A comparative analysis of visitor knowledge and attitude towards the ‘ignored taxa’

Abstract

Zoos are in a unique position to enthuse visitors about biodiversity loss and inspire visitors towards conservation. However, some of the world’s most threatened and endangered species are not the animals that zoo visitors are inherently interested in or want to see. It is essential for zoos to understand their visitors’ knowledge and attitude towards less popular species, if they are to promote conservation for all endangered animals. This comprehensive study used a survey-based methodology to investigate visitors’ knowledge and attitude surrounding species that are historically ‘ignored’ (reptiles, amphibians and fish) in zoos at five Irish institutions. Results varied between institutions but broadly indicated that visitors had higher mean attitude scores (0.83) than knowledge (0.68) scores on the survey. However, trends were not consistent across all institutions. Additionally, higher levels of self-reported knowledge were associated with increased attitude scores. Institution affected hypothetical donation choice, though collectively frogs, snakes and fish attracted the least support only receiving 9.8% of theoretical donations. Not littering and recycling were the most popular actions listed to help the ignored taxa at each institution. This leaves zoos with a challenge – how to engage visitors with often highly endangered, sometimes commonly kept, but less historically interesting or less appreciated species, such as reptiles, fish and amphibians. Zoos must leverage visitors’ interest in animals and conservation with all of their species, if they are to drive forward their conservation agendas.