden elde edilmektedir. Dolayısıyla ziyaretçi memnuniyetini etkileyen unsurların belirlenmesi ve iyileştirilmesi yoluyla daha fazla talep oluşturularak, gelirin arttırılmasına odaklanılması gerekmektedir. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın amacı, Faruk YALÇIN Hayvanat Bahçesi ve Botanik Parkı ziyaretçilerinin memnuniyet düzeylerinin, önem-performans analiziyle değerlendirilmesidir. Bu doğrultuda 393 kişiden nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden anket tekniğiyle veri toplanmıştır. Ulaşılan sonuçlar, performans puanlarının önem puanlarından düşük olduğunu göstermektedir. Ziyaretçilerin yüksek öneme sahip olarak değerlendirmelerine rağmen istenilen performansı gösteremeyen özelliklerin, genel olarak hayvanların sahip oldukları imkânlarla ilgili olduğu görülmüştür. Ziyaretçilerin hayvanat bahçesinin "gözlem rotasının uygunluğu, tabelaların anlaşılabilir olması, türlerin çeşitliliği, peyzaj, hayvanat bahçesine ulaşım ve hayvanat bahçesinin büyüklüğü" gibi özelliklerinden ise memnun oldukları tespit edilmiştir. Abstract Keywords Although the zoo is not a profit-oriented business, the animals in their structure need a certain income to sustain their lives healthily. The income needed is also obtained from visitors intensively. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on increasing revenue by creating more demand through the determination and improvement of the elements that affect visitor satisfaction. The aim of this study is to evaluate the satisfaction levels of visitors of Faruk Yalçın's Zoo and Botanic Park through importance-performance analysis. In this respect, the data were collected from 393 people using quantitative research methods. The results show that performance scores are lower than their important scores. It is observed that the features that do not perform the desired performance despite the evaluations of the visitors as of high importance are generally related to the possibilities of the animals. Visitors' characteristics such as the suitability of the observation route, the understanding of the signs, the diversity of species, the landscape, the transportation to the zoo and the size of the zoo were determined to be satisfied. Faruk Yalcın Zoo and Botanic Park Importance-Performance Analysis Customer satisfaction Kocaeli About Article
Zoos and aquariums are culturally and historically important places where families enjoy their leisure time and scientists study exotic animals. Many contain buildings of great architectural merit. Some people consider zoos little more than animal prisons, while others believe they play an important role in conservation and education. Zoos have been the subject of a vast number of academic studies, whose results are scattered throughout the literature. This interdisciplinary volume brings together research on animal behaviour, visitor studies, zoo history, human-animal relationships, veterinary medicine, welfare, education, enclosure design, reproduction, legislation, and zoo management conducted at around 200 institutions located throughout the world. The book is neither 'pro-' nor 'anti-' zoo and attempts to strike a balance between praising zoos for the good work they have done in the conservation of some species, while recognising that they face many challenges in making themselves relevant in the modern world.
Attendance is one of the indicators of tourist attractions' success. Zoological gardens are among the most visited tourist attractions. However, there is practically no research on this topic, less so in the post-socialist countries. It is the aim of this article, therefore, to identify, using the example of the Visegrad Four countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia), how zoo attendance generally develops and to discuss why it is so. For this purpose, a database of EAZA member zoos in these countries was created. Attendance data was obtained from multiple sources, e.g. from annual reports, the International Zoo Yearbook (IZY) and email communication. It was found that the total attendance has been on the rise since it plummeted at the beginning of the 1990s; Czech zoos went up first and now they are the absolutely most visited, even per capita. The current attendance (2019) to Czech zoos more than doubled compared to the mid-1960s; in Slovakia and Poland it does not reach even 150%. There was an increase of almost 43 % in 2010–2019; the highest one was in Poland. The most visited zoo since 2015 has been the Wrocław Zoo (PL), where an iconic Afrykarium was opened.
