Zoo visitors’ perceptions of chimpanzee welfare are not affected by the provision of artificial environmental enrichment devices in a naturalistic exhibit
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v5i1.250Abstract
Zoo-housed animals are provided with many temporary elements in their exhibit, such as environmental enrichment devices (EEDs), which may not match the aesthetic of their exhibit. Some zoos object to the use of artificial EEDs in naturalistic exhibits, but there has been little research into whether the appearance of these temporary elements influences visitors’ perceptions. Therefore, we investigated visitors’ opinions about a naturalistic chimpanzee exhibit at Lincoln Park Zoo when EEDs were provided to the chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We wished to determine whether exhibit naturalism was important to visitors; what their perceptions were of the chimpanzees’ behaviour and emotions; what their thoughts were about the suitability of chimpanzees as pets; and whether these beliefs were affected by the type of EED in the chimpanzees’ exhibit. Eight EEDS were chosen for this study: four that were naturalistic in appearance and four that were designed to elicit similar species-typical behaviours, but were artificial in appearance. Visitors’ responses to the survey revealed that they generally believed that exhibit naturalism was important, and that the chimpanzee exhibit was naturalistic in appearance; they viewed the chimpanzees’ behaviour and feelings positively; and they did not think chimpanzees made good pets. Visitors’ responses to the survey questions did not differ whether artificial or naturalistic EEDs were provided in the exhibit. These results support previous research that zoo visitors are not affected by EED aesthetic in a naturalistic exhibit, perhaps because the naturalism of the exhibit supersedes any effect or because the EEDs represent such small elements within the exhibit.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).