Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment Appearance
Decisions on environmental enrichment programmes are sometimes based on the assumption that non-natural or artificial looking items negatively affect visitor experiences. In this study, we developed a questionnaire to assess zoo visitor attitudes towards enrichment appearance in an outdoor walk-thro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-06-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/1971 |
| _version_ | 1797528138221092864 |
|---|---|
| author | Marina Salas Daan W. Laméris Arno Depoortere Lise Plessers Jonas Verspeek |
| author_facet | Marina Salas Daan W. Laméris Arno Depoortere Lise Plessers Jonas Verspeek |
| author_sort | Marina Salas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Decisions on environmental enrichment programmes are sometimes based on the assumption that non-natural or artificial looking items negatively affect visitor experiences. In this study, we developed a questionnaire to assess zoo visitor attitudes towards enrichment appearance in an outdoor walk-through enclosure for ring-tailed lemurs (<i>Lemur catta</i>). Naturalistic and artificial looking enrichment items were alternately provided in the enclosure. A total of 371 visitors filled out the questionnaire: 174 in the naturalistic and 197 in the artificial conditions. Both researchers and visitors conducted behavioural observations of the lemurs. Our results suggest that the appearance of the items did not have an effect on visitor attitudes and that visitors recognised both naturalistic and artificial items as enriching for the animals. Moreover, the behaviour and visibility of the lemurs had a greater effect on the visitors’ attitudes. We suggest that during the design of enrichment items, less concern should be placed on the appearance of the items and more on their effect on animal behaviour. Ultimately, this would improve both animal welfare in captivity and the visitor experience. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:53:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-826b8a5f5e9a4e30940e9d2994bdb54e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:53:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-826b8a5f5e9a4e30940e9d2994bdb54e2023-11-22T02:33:03ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-06-01117197110.3390/ani11071971Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment AppearanceMarina Salas0Daan W. Laméris1Arno Depoortere2Lise Plessers3Jonas Verspeek4Antwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (KMDA), 2018 Antwerp, BelgiumAntwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (KMDA), 2018 Antwerp, BelgiumFaculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumFaculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumAntwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (KMDA), 2018 Antwerp, BelgiumDecisions on environmental enrichment programmes are sometimes based on the assumption that non-natural or artificial looking items negatively affect visitor experiences. In this study, we developed a questionnaire to assess zoo visitor attitudes towards enrichment appearance in an outdoor walk-through enclosure for ring-tailed lemurs (<i>Lemur catta</i>). Naturalistic and artificial looking enrichment items were alternately provided in the enclosure. A total of 371 visitors filled out the questionnaire: 174 in the naturalistic and 197 in the artificial conditions. Both researchers and visitors conducted behavioural observations of the lemurs. Our results suggest that the appearance of the items did not have an effect on visitor attitudes and that visitors recognised both naturalistic and artificial items as enriching for the animals. Moreover, the behaviour and visibility of the lemurs had a greater effect on the visitors’ attitudes. We suggest that during the design of enrichment items, less concern should be placed on the appearance of the items and more on their effect on animal behaviour. Ultimately, this would improve both animal welfare in captivity and the visitor experience.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/1971animal–visitor interactionsbehaviourcaptivityenrichmentvisitorwelfare |
| spellingShingle | Marina Salas Daan W. Laméris Arno Depoortere Lise Plessers Jonas Verspeek Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment Appearance Animals animal–visitor interactions behaviour captivity enrichment visitor welfare |
| title | Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment Appearance |
| title_full | Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment Appearance |
| title_fullStr | Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment Appearance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment Appearance |
| title_short | Zoo Visitor Attitudes Are More Influenced by Animal Behaviour than Environmental Enrichment Appearance |
| title_sort | zoo visitor attitudes are more influenced by animal behaviour than environmental enrichment appearance |
| topic | animal–visitor interactions behaviour captivity enrichment visitor welfare |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/1971 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marinasalas zoovisitorattitudesaremoreinfluencedbyanimalbehaviourthanenvironmentalenrichmentappearance AT daanwlameris zoovisitorattitudesaremoreinfluencedbyanimalbehaviourthanenvironmentalenrichmentappearance AT arnodepoortere zoovisitorattitudesaremoreinfluencedbyanimalbehaviourthanenvironmentalenrichmentappearance AT liseplessers zoovisitorattitudesaremoreinfluencedbyanimalbehaviourthanenvironmentalenrichmentappearance AT jonasverspeek zoovisitorattitudesaremoreinfluencedbyanimalbehaviourthanenvironmentalenrichmentappearance |