Page 48 - World of Animals - Issue #30

Education in zoos

What can

zoos teach us?

Whether zoos play a role in educating visitors about

wildlife has been heavily debated, but there is no
doubt they have the opportunity to influence millions

Bringing textbooks to life BELOW Education is one of the main
Zoos receive millions of visitors each year, putting them objectives at Bristol Zoo Gardens
in a strong position to teach and inspire a wide range of
people from all ages and backgrounds. For many visitors,
zoos offer a way for people to see their favourite animals
in the flesh and interact with creatures they may not
otherwise get the opportunity to see. Allowing people time
to experience living animals is arguably their strongest
resource. As David Attenborough said, “Today more and
more of us live in cities and lose any real connection with
wild animals and plants.”
Zoos aim to raise awareness, increase respect and
knowledge, and engage people with the natural world.
It is argued that we cannot conserve what we don’t
understand. By teaching visitors why we need to protect
our planet’s wildlife, zoos aim to inspire people to change
their habits, get involved in conservation and help raise
funds to safeguard the future of these species.
Natural history television presenter and zoologist,
Miranda Krestovnikoff, is a strong advocate of zoos playing
an important part in educating conservationists of the
future. She is currently supporting Bristol Zoological
Society’s giraffe house appeal.
Miranda said: “The role and purpose of zoos has
changed enormously in recent decades, with conservation
and education now a key focus of their work. Zoos and
other wildlife visitor attractions are in a unique position
to teach people about biodiversity, and zoo school trips
provide children with an opportunity to develop emotional
ties to wildlife, foster an appreciation for the natural world
and engage in conservation initiatives. Lively and varied
education programmes for schools bring subjects to life
and inspire children to care about the world around them.”
BIAZA
The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
WAZA
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Zoo education in numbers

700 OVER OVER 1.2 700 24

71%
MILLION 7,000 of people surveyed 100 million projects involving MILLION
an increase in
people visit WAZA species in by WAZA showed BIAZA zoos and trips to BIAZA zoos research and training visitors to BIAZA
are pre-arranged
run by BIAZA
aquariums in
understanding of
zoos annually BIAZA zoos biodiversity the UK educational visits members every year zoos each year
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