To better understand visitors to zoos and aquariums, many facilities repeatedly ask similar questions in evaluations and audience research projects. While not inherently problematic, this can deplete already scarce resources including time and funding. In this chapter, we address the field’s most frequently asked questions about visitors, including who visits and why, what visitors know about zoos and aquariums, and the general conservation learning outcomes from a visit. We also offer other potential avenues for research and evaluation, including those that align with the Social Science Research Agenda. In doing this, we hope to help researchers and practitioners explore new and important areas in social science research and evaluation.KeywordsVisitorDemographicsPsychographicsInformal educationVisitor studiesZoos and aquariums
This research aims to study the motivations and to categorize the motivations of tourists who visited Chiang Mai Zoo in Chiang Mai province. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 408 samples of the tourists in October 2019 all through weekdays, weekends and national public holidays. The data was then analyzed using Descriptive Statistic and Factor Analysis. The result of the motivations of the tourists visiting Chiang Mai Zoo based on their priority of experiences given to 30 factors shows the top three most important motivations as follows. First of all is to spend time with family or friends. Secondly is to see and appreciate nature and animals. The third is to rest and relax from stress, invigorate the mind and body, and release oneself from boredom. While the least important motivation is to buy goods or products related to animals. As for the categories of motivations for the visit can be put into five groups which are Group 1: Exploring the site, Group 2: Learning about animals, Group 3: Relaxation and spending time with closed ones, Group 4: Reminiscing, and Group 5: Taking children to learn about nature. These categories can explain the variance of the 30 factors at 56.10%.
Hayvanat bahçeleri her ne kadar kâr elde etme odaklı işletmeler olmasalar da bünyelerinde yer alan hayvanların sağlıklı bir şekilde hayatlarını devam ettirebilmeleri için belirli bir gelire ihtiyaç duymaktadırlar. İhtiyaç duyulan gelir de yoğun olarak ziyaretçilerden elde edilmektedir. Dolayısıyla ziyaretçi memnuniyetini etkileyen unsurların belirlenmesi ve iyileştirilmesi yoluyla daha fazla talep oluşturularak, gelirin arttırılmasına odaklanılması gerekmektedir. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın amacı, Faruk YALÇIN Hayvanat Bahçesi ve Botanik Parkı ziyaretçilerinin memnuniyet düzeylerinin, önem-performans analiziyle değerlendirilmesidir. Bu doğrultuda 393 kişiden nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden anket tekniğiyle veri toplanmıştır. Ulaşılan sonuçlar, performans puanlarının önem puanlarından düşük olduğunu göstermektedir. Ziyaretçilerin yüksek öneme sahip olarak değerlendirmelerine rağmen istenilen performansı gösteremeyen özelliklerin, genel olarak hayvanların sahip oldukları imkânlarla ilgili olduğu görülmüştür. Ziyaretçilerin hayvanat bahçesinin "gözlem rotasının uygunluğu, tabelaların anlaşılabilir olması, türlerin çeşitliliği, peyzaj, hayvanat bahçesine ulaşım ve hayvanat bahçesinin büyüklüğü" gibi özelliklerinden ise memnun oldukları tespit edilmiştir.
Abstract Keywords Although the zoo is not a profit-oriented business, the animals in their structure need a certain income to sustain their lives healthily. The income needed is also obtained from visitors intensively. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on increasing revenue by creating more demand through the determination and improvement of the elements that affect visitor satisfaction. The aim of this study is to evaluate the satisfaction levels of visitors of Faruk Yalçın's Zoo and Botanic Park through importance-performance analysis. In this respect, the data were collected from 393 people using quantitative research methods. The results show that performance scores are lower than their important scores. It is observed that the features that do not perform the desired performance despite the evaluations of the visitors as of high importance are generally related to the possibilities of the animals. Visitors' characteristics such as the suitability of the observation route, the understanding of the signs, the diversity of species, the landscape, the transportation to the zoo and the size of the zoo were determined to be satisfied. Faruk Yalcın Zoo and Botanic Park Importance-Performance Analysis Customer satisfaction Kocaeli About Article
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